How to Order Coffee in Spanish
The phrases below are the exact ones our AI Spanish coach teaches in a live first session — you can watch a real beginner use them in the video further down the page. Start with the one-liner that works everywhere, then build up to the full café conversation.
Quick answer
Un café, por favor.
A coffee, please.
Polite upgrade: "Me gustaría un café grande, por favor." — I would like a large coffee, please. (meh goos-TAH-ree-ah oon ca-FÉ GRAHN-deh, pohr fah-VOHR)
1. Ordering
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hola, quiero un café, por favor. | Hi, I want a coffee, please. | OH-lah, kee-EH-roh oon ca-FÉ, pohr fah-VOHR |
| Me gustaría un café con leche. | I would like a coffee with milk. | meh goos-TAH-ree-ah oon ca-FÉ kohn LEH-cheh |
| Un café americano, por favor. | An Americano, please. | oon ca-FEH ah-meh-ree-KAH-noh, pohr fah-VOHR |
| Un espresso, por favor. | An espresso, please. | oon ehs-PREH-soh, pohr fah-VOHR |
| Un cappuccino, por favor. | A cappuccino, please. | oon cah-poo-CHEE-noh, pohr fah-VOHR |
2. Choosing a size
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Grande o pequeño? | Large or small? (the barista asks you) | GRAHN-deh oh peh-KEH-nyoh |
| Grande, por favor. | Large, please. | GRAHN-deh, pohr fah-VOHR |
| Pequeño, por favor. | Small, please. | peh-KEH-nyoh, pohr fah-VOHR |
3. Follow-up
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Algo más? | Anything else? (the barista asks you) | AHL-goh mahs |
| No, gracias. | No, thanks. | noh, GRAH-see-ahs |
4. Paying
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto es? | How much is it? | KWAHN-toh ehs |
| ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | Can I pay by card? | PWEH-doh pah-GAHR kohn tar-HEH-tah |
| La cuenta, por favor. | The bill, please. | lah KWEHN-tah, pohr fah-VOHR |
Common mistakes English speakers make
Saying "yo quiero" (I want)
Use "me gustaría" (I would like) — it's the polite way to order. "Quiero" isn't wrong, but "me gustaría" is what a native speaker would say.
Forgetting por favor
Please matters in Spanish culture. End requests with "por favor" — it costs one word and changes the whole tone.
Flat English stress on café
Stress the second syllable: ca-FÉ (not CA-fe). Same for_grande_ (GRAHN-deh) — the stress is on the first syllable.
Watch a beginner do it — live
A real first session: someone who studied Spanish for two years orders a coffee with their AI coach and gets taught the polite way to say it, mid-conversation. Tap for sound.
The moment it clicks: "Me gustaría"
In a real first session, the coach asks ¿Algo más? — and most beginners freeze. That's the moment the coach switches to English and teaches one phrase: "I would like" = "Me gustaría." Then you say it yourself, in Spanish, and the conversation keeps going.
Me gustaría un café grande, por favor. — I would like a large coffee, please.
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