German · Cafés & restaurants · Beginner

How to order coffee in German

In most German cafés you sit down and order at the table: “Ich hätte gern einen Cappuccino” or “Einen Kaffee, bitte”. The server may ask “Darf es sonst noch etwas sein?”. To pay, catch their eye and say “Zahlen, bitte”, then round up the total as a tip.

Try it · about two minutes

You sit down in a neighbourhood café and order your morning coffee just the way you like it.

Sound on: the server speaks German. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

Server
Setzen Sie sich, wohin Sie möchten.
Take a seat wherever you like.
You
Ist der Tisch draußen frei?
Is the table outside free?
Server
Was möchten Sie?
What would you like?
You
Ich hätte gern einen Cappuccino.
I’d like a cappuccino, please.
Server
Darf es sonst noch etwas sein?
Can I get you anything else?
You
Könnte ich auch ein Glas Leitungswasser haben?
Could I also have a glass of tap water?
Your coffee has arrived. When you’ve finished, you’d like to pay.
You
Ich möchte bitte zahlen.
I’d like to pay, please.
Server
Zahlen Sie bar oder mit Karte?
Are you paying cash or by card?
You
Mit Karte, bitte.
By card, please.
Server
Das macht drei Euro achtzig.
That’s three euros eighty.
You
Machen Sie vier.
Make it four.

Key phrases

Setzen Sie sich, wohin Sie möchten.
Take a seat wherever you like.
Was möchten Sie?
What would you like?
Ich hätte gern einen Cappuccino.
I’d like a cappuccino, please.
Guten Tag, einen Kaffee, bitte.
Hello, a coffee, please.
Kann ich stattdessen Hafermilch haben?
Could I have oat milk instead?
Könnte ich auch ein Glas Leitungswasser haben?
Could I also have a glass of tap water?
Das ist alles, danke.
That’s all, thank you.
Zahlen, bitte.
The bill, please.
Zahlen Sie bar oder mit Karte?
Are you paying cash or by card?
Kann ich mit Karte bezahlen?
Can I pay by card?

Good to know in Germany

Four coffees on a German menu

Kaffee
a cup of filter coffee or café crème
Cappuccino
espresso with foamed milk
Milchkaffee
coffee with plenty of hot milk
Latte macchiato
hot milk and espresso in a tall glass

How it goes in a café

1
Outside bakeries and chains, you usually sit down and the server comes to you.
2
Order at the table. You pay at the end, not when you order.
3
Ask for the bill when you’re ready: it won’t come until you ask.
The bill, please.

Round up as you pay

Service isn’t added to the bill. Most people round up by saying the total they want to pay, or say “Stimmt so” when they hand over cash.

Machen Sie vier.

Make it four.

More situations in German

All situations in German

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

Download on the App Store (opens the App Store in a new tab)

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.