Italian · Cafés & restaurants · Beginner

How to order coffee in Italian

In many busy Italian bars you pay first at the till: say “Buongiorno, un caffè, per favore” and keep the receipt, lo scontrino. Then put it on the counter and order again. Un caffè is an espresso, and cappuccino is a morning drink. The cashier may ask “Lo prende qui o da portare via?”.

Try it · about two minutes

You walk up to the till of a busy bar in town and order your morning coffee just the way you like it.

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

The conversation

Barista
Il prossimo, prego.
Next, please.
You
Buongiorno, un caffè, per favore.
Good morning, a coffee, please.
Barista
Lo prende qui o da portare via?
Will you have it here or take it away?
You
Lo prendo qui, grazie.
I’ll have it here, thanks.
Barista
Paga con la carta o in contanti?
Card or cash?
You
In contanti, ecco.
Cash. Here you are.
Barista
Che cosa desidera?
What would you like?
You
Un caffè, per favore.
A coffee, please.
Your coffee is on the counter. You’d like some water with it.
You
Un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore.
A glass of water, please.
Barista
Grazie, arrivederci.
Thank you, goodbye.
You
Grazie a lei, buona giornata.
Thank you, have a good day.

Key phrases

Che cosa desidera?
What would you like?
Buongiorno, un caffè, per favore.
Good morning, a coffee, please.
Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore.
I’d like a cappuccino, please.
Un caffè lungo, per favore.
A long coffee, please.
Un decaffeinato, per favore.
A decaf, please.
Lo prende qui o da portare via?
Will you have it here or take it away?
Lo prendo qui, grazie.
I’ll have it here, thanks.
Paga con la carta o in contanti?
Card or cash?
Posso pagare con la carta?
Can I pay by card?
Un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore.
A glass of water, please.

Good to know in Italy

Four coffees to know

caffè
an espresso
caffè macchiato
espresso with a dash of milk
cappuccino
espresso with steamed milk and foam
latte macchiato
hot milk with a shot of espresso, in a glass

Pay first, then order

1
In many busy bars you pay first at the till, la cassa.
Good morning, a coffee, please.
2
Take the receipt, lo scontrino, to the counter and order again.
3
Drink it standing at the counter. Sitting at a table often costs more.

Un latte is just milk

Ask for “un latte” and you’ll get a glass of milk. For a milky coffee, ask for a cappuccino or a latte macchiato.

Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore.

I’d like a cappuccino, please.

More situations in Italian

All situations in Italian

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.