Portuguese · Cafés & restaurants · Beginner
How to order coffee in Portuguese
At a café in Portugal you usually order at the counter: say “Bom dia, um café, por favor” (in Lisbon, “uma bica”) or “Queria um galão, por favor” for a milky one. Staff may ask “É para comer aqui ou para levar?”. You usually pay when you’ve finished: ask “Quanto é?”.
Try it · about two minutes
You walk up to the counter of a neighbourhood café and order your morning coffee just the way you like it.
You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.
The conversation
- Barista
O que vai ser?
What will it be?
YouBom dia, um café, por favor.
Good morning, a coffee, please.
- Barista
É para comer aqui ou para levar?
Is it for here or to take away?
YouÉ para ficar, por favor.
To have here, please.
- Barista
Mais alguma coisa?
Anything else?
YouÉ só isso, por favor.
That’s all, please.
Your coffee is on the counter. When you’ve finished, it’s time to pay.
YouQuanto é?
How much is it?
- Barista
Paga com cartão ou em dinheiro?
Card or cash?
YouCom cartão, por favor.
By card, please.
- Barista
Quer fatura com número de contribuinte?
Would you like a receipt with your tax number?
YouNão, obrigado.
No, thanks.
Key phrases
O que vai ser?
What will it be?
Bom dia, um café, por favor.
Good morning, a coffee, please.
Uma bica, por favor.
An espresso, please.
Queria um galão, por favor.
I’d like a galão, please.
É para comer aqui ou para levar?
Is it for here or to take away?
É para ficar, por favor.
To have here, please.
Mais alguma coisa?
Anything else?
É só isso, por favor.
That’s all, please.
Quanto é?
How much is it?
Paga com cartão ou em dinheiro?
Card or cash?
Good to know in Portugal
Four coffees to know
café (bica)
a short espresso
pingado
espresso with a drop of milk
meia de leite
half coffee, half milk, in a cup
galão
a little coffee, lots of milk, in a glass
How it goes at the counter
- 1
Say “bom dia” and order at the counter, o balcão.
- 2
Drink it at the counter, at a table, or outside on the esplanada.
- 3
Pay when you’ve finished; in some busy places you pay at the till first.
Quanto é?How much is it?
No pronoun needed
Quer leite?
Would you like milk?
Você quer leite?
Do you want milk?
Staff in Portugal usually drop the pronoun and let the verb do the work. Adding você can sound blunt.
More situations in Portuguese
- Booking a table at a restaurant
- Asking for the bill, splitting it and tipping
- Asking for directions in the street
- Asking someone to repeat or slow down
- Reporting a broken boiler to your landlord
- Buying a ticket or a monthly travel pass
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.
AI-generated. May be inaccurate.