How to order coffee in Italian
In Italy coffee happens at the bar, which is a café, not a pub. You go in, say buongiorno, ask for un caffè, drink it standing at the counter and leave a few minutes later. Knowing ten phrases is enough to do all of that in Italian.
Every phrase here comes from Verba’s ticket machine, where you hear it, read it and choose what it means. At the bottom of the page there is a ticket of five to try.
Coming in and paying
- Buongiorno!Good morning!
- Un caffè, per favore.A coffee, please
- Prima si paga alla cassa.You pay at the till first
- Ecco lo scontrino.Here's the receipt
- Lo prendo al banco.I'll have it at the counter
- Quanto costa al tavolo?How much is it at a table?
- Posso sedermi qui con il caffè?Can I sit here with my coffee?
Which coffee
- Un espresso, grazie.An espresso, thanks
- Un caffè macchiato, per favore.A coffee with a dash of milk, please
- Un cappuccino ben caldo.A nice hot cappuccino
- Un caffè lungo.A long coffee
- Un caffè decaffeinato.A decaf coffee
- Un caffè al vetro.A coffee in a glass
- Un caffè shakerato, se c'è.An iced shaken coffee, if you have it
- Una granita al caffè, grazie.A coffee granita, thanks
- Vorrei un caffè con un goccio di latte.I'd like a coffee with a drop of milk
Something with it
- Un cappuccino e un cornetto.A cappuccino and a croissant
- Un cornetto alla crema.A custard croissant
- Mi scaldi il cornetto, per favore?Could you warm the croissant, please?
- Un bicchiere d'acqua, grazie.A glass of water, thanks
- Una spremuta d'arancia.A freshly squeezed orange juice
- Senza zucchero, grazie.No sugar, thanks
- Zucchero o dolcificante?Sugar or sweetener?
What you might hear
- Il caffè lo offro io, non insistere.The coffee's on me, don't insist
- Il caffè è già pagato.The coffee is already paid for
- Mi dispiace, la brioche è finita.Sorry, the brioche has run out
- Il cappuccino dopo pranzo? Mai!Cappuccino after lunch? Never!
Un caffè is an espresso
Ask for a coffee and you get a single espresso in a small cup. There is no need to say espresso, though nobody minds if you do. A caffè lungo is the same shot with more water run through it; an americano is an espresso topped up with hot water.
The till comes first
In a busy bar you pay at the cassa, take the receipt (lo scontrino) to the counter, put it down and order again there. In a quiet one you order first and pay on the way out. If you are not sure, watch the person in front of you.
The counter is cheaper
A coffee drunk standing at the banco costs less than the same coffee brought to a table, and some bars print both prices. Sitting down is fine; it is just a different price. A glass of water with your coffee is usually free if you ask.
Biglietto · Try it
What does it mean?
Question 1 of 5: Un caffè, per favore.
Verba prints lessons like these as train tickets out of Florence, and Selene, its AI tutor, talks them through with you out loud.
