Portuguese · Food & Drink

"A coffee, please" in Portuguese: um café, por favor

um café, por favor

Say it: oong kah-FEH por fah-VOHRphrase/ˈum ka.ˈfɛ ˈpoʁ fa.ˈvoʁ/

A coffee, please in Portuguese is um café, por favor. Add type if you want—espresso, pingado, or com leite—right after café.

Padaria morning

Bom diaum café, por favor, bem quente.
Good morning—a coffee, please, nice and hot.
Practice Portuguese out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce um café, por favor

Say it

oong kah-FEH por fah-VOHR

/ˈum ka.ˈfɛ ˈpoʁ fa.ˈvoʁ/

oong kah-FEH por fah-VOHR

"A coffee, please" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
um café, por favora coffee, please

Default order.

um cafezinho, por favora little coffee, please

Affectionate diminutive.

me vê um caféget me a coffee

Very casual counter speech.

um café expresso, por favoran espresso, please

Specifies type.

How to use um café, por favor in real life

  1. 1Padaria morning

    Bom diaum café, por favor, bem quente.

    Good morning—a coffee, please, nice and hot.

    Bem quente = nice and hot.

  2. 2Office building cart

    um café, por favor, sem açúcar.

    Just a coffee, please, no sugar.

    Sem açúcar.

  3. 3Gas station stop

    Um café, por favor, e um pão de queijo.

    A coffee, please, and a cheese bread.

    Pairs with snack.

Mistakes English speakers make with um café, por favor

Incorrect: Um coffee, por favor.

Correct: Um café, por favor.

Café is the drink word.

Incorrect: Uma café, por favor.

Correct: Um café, por favor.

Café is masculine: um.

Good to know

In Brazil um café often means a small strong cup, not a huge latte. If you want milk foam or a bigger drink, name it—cappuccino, pingado, or café com leite.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Ordering at a busy corner café

  1. ChatPal

    Oi, boa tarde! escolheu?

    Hi, good afternoon! Have you chosen?

  2. You

    Um café, por favor.

    A coffee, please.

  3. ChatPal

    Na chavena ou no copo?

    In a cup or a glass?

  4. You

    No copo. Um café, por favor, bem forte.

    In a glass. A coffee, please, nice and strong.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"A coffee, please" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "A coffee, please" in Portuguese

With milk?

Um café com leite, por favor.

To go?

Um café para viagem, por favor.

Tiny cup culture?

Cafezinho is the affectionate small coffee.

How to pay?

Often after: a conta / posso pagar no cartão?

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in Portuguese. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.