Spanish · Food & Drink

"A coffee, please" in Spanish: un café, por favor

un café, por favor

Say it: oon kah-FEH por fah-VORphrase/un kaˈfe poɾ faˈβoɾ/

A coffee, please is un café, por favor. Café is masculine: un café, el café. Add details after café: un café con leche, un café solo. This is the ready-to-say counter line, not only the noun café.

Morning counter

Un café, por favor.
A coffee, please.
Practice Spanish out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce un café, por favor

Say it

oon kah-FEH por fah-VOR

/un kaˈfe poɾ faˈβoɾ/

oon kah-FEH por fah-VOR. Stress FEH in café and VOR in favor. The accent on café marks that stress.

"A coffee, please" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
un café, por favora coffee, please

Default full order.

un café con leche, por favora coffee with milk, please

Breakfast classic.

un café solo, por favora black coffee, please

Small strong cup without milk.

dos cafés, por favortwo coffees, please

Plural order.

How to use un café, por favor in real life

  1. 1Morning counter

    Un café, por favor.

    A coffee, please.

    Complete line with café.

  2. 2With milk

    Un café con leche, por favor.

    A coffee with milk, please.

    Builds on un café.

  3. 3For two

    Dos cafés, por favor.

    Two coffees, please.

    Plural cafés keeps the headword.

Mistakes English speakers make with un café, por favor

Incorrect: Una café, por favor.

Correct: Un café, por favor.

Café is masculine. Say un café, este café, el café caliente.

Incorrect: Un cafe sin acento, por favor.

Correct: Un café, por favor.

Write café with an accent. It shows stress on the last syllable.

Good to know

Un café, por favor works from Mexico to Argentina at counters and tables. Café cups are often smaller and stronger than a huge US drip mug. If you want milk foam or a larger cup, name the style after café.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Ordering at a busy café counter

  1. ChatPal

    Yo pido un café, por favor.

    I'll have a coffee, please.

  2. You

    Un café con leche, por favor.

    A coffee with milk, please.

  3. ChatPal

    ¿Algo dulce con el café?

    Anything sweet with the coffee?

  4. You

    No, solo el café.

    No, just the coffee.

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 Spanish

Is café masculine or feminine?

Masculine: un café, el café grande. That is why the line is un café, por favor.

How do you pronounce café?

kah-FEH with stress on FEH. The written accent marks that stress.

Where does por favor go?

Usually at the end: un café, por favor. It keeps the order polite.

How is this different from the café noun page?

This page is the full order sentence un café, por favor, ready to say at the counter.

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 Spanish. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.