Ordering coffee in Spanish is one of the most useful real-world skills you can learn. It’s fast, fun, and instantly boosts your confidence—because if you can face a busy café in a new country and successfully walk out with caffeine, you’re basically unstoppable.
This guide teaches you how to order coffee, tea, and related drinks across the Spanish-speaking world. You’ll learn the key verbs (pedir, tomar, querer), the most important drink names, customization phrases, mini-dialogues, regional differences, and a practice plan.
By the end, you’ll be able to order like someone who didn’t Google “how to order coffee in Spanish” ten minutes earlier.
Quick Primer
Three essential things before stepping up to the barista:
- The key verb is pedir /peˈðir/ — to order.
Voy a pedir un café. — I’m going to order a coffee. - Spanish often uses tomar /toˈmaɾ/ — to have/drink.
¿Qué quieres tomar? — What would you like to drink? - Many cafés follow Italian-style drink names, but each country has its own classics.
Got your mental caffeine ready? Let’s go.
Core Verbs for Ordering
Spanish | IPA | English
pedir | /peˈðir/ | to order, ask for
querer | /keˈɾeɾ/ | to want
tomar | /toˈmaɾ/ | to drink, to have
llevar | /ʝeˈβaɾ/ | to take (to-go)
poner | /poˈneɾ/ | to put; “Could you make me…” (common in Spain)
Examples:
Voy a pedir un café con leche.
/boj a peˈðiɾ un kaˈfe kon ˈle.tʃe/
I’m going to order a latte.
¿Me pones un té verde? (Spain)
/me ˈpo.nes un te ˈβeɾ.ðe/
Can you make me a green tea?
Quiero tomar un espresso.
/ˈkje.ɾo toˈmaɾ un esˈpɾe.so/
I want to have an espresso.
Coffee Vocabulary (Café)
Spanish | IPA | English
el café | /el kaˈfe/ | coffee
el café solo | /kaˈfe ˈso.lo/ | black espresso
el americano | /a.me.ɾiˈka.no/ | Americano
el espresso | /esˈpɾe.so/ | espresso
el cortado | /koɾˈta.ðo/ | espresso + a dash of milk
el café con leche | /kaˈfe kon ˈle.tʃe/ | latte (Spain)
el latte | /ˈla.te/ | latte (international)
el cappuccino | /ka.puˈtʃi.no/ | cappuccino
el moka | /ˈmo.ka/ | mocha
el descafeinado | /des.ka.fe.iˈna.ðo/ | decaf
el café frío | /kaˈfe ˈfɾi.o/ | iced coffee
el frappé | /fɾaˈpe/ | blended iced drink
Example:
Un café solo, por favor.
/un kaˈfe ˈso.lo poɾ faˈβoɾ/
A black espresso, please.
Milk, Sweeteners & Customizations
Spanish | IPA | English
leche entera | /ˈle.tʃe enˈte.ɾa/ | whole milk
leche descremada | /ˈle.tʃe des.kɾeˈma.ða/ | skim milk
leche de soya | /ˈle.tʃe ðe ˈso.ʝa/ | soy milk
leche de avena | /ˈle.tʃe ðe aˈβe.na/ | oat milk
leche de almendra | /ˈle.tʃe ðe alˈmen.dɾa/ | almond milk
sin azúcar | /sin aˈsu.kaɾ/ | without sugar
con azúcar | /kon aˈsu.kaɾ/ | with sugar
endulzado | /en.dulˈθa.ðo, en.dulˈsa.ðo/ | sweetened
para llevar | /paɾa ʝeˈβaɾ/ | to go
aquí | /aˈki/ | for here
Example:
Un cappuccino con leche de avena, por favor.
/un ka.puˈtʃi.no kon ˈle.tʃe ðe aˈβe.na poɾ faˈβoɾ/
A cappuccino with oat milk, please.
Tea & Other Hot Drinks
Even if you’re a coffee lover, cafés offer more than espresso.
Spanish | IPA | English
el té | /el te/ | tea
el té negro | /el te ˈne.ɣɾo/ | black tea
el té verde | /el te ˈβeɾ.ðe/ | green tea
el té chai | /el te tʃaj/ | chai tea
la manzanilla | /man.saˈni.ʝa/ | chamomile
el té de hierbabuena | /el te ðe ʝeɾ.βaˈβwe.na/ | mint tea
el matcha | /ˈmat.tʃa/ | matcha
el chocolate caliente | /tʃo.koˈla.te kaˈljen.te/ | hot chocolate
Example:
¿Tiene té chai sin leche?
/ˈtje.ne te tʃaj sin ˈle.tʃe/
Do you have chai tea without milk?
How To Order Naturally (The Most Useful Patterns)
Pattern 1: Quiero + drink
Polite, common everywhere.
Quiero un café con leche.
/ˈkje.ɾo un kaˈfe kon ˈle.tʃe/
I want a latte.
Pattern 2: Para mí, un…
Super natural in cafés.
Para mí, un americano.
/paɾa mi un a.me.ɾiˈka.no/
For me, an Americano.
Pattern 3: Me pones / Me das…
Very common in Spain and casual settings.
¿Me pones un cortado?
/me ˈpo.nes un koɾˈta.ðo/
Could you make me a cortado?
Pattern 4: Voy a pedir…
If you want to sound like you’re thoughtfully choosing.
Voy a pedir un mocha frío.
/boj a peˈðir un ˈmo.ka ˈfɾi.o/
I’m going to order an iced mocha.
Pattern 5: ¿Me puedes traer…? (table service)
Used when seated.
¿Me puedes traer un té verde?
/ˈmepwe.ðes tɾaˈeɾ un te ˈβeɾ.ðe/
Can you bring me a green tea?
Making Your Order To-Go or For Here
Spanish | IPA | English
para llevar | /paɾa ʝeˈβaɾ/ | to go
para aquí | /paɾa aˈki/ | for here
para tomar aquí | /paɾa toˈmaɾ aˈki/ | to drink here
Example:
Un latte grande, para llevar.
/un ˈla.te ˈɣɾan.de paɾa ʝeˈβaɾ/
A large latte to go.
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Spanish | IPA | English
pequeño | /peˈke.ɲo/ | small
mediano | /meˈðja.no/ | medium
grande | /ˈɡɾan.de/ | large
Example:
Un té negro mediano.
/un te ˈne.ɣɾo meˈðja.no/
A medium black tea.
Region Notes
Spain:
Café con leche is the default “latte.”
Cortado is very common—espresso with just a splash of milk.
Manchado = mostly milk, lightly “stained” with coffee.
Mexico & Central America:
Expect American-style drinks + classics like café de olla (spiced pot coffee with cinnamon and piloncillo).
Argentina & Uruguay:
Look for lágrima (“tear”)—a cup of mostly milk with just a drop of coffee.
Mate /ˈma.te/ is also popular, though not usually from coffee shops.
Caribbean:
Café cubano (strong, sweet espresso) is legendary in Cuba.
Colada = small shared espresso for groups.
Colombia & Peru:
Excellent filter coffee; tinto can mean black coffee.
Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1: At the Counter
¿Qué quieres tomar?
/ke ˈkje.ɾes toˈmaɾ/
What would you like to drink?
Quiero un cappuccino con leche de almendra.
/ˈkje.ɾo un ka.puˈtʃi.no kon ˈle.tʃe ðe alˈmen.dɾa/
I want a cappuccino with almond milk.
Dialogue 2: Ordering To-Go
¿Para aquí o para llevar?
/paɾa aˈki o paɾa ʝeˈβaɾ/
For here or to go?
Para llevar, gracias.
/paɾa ʝeˈβaɾ ˈɣɾa.sjas/
To go, thanks.
Dialogue 3: At a Café Table
¿Me puedes traer un té de hierbabuena?
/ˈmepwe.ðes tɾaˈeɾ un te ðe ʝeɾ.βaˈβwe.na/
Can you bring me a mint tea?
Sí, claro.
/si ˈkla.ɾo/
Yes, of course.
Quick Reference (Screenshot-Friendly)
Spanish | IPA | English
pedir | /peˈðir/ | to order
tomar | /toˈmaɾ/ | to drink
un café solo | /kaˈfe ˈso.lo/ | espresso
un café con leche | /kaˈfe kon ˈle.tʃe/ | latte
un cortado | /koɾˈta.ðo/ | cortado
descafeinado | /des.ka.fe.iˈna.ðo/ | decaf
té negro | /te ˈne.ɣɾo/ | black tea
té verde | /te ˈβeɾ.ðe/ | green tea
para llevar | /paɾa ʝeˈβaɾ/ | to go
pequeño / mediano / grande | /peˈke.ɲo, meˈðja.no, ˈɡɾan.de/ | small / medium / large
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Shadow the core ordering patterns: Quiero, Para mí, Voy a pedir, Me pones….
- Practice ordering three coffees and two teas aloud.
- Add customization: choose milk type + sugar preference.
- Record yourself placing a full order as if speaking to a barista.
- Write two versions: one for here, one to-go.
- Review your favorite café menu (real or imaginary) in Spanish terms.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Ordering coffee isn’t just vocabulary—it’s a tiny daily ritual that connects you to local culture. Nail it, and you’ll feel instantly more at home anywhere from Madrid to Mexico City to Montevideo. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be ordering like a caffeinated native—confident, smooth, and fully awake.