How To Order Coffee In French (Commander Un Café Comme Un Habitué)

The first time I ordered coffee in France, I walked up to the bar and said in heroic, badly-practised French: “Je veux un grand latte, à emporter.”

The barman blinked, looked at me like I’d just ordered a unicorn, and replied: “Un café ? Un crème ? Un allongé ?” I realized very quickly that coffee in France is its own tiny universe, with its own words, habits, and verbs.

Once I figured out how to say Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît /ʒə vudʁɛ œ̃ kafe sil vu plɛ/ — I would like a coffee, please — life at the café got much easier. Add in how to order un thé /œ̃ te/ — a tea — and how to politely ask for things, and suddenly you don’t sound like a lost tourist, you sound like a slightly caffeinated local.

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:

• Order coffee and tea in natural French
  
• Use the most useful verbs like vouloir /vu.lwaʁ/, prendre /pʁɑ̃dʁ/, and boire /bwaʁ/ in café sentences
  
• Handle polite formulas so you sound friendly, not bossy
  

Café Crash Course: Words You Need Before You Order

Let’s grab the core building blocks.

On first mentions:

• un café /œ̃ kafe/ — a coffee (usually an espresso in France)
  
• un bar /œ̃ baʁ/, un café /œ̃ kafe/ — a café/bar
  
• un serveur /œ̃ sɛʁ.vœʁ/, une serveuse /yn sɛʁ.vøz/ — waiter / waitress
  
• la carte /la kaʁt/ — the menu
  
• sur place /syʁ plas/ — to drink here
  
• à emporter /a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te/ — to take away
  

And three magic starter lines:

• Bonjour, je voudrais… /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə vudʁɛ/ — Hello, I would like…
  
• Je vais prendre… /ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ/ — I’ll have…
  
• S’il vous plaît /sil vu plɛ/ — please
  

These three will carry you through most coffee situations while we plug in the drinks and the verbs.

Coffee Vocabulary: From Un Café To Un Déca

When you say un café in France, people imagine a small espresso in a little cup, not a giant bucket of latte. Here are the most common choices.

Typical orders:

• Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.
  /ʒə vudʁɛ œ̃ kafe sil vu plɛ/
  I’d like a coffee, please.
  
• Je vais prendre un café crème.
  /ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ kafe kʁɛm/
  I’ll have a coffee with milk.
  
• Un déca, s’il vous plaît.
  /œ̃ de.ka sil vu plɛ/
  A decaf, please.
  

Usage notes:

• un café by default is small and strong. If you’re used to huge coffees, try un café allongé or un café crème.
  
• In many traditional cafés, café au lait is more of a breakfast thing at home. In touristy or modern places, they’ll understand it anytime.
  

Tea, Tisanes, And Other Hot Drinks

Not a coffee person? France has you covered with thé /te/ and tisane /ti.zan/.

On first mentions:

• un thé /œ̃ te/ — a tea
  
• un thé vert /œ̃ te vɛʁ/ — green tea
  
• un thé noir /œ̃ te nwaʁ/ — black tea
  
• une tisane /yn ti.zan/ — herbal tea / infusion
  
• un chocolat chaud /œ̃ ʃɔ.kɔ.la ʃo/ — hot chocolate
  

Table time:

Example sentences:

• Je voudrais un thé vert, s’il vous plaît.
  /ʒə vudʁɛ œ̃ te vɛʁ sil vu plɛ/
  I’d like a green tea, please.
  
• Est-ce que vous avez des tisanes ?
  /ɛs kə vu za.ve de ti.zan/
  Do you have herbal teas?
  
• Pour mon fils, un chocolat chaud.
  /puʁ mɔ̃ fis œ̃ ʃɔ.kɔ.la ʃo/
  For my son, a hot chocolate.
  

Essential Verbs For Ordering (Vouloir, Prendre, Boire)

Now for the grammar engine of your café life: verbs.

On first mentions:

• vouloir /vu.lwaʁ/ — to want
  
• prendre /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ — to take / to have (food/drink)
  
• boire /bwaʁ/ — to drink
  

Vouloir: Polite “I Would Like”

The most useful form is:

• Je voudrais… /ʒə vudʁɛ/ — I would like…
  

Tiny conjugation chart (present, most used forms):

Polite café magic: je voudrais is technically conditional, but you can treat it as a fixed block for now.

Examples:

• Je voudrais un café allongé.
  /ʒə vudʁɛ œ̃ kafe a.lɔ̃.ʒe/
  I’d like a long coffee.
  
• Vous voulez un sucre ?
  /vu vu.le œ̃ sykʁ/
  Do you want a sugar?
  

Prendre: “I’ll Have…”

French loves prendre for food and drink.

Mini-chart (present):

Café phrases:

• Je vais prendre un café crème.
  /ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ kafe kʁɛm/
  I’ll have a coffee with milk.
  
• Qu’est-ce que vous prenez ?
  /kɛs kə vu pʁə.ne/
  What are you having?
  

Boire: Talking About Drinking In General

You won’t usually use boire to order, but you’ll use it to talk about habits.

Mini-chart (present):

Examples:

• Je bois beaucoup de café.
  /ʒə bwa bo.ku də kafe/
  I drink a lot of coffee.
  
• Je ne bois pas de thé.
  /ʒə nə bwa pa də te/
  I don’t drink tea.
  

Polite Phrases And Typical Café Scripts

Ordering coffee in French is half drinks, half politeness.

On first mentions:

• Bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ — hello (always start with this)
  
• S’il vous plaît /sil vu plɛ/ — please (formal)
  
• Merci /mɛʁ.si/ — thanks
  
• De rien /də ʁjɛ̃/ — you’re welcome
  

Basic Ordering Sentence Patterns

Think in three pieces: greeting + verb + drink + please.

• Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.
  /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə vudʁɛ œ̃ kafe sil vu plɛ/
  
• Bonjour, je vais prendre un thé à emporter.
  /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ te a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te/
  
• Bonjour, un café crème et un déca, s’il vous plaît.
  /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ œ̃ kafe kʁɛm e œ̃ de.ka sil vu plɛ/
  

Adding Size, Sugar, Milk, And Here/To Go

On first mentions:

• petit /pə.ti/ — small
  
• grand /ɡʁɑ̃/ — large
  
• du sucre /dy sykʁ/ — some sugar
  
• du lait /dy lɛ/ — some milk
  

Examples:

• Un grand café, s’il vous plaît.
  /œ̃ ɡʁɑ̃ kafe sil vu plɛ/
  A large coffee, please.
  
• Sans sucre, merci.
  /sɑ̃ sykʁ mɛʁ.si/
  No sugar, thanks.
  
• Avec du lait, s’il vous plaît.
  /a.vɛk dy lɛ sil vu plɛ/
  With milk, please.
  
• Sur place ou à emporter ?
  /syʁ plas u a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te/
  For here or to go?
  
• Sur place, merci.
  /syʁ plas mɛʁ.si/
  For here, thanks.
  

Usage Notes & Common Mistakes (So You Don’t Order The Wrong Thing)

1. Saying “Je veux…” Sounds Too Direct

Technically correct, but je veux un café can sound demanding. Softer options:

• Je voudrais un café. — safest and politest
  
• Je vais prendre un café. — neutral and natural
  

Save je veux for close friends or when you’re joking.

2. Café ≠ Huge Mug

Remember: un café is usually small and strong.

If you want something closer to a “regular” coffee:

• Try un café allongé or un café crème.
  
• In international chains, un latte, un cappuccino are fine.
  

3. Forgetting Bonjour

In France, saying Bonjour before you order is social oxygen. Walking up and just saying “Un café” is like opening a conversation with “Give me that.”

Good pattern:

• Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.
  
• Au revoir, bonne journée ! /o ʁə.vwa bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/ — goodbye, have a nice day!
  

4. Confusing Thé And Tisane

• un thé usually has tea leaves and caffeine.
  
• une tisane / une infusion is herbal, often caffeine-free.
  

If you don’t want caffeine:

• Je voudrais une tisane, s’il vous plaît.
  

Region Notes: Paris Terrasses Vs Countryside Bars

You’ll notice small differences in how things are said, but your core phrases work everywhere in France.

In Paris:

• Lots of small cafés with terrasses /tɛ.ʁas/ — terraces.
  
• Espresso-style drinks are the default; international chains will understand all the latte/cappuccino vocabulary.
  

In smaller towns:

• You may hear more classic choices: un café, un crème, un déca, un allongé.
  
• To-go cups are less traditional but now increasingly common; à emporter is widely understood.
  

Good news: Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît and Je vais prendre un thé are universal. The worst-case scenario is the server asking a clarifying question, not throwing you out of the café.

Mini Dialogues: Ordering Coffee And Tea Like A Human

Each line: French, IPA, then natural English.

Dialogue 1: Simple Coffee Order At The Bar

Bonjour, je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə vudʁɛ œ̃ kafe sil vu plɛ/
Hello, I’d like a coffee, please.

Sur place ou à emporter ?
/syʁ plas u a ɑ̃.pɔʁ.te/
For here or to go?

Sur place, merci.
/syʁ plas mɛʁ.si/
For here, thank you.

Ça fait un euro cinquante, s’il vous plaît.
/sa fɛ œ̃.n‿ø.ʁo sɛ̃.kɑ̃t sil vu plɛ/
That’s one euro fifty, please.

Dialogue 2: Choosing Between Coffee And Tea

Bonjour, qu’est-ce que vous prenez ?
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ kɛs kə vu pʁə.ne/
Hello, what are you having?

Je vais prendre un café crème.
/ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ kafe kʁɛm/
I’ll have a coffee with milk.

Et pour vous ?
/e puʁ vu/
And for you?

Pour moi, un thé à la menthe, s’il vous plaît.
/puʁ mwa œ̃ te a la mɑ̃t sil vu plɛ/
For me, a mint tea, please.

Dialogue 3: Talking About Coffee Habits

Tu bois beaucoup de café ?
/ty bwa bo.ku də kafe/
Do you drink a lot of coffee?

Oui, je bois trois cafés par jour.
/wi ʒə bwa tʁwa kafe paʁ ʒuʁ/
Yes, I drink three coffees a day.

Moi, je préfère le thé, je ne bois presque jamais de café.
/mwa ʒə pʁe.fɛʁ lə te ʒə nə bwa pʁɛsk ʒa.mɛ də kafe/
I prefer tea, I almost never drink coffee.

Alors, on va au café, mais je prends un thé !
/a.lɔʁ ɔ̃ va o kafe mɛ ʒə pʁɑ̃ œ̃ te/
So, let’s go to the café, but I’ll have a tea!

Quick Reference: Coffee, Tea, And Key Verbs To Screenshot

Five-Minute Practice Plan: From “Euh…” To “Je Vais Prendre…”

1. Order Skeletons (1 minute)
   Say these three patterns out loud, swapping the drink each time:
   
   • Je voudrais un café…
     
   • Je vais prendre un thé…
     
   • Pour moi, un déca…
     Plug in crème, allongé, vert, une tisane, un chocolat chaud.
     
2. Pronunciation Focus (1 minute)
   Practice just the drinks:
   un café, un café allongé, un café crème, un déca, un thé, une tisane.
   Go slowly, then a bit faster. Pay attention to café /kafe/ vs thé /te/.
   
3. Verb Swap Drill (1–2 minutes)
   For each line, say it with vouloir, then with prendre:
   
   • Je voudrais un café. → Je vais prendre un café.
     
   • Je voudrais un thé vert. → Je vais prendre un thé vert.
     Then add s’il vous plaît naturally.
     
4. Mini Dialogue With Yourself (1 minute)
   Out loud, play both roles:
   
   • Bonjour, qu’est-ce que vous prenez ?
     
   • Bonjour, je voudrais un café crème, s’il vous plaît.
     
   • Et pour vous ?
     
   • Je vais prendre une tisane, merci.
     
5. Real-Life Mission (30 seconds)
   Decide one exact sentence you’ll use next time you’re near a café:
   Bonjour, je voudrais un café allongé, s’il vous plaît.
   or
   Bonjour, je vais prendre un thé à emporter.
   Say it now so it’s ready when you hit the counter.
   

From First Sip To Café Confidence

Ordering coffee in French isn’t just about caffeine; it’s one of those little daily rituals that makes you feel like you actually live in the language. When Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît comes out of your mouth without panic, you’re no longer just surviving in France — you’re participating.

So keep practising the verbs, pick your favourite drink in French, and let every cup be a tiny fluency upgrade. One café at a time, you’re becoming that person who sounds like they belong at the terrasse, not like they fell out of a phrasebook.