How to order coffee in Brazilian Portuguese
Introduction
Ordering coffee in Brazil requires only two Portuguese words. You can walk into any café, bakery, or restaurant in Brazil and successfully order coffee with just um café. This article will show you how to start with that simple phrase and gradually build your confidence to order exactly what you want.
What to expect when ordering coffee in Brazil
Brazilian coffee culture differs from coffee culture in the United States. Understanding these differences will help you feel more prepared.
Coffee in Brazil is typically strong and served in small portions. The most common coffee drink is called a cafezinho, which means "little coffee." A cafezinho is a small cup of strong, hot coffee, often served already sweetened. Many Brazilians drink coffee throughout the day, after meals, and as a gesture of hospitality.
You will find coffee at different types of establishments. Cafeterias are similar to US coffee shops. Padarias are bakeries that also serve coffee. Lanchonetes are snack bars. All of these places serve coffee, and ordering works the same way at each.
At many establishments, especially bakeries and snack bars, customers stand at the counter to drink their coffee. This is normal and expected. You order, receive your coffee, drink it at the counter, and pay before leaving. At sit-down cafés, you can order at a table, and a server will bring your coffee.
The simplest way to order coffee
You can successfully order coffee in Brazil with two words:
Um café
Um means "a" or "an." Café means "coffee." Together, they mean "a coffee."
When you say um café to a server or barista, they will understand that you want coffee. In most cases, they will serve you a cafezinho, which is the standard coffee in Brazil.
To make your order more polite, add por favor at the end:
Um café, por favor
Por favor means "please." Now you have a complete, polite request: "A coffee, please."
This is everything you need to successfully order coffee in Brazil.
Understanding the basic parts of your coffee order
When you say um café, each word serves a specific purpose. Understanding these parts will help you modify your order later.
The word "um"
Um is a word that appears before nouns. A noun is a word that names a thing, like "coffee," "water," or "table." In English, we use "a" or "an" before singular nouns: "a coffee," "an apple." In Portuguese, the equivalent word is um or uma.
Portuguese nouns have a characteristic called gender. Every noun is either masculine or feminine. This is not about biological gender. It is simply a grammatical category. Masculine nouns use um, and feminine nouns use uma.
The word café is masculine, so you say um café. If you wanted to order water, you would say uma água because água (water) is feminine.
You do not need to memorize rules for determining gender. When you learn a new noun, learn it together with um or uma. This way, you will naturally know which one to use.
The word "café"
Café has two meanings in Portuguese. It can mean "coffee" as a drink, or it can mean "café" as a place. When you order, context makes the meaning clear.
The pronunciation of café differs from English. The stress falls on the second syllable: cah-FEH. The "é" at the end has a clear "eh" sound, like the "e" in "bed." In English, we often say "ca-FAY" with stress on both syllables. In Portuguese, the stress is only on the final syllable.
The phrase "por favor"
Por favor means "please." You can add por favor to any request to make it more polite.
The pronunciation sounds like "pohr fah-VOHR." The "r" sounds at the end of por and favor are softer than English "r" sounds. In many regions of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, the "r" at the end of words sounds closer to an English "h." You might hear it pronounced like "poh fah-VOH."
Common types of coffee in Brazil
Once you feel comfortable ordering um café, you can learn the names of other coffee drinks. Each drink has a specific name, and you order it using the same pattern: um plus the drink name.
Cafezinho
A cafezinho is a small cup of strong, hot coffee. This is what you will typically receive when you order um café. The name means "little coffee." Cafezinhos are often served already sweetened with sugar.
Café com leite
Café com leite means "coffee with milk." This is the Brazilian version of a latte. It contains more milk than a cafezinho and is usually served in a larger cup or glass. Many Brazilians drink café com leite for breakfast.
The word com means "with." The word leite means "milk" and is pronounced "LAY-chee."
Pingado
A pingado is coffee with just a small amount of milk. The name comes from the verb "to drip," suggesting that the milk is dripped into the coffee. A pingado has less milk than a café com leite but more than a plain café.
Café expresso
Café expresso is espresso. While a cafezinho is similar to espresso, ordering um café expresso or um expresso specifically requests an espresso shot.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino in Brazil is similar to cappuccino in the United States. It contains espresso, steamed milk, and foam. The pronunciation is similar to English but with softer consonants: cah-poo-CHEE-noo.
Café gelado
Café gelado means "iced coffee." Gelado means "cold" or "iced" and is pronounced "zheh-LAH-doo." If you want cold coffee, order um café gelado.
Adding details to your coffee order
After you feel comfortable ordering different types of coffee, you can add modifications. Modifications let you specify how you want your coffee prepared.
Ordering with or without sugar
To request coffee without sugar, add sem açúcar to your order. Sem means "without," and açúcar means "sugar." The full phrase sounds like "sayn ah-SOO-car."
Um café sem açúcar, por favor
This means "A coffee without sugar, please."
To request coffee with sugar (even though many cafezinhos come pre-sweetened), add com açúcar:
Um café com açúcar, por favor
Ordering with or without milk
To add milk to a plain coffee, say com leite:
Um café com leite, por favor
To order a drink that normally contains milk but without the milk, use sem leite:
Um cappuccino sem leite, por favor
Combining modifications
You can combine com and sem phrases to specify exactly what you want:
Um café com leite sem açúcar, por favor
This means "A coffee with milk without sugar, please."
The structure is: um [drink name] com [thing you want] sem [thing you don't want] por favor.
The complete ordering interaction
Knowing what to say is only part of the experience. Understanding what will happen during the full interaction will help you feel more prepared.
Entering the café
When you enter a café or approach a counter, you might hear the server or barista greet you. Common greetings include:
- Oi (Hi)
- Bom dia (Good morning)
- Boa tarde (Good afternoon)
- Boa noite (Good evening)
You can respond with the same greeting, or you can simply smile and place your order.
Placing your order
You can place your order immediately after greeting the server. Say your complete order:
Um café, por favor
or
Um café com leite sem açúcar, por favor
The server might respond with prontinho (coming right up) or simply nod and begin preparing your drink.
Clarifying questions
The server might ask you a clarifying question. Common questions include:
- Com açúcar? (With sugar?)
- Gelado ou quente? (Cold or hot?)
- Para viagem? (To go?)
For yes-or-no questions, you can answer sim (yes) or não (no).
If the server asks com açúcar?, you can answer:
- Sim if you want sugar
- Não if you do not want sugar
- Sem açúcar if you want to be more specific
If the server asks para viagem? (to go?), answer:
- Sim if you want to take the coffee with you
- Não if you want to drink it there
Receiving your order
When your coffee is ready, the server will place it in front of you or hand it to you. You might hear:
- Aqui está (Here you go)
- Pronto (Ready)
You can respond with:
- Obrigado if you are male
- Obrigada if you are female
Both mean "thank you." The difference is only in the gender of the speaker.
Paying for your order
At a counter, you typically pay right away or after drinking your coffee. At a table, the server will bring a bill. You can request the bill by saying:
A conta, por favor
A conta means "the bill."
When paying, you can simply hand over cash or a card. You might hear:
Dinheiro ou cartão?
This means "Cash or card?" You can answer:
- Dinheiro (cash)
- Cartão (card)
What to do if you do not understand something
You will sometimes hear things you do not understand. This is normal and expected. You have several options that will help you successfully complete your order.
If you do not understand a question, you can say:
Desculpa, não entendi
This means "Sorry, I didn't understand." The server will often repeat the question more slowly or rephrase it.
If you still do not understand, you can use gestures. Point to what you want on a menu. Hold up fingers to show how many you want. Nod or shake your head for yes and no.
You can also use this simple phrase:
Só isso, obrigado
This means "Just this, thank you" (if you are male) or use obrigada (if you are female). This phrase communicates that you want exactly what you ordered and nothing else. It helps end the interaction politely if you feel overwhelmed.
Starting with simple orders builds your confidence. Each successful interaction makes the next one easier. Most servers are patient and accustomed to working with tourists and language learners. They want you to successfully order and enjoy your coffee.
Building your confidence over time
Your first coffee order in Portuguese does not need to be perfect. Success means getting the coffee you wanted, not pronouncing every word perfectly.
Start with um café, por favor. Once that feels comfortable, try different drinks: um cappuccino, por favor or um café com leite, por favor. After those feel natural, add modifications: sem açúcar or gelado.
Each time you successfully order coffee, you build confidence. You learn how interactions work. You hear how words sound in natural speech. You discover that people understand you even when your pronunciation is not perfect.
Ordering coffee is one of the most practical and rewarding ways to use Portuguese. Coffee shops are everywhere in Brazil. You will have many opportunities to practice. Each successful order is a small victory that prepares you for more complex interactions in Portuguese.