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How to Say ‘Can we have a coffee?’ in French

On peut prendre un café ?

on puh prond-ruh uhn kah-fay

[on puh prond-ruh uhn kah-fay]

💬 Usage Tip: On "one" is everyday French for "we", and it takes the same verb form as il: on peut, not nous pouvons.

Phrase Breakdown

On peut prendre

on puh prond-ruh

Can we have

'On' is the casual word for 'we'. 'Prendre' means 'to take', and here it means 'to have' a drink.

Example

On peut prendre le bus.

We can take the bus.

Words in this phrase

[on]

Used by a speaker to refer to themself and one or more other people considered together.

Example

On y va maintenant.

We are going now.

peut

[puh]

can

Form of 'pouvoir' (to be able to) used with il/elle/on.

Example

Il peut venir demain.

He can come tomorrow.

prendre

[prond-ruh]

take

To receive or acquire.

Example

Nous allons prendre un taxi.

We are going to take a taxi.

un café ?

uhn kah-fay

a coffee?

Let your voice rise at the end to make it a question: 'uhn ka-FAY?'.

Example

Tu veux un café ?

Do you want a coffee?

Words in this phrase

[uhn]

Indefinite article used before a singular noun.

Example

Un petit garçon joue.

A little boy is playing.

café

[kah-fay]

coffee

A coffee; in networking, it often suggests an informal conversation over coffee.

Example

Un café après le salon permet de continuer l'échange.

A coffee after the fair allows the conversation to continue.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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