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How to Say ‘I'm going to get a coffee’ in French

Je vais prendre un café

zhuh veh prond-ruh uhn kah-fay

[zhuh veh prond-ruh uhn kah-fay]

💬 Usage Tip: Je vais plus an action is the easy way to talk about what you're about to do. For example, Je vais travailler means "I'm going to work."

Phrase Breakdown

Je vais prendre

zhuh veh prond-ruh

I'm going to have

'Aller' + infinitive expresses the near future. 'Prendre' (to take) is used for ordering food and drinks. In fast speech, 'Je vais' often sounds like 'j'vais'.

Example

Je vais prendre le menu du jour.

I'm going to have the set menu of the day.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

vais

[veh]

am going to

Present tense of 'go,' used to express future intention.

Example

Je vais préparer le dîner.

I am going to prepare dinner.

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

'Un' is a nasal vowel. In France, 'un café' usually means a small espresso.

Example

Un café, s'il vous plaît.

A coffee, please.

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

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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