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

On prend un café ?

on prahn uhn kah-fay

[on prahn uhn kah-fay]

💬 Usage Tip: In everyday French, on usually means "we" and takes the same verb form as il. Raising your voice at the end turns it into a suggestion, as in On y va ? "Shall we go?"

Phrase Breakdown

On prend

on prahn

Shall we have

'On' means 'we' in casual speech. Both words are nasal, and the 'd' is silent: 'on pran'.

Example

On prend le bus ?

Shall we 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.

prend

[prahn]

take / have (a drink)

Form of 'prendre'; with drinks it means to have one.

Example

Il prend un thé.

He's having a tea.

un café ?

uhn kah-fay

a coffee?

'Un' is nasal. 'Café' sounds like 'ka-FAY'. Let your voice rise at the end for the question.

Example

Je voudrais un café.

I'd like 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

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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