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How to Say ‘I would like a coffee’ in French

Je voudrais un café

zhuh voo-dray uhn kah-fay

[zhuh voo-dray uhn kah-fay]

🇫🇷 In France: Un café gets you a small espresso. For something milky, ask for un café crème.

Phrase Breakdown

Je voudrais

zhuh voo-dray

I would like

The polite way to ask for something. Say 'zhuh voo-dreh'; the final 's' is silent.

Example

Je voudrais réserver une table.

I would like to book a table.

Words in this phrase

Je

[zhuh]

I

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

voudrais

[voo-dray]

would like

A polite conditional form of vouloir, used to say would like.

Example

Je voudrais une table près de la fenêtre.

I would like a table near the window.

un café

uhn kah-fay

a coffee

'Un' is a nasal sound, close to 'uh(n)'. In France 'un café' usually means an espresso.

Example

Un café et un croissant.

A coffee and a croissant.

Words in this phrase

un

[uhn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un casque est important pour le roller.

A helmet is important for inline skating.

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.

Related guides

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.How to Learn to Speak French, Not Just Read ItWhy reading French doesn't make you speak it, and a practical way to learn to speak French: real conversations, speaking out loud from day one, and practice with people.

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