The size of coffee you want – Ordering a coffee (Advanced) in German

🙋‍♂️💭

Ich hätte gern

ikh HET-uh gairn

I'd like

💬 Put the thing you want straight after it: Ich hätte gern ein Wasser "I'd like a water". It works for anything you order, from bread to train tickets.

🇩🇪 This is the standard polite way to order at a counter in Germany. Ich will "I want" sounds blunt by comparison.

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☕

Einen Cappuccino

EYE-nen kah-poo-chee-noh

A cappuccino

💬 ein becomes einen because the cappuccino is the thing being ordered and Cappuccino is a masculine word. It's the same with einen Kaffee "a coffee", but ein Wasser and eine Cola stay as they are.

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🙋‍♂️☕🙏

Ich hätte gern einen Cappuccino, bitte.

ikh HET-uh gairn EYE-nen kah-poo-chee-noh BIT-teh

I'd like a cappuccino, please.

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🤏❓🙌

Klein oder groß?

KLINE OH-der GROHSS

Small or large?

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❓📏🙌

Wie groß ist der große?

vee grohss ist dair GROH-seh

How big is the large one?

💬 der große means "the large one". The size word stands in for the drink itself, so you don't need a word for "one". It's the same with der kleine "the small one".

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🤷‍♂️

Ungefähr

oon-guh-FAIR

Roughly

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🤷‍♂️❓📏🙌

Wie groß ist denn der große ungefähr?

vee grohss ist den dair GROH-seh oon-guh-FAIR

Roughly how big is the large one?

💬 denn here doesn't mean "because". In a question it just softens things and adds a note of curiosity, a bit like "so" or "actually".

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🥤📏

Ein ordentlicher Becher

ine OR-dent-likh-er BEKH-er

A pretty big cup

💬 ordentlich usually means "tidy" or "proper", but said about an amount it means a decent, generous size. You'll also hear eine ordentliche Portion "a good-sized portion".

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❓➕❓

Gibt's auch was?

gipts ow-kh vas

Is there anything else too?

💬 Gibt's is short for gibt es "is there", and was here is short for etwas "something". Both shortcuts are normal in everyday speech.

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↔️

Dazwischen

dah-TSVISH-en

In between

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❓↔️

Gibt's auch was dazwischen?

gipts ow-kh vas dah-TSVISH-en

Is there anything in between?

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🤔💯

Ehrlich gesagt

AIR-likh ge-zahkt

To be honest

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😅⬆️

Ein bisschen viel

ine BISS-khen feel

A bit much

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🤔😅⬆️🙋‍♂️

0,4 ist mir ehrlich gesagt ein bisschen viel.

NULL-kom-mah-FEER ist meer AIR-likh ge-zahkt ine BISS-khen feel

To be honest, 0.4 is a bit much for me.

💬 ist mir ... viel literally means "is a lot to me". The pattern das ist mir zu ... "that's too ... for me" is handy for turning things down: das ist mir zu süß "that's too sweet for me".

🇩🇪 Cup sizes in Germany are given in litres, so 0,4 (null komma vier) is a 400 ml cup. Note the comma where English uses a decimal point.

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😞🚫

Leider nicht

LY-der nicht

Unfortunately not

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2️⃣

Mit doppeltem Espresso

Mit DOP-pel-tem es-PRES-oh

With a double shot of espresso

💬 After mit, doppelt takes the ending -em because the word that follows is Espresso, which is masculine. You'll see the same thing in mit heißem Wasser "with hot water".

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🤔👍

Wenn Sie mögen

ven ZEE MUR-gen

If you like

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👍🎶

Das klingt gut

dahs klingkt goot

That sounds good

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👍➡️

So machen wir's

zoh mahk-hen veer s

Let's do it that way

💬 wir's is short for wir es, and in speech the es often shrinks to just an s sound. You'll hear the same thing in Ich nehm's "I'll take it".

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✅👍➡️

Ja, das klingt gut, so machen wir's.

yah dahs klingkt goot zoh mahk-hen veer s

Yes, that sounds good, let's do that.

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🍽️🙏

Zum Hiertrinken, bitte.

tsoom HEER-tring-ken BIT-teh

For here, please.

💬 The opposite is zum Mitnehmen "to take away". Both follow the same pattern: zum plus a verb turned into a noun.

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☕➕

Mit dem extra Shot

Mit dehm EKS-trah shot

With the extra shot

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💶

Das macht dann 3,90 Euro

dahs mahkht dan dry OY-roh NOYN-tsikh OY-roh

That comes to 3.90 euros

💬 Das macht literally means "that makes", and it's the standard way to give a total. Prices are read as drei Euro neunzig, with the cents coming last.

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☕➕💶

Mit dem extra Shot macht das dann 3,90 Euro.

Mit dehm EKS-trah shot mahkht dahs dan dry OY-roh NOYN-tsikh OY-roh

With the extra shot, that comes to 3.90 euros.

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💵5️⃣

Hier sind fünf

heer zint Fuenf

Here's five

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💵4️⃣🙏

Machen Sie vier, bitte

MAH-khen ZEE feer BIT-teh

Make it four, please

🇩🇪 This is how you tip in Germany: say the total you want to pay, including the tip, as you hand over the money. Here 3.90 is rounded up to four, and you get one euro back.

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💵5️⃣➡️4️⃣🙏

Hier sind fünf, machen Sie vier, bitte.

heer zint Fuenf MAH-khen ZEE feer BIT-teh

Here's five, make it four, please.

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🪑👍

Setzen Sie sich ruhig

ZET-sen ZEE zikh ROO-ikh

Feel free to sit down

💬 ruhig normally means "quiet" or "calm", but after a request it means "go ahead, feel free". Another example is Fragen Sie ruhig "feel free to ask".

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