The style of coffee, such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, Americano, mocha, etc

🗣️❓

Sagen Sie mal,...

ZAH-gen ZEE mahl

Tell me,...

💬 mal here doesn't mean "once". It just softens the request, like "just" in English. Same trick: Warten Sie mal "Just wait a moment".

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🔄

Der Unterschied

dair OON-ter-shid

The difference

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☕🤍

Cappuccino und Flat White

kah-poo-chee-noh oont flet vait

Cappuccino and flat white

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🔄☕🤍

Der Unterschied zwischen Cappuccino und Flat White

dair OON-ter-shid TSVI-shen kah-poo-chee-noh oont flet vait

The difference between a cappuccino and a flat white

🇩🇪 Coffee names are borrowed from Italian and English and used as-is. Baristas in Germany will understand Flat White or Latte Macchiato said much as you'd say them at home.

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🥛⬇️

Weniger Milchschaum

VAY-ni-ger MILKH-showm

Less milk foam

💬 German builds new words by joining nouns, and the last piece says what the thing is. Milch + Schaum "foam" gives Milchschaum, just as Kaffee + Tasse "cup" gives Kaffeetasse.

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💪👅

Schmeckt also kräftiger

shmekt AL-zo KREF-ti-ger

So it tastes stronger

💬 Add -er to a describing word to get "more ...": kräftig "strong" becomes kräftiger "stronger". Same with mild to milder.

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❓🙏

Könnte ich den vielleicht bekommen?

KURN-teh ikh dayn fee-LIKEht beh-KOH-men

Could I perhaps get it?

💬 den here means "that one" and stands in for a masculine noun like der Kaffee. Germans often use der/den instead of ihn "him/it" for things just mentioned.

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🌾🥛

Mit Hafermilch

Mit hah-fer-milk

With oat milk

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🌾🥛❓

Könnte ich den vielleicht mit Hafermilch bekommen?

KURN-teh ikh den fee-LIKEht Mit hah-fer-milk beh-KOH-men

Could I maybe get that with oat milk?

🇩🇪 Könnte ich ... vielleicht is a very polite way to ask. A plain Einen Flat White mit Hafermilch, bitte is equally normal at a German counter.

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😔🌾🥛🚫

Hafermilch ist leider gerade aus

hah-fer-milk ist LY-der guh-RAH-duh ows

Unfortunately we're out of oat milk right now

💬 aus after ist means "run out", not "out of the building". Swap in anything: Der Kuchen ist aus "The cake is all gone".

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😔

Tut mir leid

toot meer lite

I'm sorry

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🌾🥛🚫😔

Hafermilch ist leider gerade aus, tut mir leid.

hah-fer-milk ist LY-der guh-RAH-duh ows toot meer lite

Unfortunately oat milk is out right now, sorry.

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✅

Wir hätten aber noch

veer HET-ten AH-behr nohkh

But we still have

💬 hätten literally means "would have". Staff use it to offer alternatives more softly than haben "have".

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🌰🥛🌱🥛

Mandel- oder Sojamilch

MAN-del OH-der zoy-yah-milk

Almond or soy milk

💬 The dash in Mandel- says "-milch" is shared with the next word, so you don't repeat it. It works the same way in Hafer- und Kuhmilch "oat and cow's milk".

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✅🌰🥛🌱🥛

Wir hätten aber noch Mandel- oder Sojamilch.

veer HET-ten AH-behr nohkh MAN-del OH-der zoy-yah-milk

But we would still have almond or soy milk.

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😞

Ach, schade.

ahkh SHAH-duh

Oh, that's a shame.

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🌰🥛

Mit Mandelmilch

Mit mahn-dell-milk

With almond milk

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👅❓🔄

Schmeckt der dann ziemlich anders?

shmekt dair dan TSEEM-likh AN-ders

Does it taste quite different then?

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🌰🥛👅🔄❓

Mit Mandelmilch schmeckt der dann ziemlich anders, oder?

Mit mahn-dell-milk shmekt dair dan TSEEM-likh AN-ders OH-der

With almond milk it then tastes quite different, doesn't it?

💬 Tacking oder? onto the end turns a statement into "..., right?". Example: Das ist teuer, oder? "That's expensive, isn't it?"

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🌰✔️

Etwas nussiger, ja.

ET-vahs NUS-si-ger yah

A bit nuttier, yes.

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🤔👍

Wenn Sie mögen

ven ZEE MUR-gen

If you like

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🎩➕

Klassischer

KLAS-si-sher

More classic

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🎩❤️

Wenn Sie es klassischer mögen

ven ZEE es KLAS-si-sher MUR-gen

If you like it more classic

💬 After wenn "if", the verb jumps to the very end: Sie mögen es becomes wenn Sie es klassischer mögen.

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🌱🥛💧

Ein Schuss Sojamilch

ine shoos zoy-yah-milk

A splash of soy milk

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🤔

Ich glaube

ikh GLOW-beh

I think

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☕🤍✅

Ich nehme doch den Flat White

ikh NAY-meh doch DEHN flet vait

I'll take the flat white after all

💬 doch here means "after all", signalling a change of mind. Use it whenever you switch back: Ich nehme doch einen Tee.

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🤔☕🤍✅

Ich glaube, ich nehme doch den Flat White.

ikh GLOW-beh ikh NAY-meh doch DEHN flet vait

I think I'll take the flat white after all.

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🥡

Zum Mitnehmen?

tsoom mit-neh-men

To go?

🇩🇪 Expect this question at most bakeries and cafés. The opposite is Zum Hiertrinken "to drink here", which can be priced differently.

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🙏

Bitte

BIT-teh

Please

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🥡🙏

Zum Mitnehmen, bitte.

tsoom mit-neh-men BIT-teh

To go, please.

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❓❤️

Möchten Sie ihn?

MURKH-ten ZEE een

Would you like it?

💬 ihn means "it" here because der Kaffee is masculine. For a feminine drink like die Schokolade it would be sie.

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🔼🔽

Groß oder klein

grohss OH-der KLINE

Large or small

💬 Final ß is a sharp s and the final g in groß? No: watch klein, where ei sounds like English "eye": (KLINE).

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❓🔼🔽

Möchten Sie ihn groß oder klein?

MURKH-ten ZEE een grohss OH-der KLINE

Would you like it large or small?

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💳❓

Kann ich zahlen?

kahn ikh TSAH-len

Can I pay?

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💳

Mit Karte

mit KAR-tuh

By card

🇩🇪 Cash is still common in Germany, and some small cafés don't take cards. Asking before you order is completely normal.

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💳❓

Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?

kahn ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len

Can I pay by card?

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👍

Klar

klahr

Sure

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💶

Das macht dann 4,20 Euro

dahs mahkht dan feer OY-ro TSVAN-tsikh OY-roh

That comes to 4.20 euros

💬 macht literally means "makes". It's the standard way to say a total: Das macht 3 Euro "That's 3 euros". Prices are said as vier Euro zwanzig.

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👍💶

Klar, das macht dann 4,20 Euro.

klahr dahs mahkht dan feer OY-ro TSVAN-tsikh OY-roh

Sure, that comes to 4,20 euros then.

🇩🇪 Germans write prices with a comma, as in 4,20. For small café bills, rounding up slightly is a normal tip.

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✋💳

Halten Sie die Karte

HAL-ten ZEE dee KAR-tuh

Hold the card

💬 In polite instructions, the verb comes first and Sie follows: Halten Sie "Hold". Same with Nehmen Sie Platz "Take a seat".

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➡️🖥️

Ans Gerät

ans ge-RAIT

Against the machine

💬 ans is a short form of an das. You'll hear similar merges like ins for in das.

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✋💳➡️🖥️

Halten Sie die Karte einfach ans Gerät.

HAL-ten ZEE dee KAR-tuh INE-fahkh ans ge-RAIT

Just hold the card up to the reader.

💬 ans is a squeezed form of an das "to the", and Germans almost always say it this way. You'll see the same squeeze in ins for in das and am for an dem.

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🎉✅

So, hat geklappt.

zo haht geh-KLAPT

There, that worked.

💬 The full version would be Es hat geklappt, but in casual speech the es at the front is often dropped. klappen is the everyday word for something working out: Hat's geklappt? "Did it work?"

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☕🤍

Ihr Flat White

Eer flet vait

Your flat white

💬 Coffee drinks borrowed from English or Italian usually follow der Kaffee and count as masculine, which is why it's Ihr and not Ihre. Same with der Cappuccino and der Latte Macchiato.

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⏳➡️

Kommt sofort

komt zoh-FOHT

Is coming right away

💬 German often uses the plain present tense for something about to happen, where English says "is coming". Der Bus kommt gleich "The bus is coming soon" works the same way.

🇩🇪 Staff say this as a friendly reassurance. It means "in a moment", not necessarily within seconds.

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☕🤍⏳➡️

Ihr Flat White kommt sofort.

Eer flet vait komt zoh-FOHT

Your flat white is coming right away.

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🌞👋

Schönen Tag noch!

SHER-nen TAHK nohkh

Have a nice day!

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