How to Say ‘I would like a coffee.’ in German
Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
ikh HET-te gearn EYE-nen KAH-feh
[ikh HET-te gearn EYE-nen KAH-feh]
💬 Usage Tip: With masculine drinks like [der Kaffee], [ein] changes to [einen] when it's the thing you want or order. Same pattern: [Ich hätte gern einen Espresso.]
Phrase Breakdown
Ich hätte gern
ikh HET-te gearn
I would like
Polite way to say you want something in German.
Ich hätte gern einen Tee.
I would like a tea.
Words in this phrase
Ich
[ikh]
I
First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
Ich bestelle höflich: Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
I order politely: I would like a coffee.
hätte
[HET-te]
would have / would like
Polite request form often used when ordering drinks or food.
Im Café sage ich: Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
In the café I say: I would like a coffee.
gern
[gearn]
gladly
Makes the request sound natural and polite in the phrase 'ich hätte gern'.
Beim Bestellen heißt es oft: Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
When ordering, people often say: I would like a coffee.
Einen Kaffee
EYE-nen KAH-feh
a coffee
Direct object of the sentence; 'einen' is the accusative masculine article.
Einen Kaffee, bitte.
A coffee, please.
Words in this phrase
einen
[EYE-nen]
a
Masculine accusative article used with 'Kaffee'.
Ich sage klar: Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
I say clearly: I would like a coffee.
Kaffee
[KAH-feh]
coffee
A standard coffee; if you want a specific style, you can replace it with espresso, latte, or cappuccino.
Heute bestelle ich: Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
Today I order: I would like a coffee.
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