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How to Say ‘To have a coffee’ in Italian

Prendere un caffè

PREHN-deh-reh oon kahf-FEH

[PREHN-deh-reh oon kahf-FEH]

💬 Usage Tip: Italians "take" food and drink rather than "have" them: prendere literally means "to take". Same with prendere un gelato "to have an ice cream" or prendo una birra "I'll have a beer".

Phrase Breakdown

Prendere

[PREHN-deh-reh]

take

The action of removing or carrying something.

Example

Devo prendere il treno.

I have to take the train.

[oon]

Indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

In Un buon equilibrio, Un introduce l'idea di un balance positivo.

In 'Un buon equilibrio,' 'Un' introduces the idea of a positive balance.

caffè

[kahf-FEH]

coffee

"Caffè" means "coffee" and often suggests an informal meeting, very common in Italian professional culture.

Example

Dopo la conferenza, ci incontriamo davanti a un caffè.

After the conference, we’ll meet over a coffee.

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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