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How to Say ‘Shall we have a coffee?’ in Portuguese

Vamos tomar um café?

vah-mohs too-MAR oom kah-FEH

[vah-mohs too-MAR oom kah-FEH]

💬 Usage Tip: Portuguese uses tomar "to take" for drinks: tomar um café, tomar um chá "have a tea". Vamos + an action makes a "shall we" suggestion.

Phrase Breakdown

Vamos tomar

vah-mohs too-MAR

Shall we have

'Vamos' plus an infinitive makes a suggestion ('let's...'). 'Tomar' is the usual verb for having a drink.

Example

Vamos tomar o pequeno-almoço.

Let's have breakfast.

Words in this phrase

Vamos

[vah-mohs]

Let's

A suggestion to engage in something together.

Example

Vamos ao cinema hoje à noite.

Let's go to the cinema tonight.

tomar

[too-MAR]

to have / to take

Verb often used in expressions like tomar um café, meaning to have a coffee.

Example

Podemos tomar um café na próxima semana.

We can have a coffee next week.

um café?

oom kah-FEH

a coffee?

In Portugal, 'um café' usually means an espresso. 'Um' is a nasal sound, and the stress falls on 'fé'.

Example

Queria um café, por favor.

I'd like a coffee, please.

Words in this phrase

um

[oom]

a

An indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.

Example

Na expressão "Tenha um bom dia!", "um" acompanha o nome.

In the expression "Tenha um bom dia!", "um" goes with the noun.

café

[kah-FEH]

coffee

Literally coffee; in networking contexts, it often means an informal meeting.

Example

Aceitava um café para falarmos melhor.

I would accept a coffee to talk more properly.

Related guides

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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