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How to Say ‘A coffee, please.’ in Portuguese

Um café, por favor.

oom kah-FEH pohr fah-vor

[oom kah-FEH pohr fah-vor]

💬 Usage Tip: Ordering is just the item plus por favor, with no verb needed. Swap in anything: Uma água, por favor. "A water, please."

Phrase Breakdown

Um café,

oom kah-FEH

A coffee (espresso)

In Portugal, 'um café' means an espresso. Say 'oong kuh-FEH', stressing the final 'é'.

Example

Um café e um bolo.

A coffee and a cake.

Words in this phrase

[oom]

a / one

Masculine singular indefinite article used before café.

Example

Um café pode ser uma boa ideia para conversar.

A coffee can be a good idea for talking.

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.

por favor.

pohr fah-vor

please

A polite fixed expression. Say 'poor fuh-VOR', with the stress on the last syllable.

Example

Água, por favor.

Water, please.

Words in this phrase

por

[pohr]

please

Used to make a request more polite.

Example

Perguntei, 'por favor', sobre a disponibilidade.

I asked, 'please', about the availability.

favor

[fah-vor]

please

A polite expression used when making a request.

Example

A conta, por favor, já foi pedida.

The bill, please, has already been requested.

Guides for Portuguese learners

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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