Your first real Spanish conversation should be about coffee and bread
A café counter is the best place to start speaking Spanish. The script is short, the stakes are low, and you get to repeat it every morning until it sounds like yours.
Most beginners translate English word by word and say something like "¿Puedo tener un café?". People will understand you, but that's not how anyone orders. Across Latin America you'll mostly hear "Me da…", "Me regala…" (Colombia, Costa Rica) or simply "Un café, por favor."
Below you'll find the phrases people actually say, two short dialogues, and a roleplay you can practice out loud today.
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Essential words and phrases for this topic.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Me da un café, por favor | Can I get a coffee, please(Works everywhere in LATAM) |
| Me regala un tinto | Can I get a black coffee(Colombia: tinto = small black coffee) |
| Para llevar / para aquí | To go / for here(Mexico also says "para comer aquí") |
| Un café con leche | A coffee with milk |
| ¿Cuánto es? | How much is it? |
| ¿Aceptan tarjeta? | Do you take cards? |
| Una concha / una medialuna | A sweet bun / a croissant(Concha in Mexico, medialuna in Argentina) |
| Nada más, gracias | That's all, thanks |
Read each question out loud, then answer in Spanish.
¿Qué le doy?
What can I get you?
¿Para llevar o para aquí?
To go or for here?
¿Algo más?
Anything else?
¿Con leche o sin leche?
With or without milk?
¿De qué tamaño?
What size?
¿Efectivo o tarjeta?
Cash or card?
¿Tiene cambio de quinientos?
Do you have change for five hundred?
¿Qué me recomienda?
What do you recommend?
¿Está recién hecho?
Is it freshly made?
¿Me da la clave del wifi?
Can I have the wifi password?
Quick speaking test
How would you say this in Spanish?
What can I get you?
Practice both sides out loud to build natural rhythm.
A busy café counter in Mexico City.
Buenos días, ¿qué le doy?
Good morning, what can I get you?
Buenos días. Me da un café americano, por favor.
Good morning. Can I get an americano, please?
¿Para llevar o para aquí?
To go or for here?
Para llevar.
To go.
¿Algo más?
Anything else?
Nada más, gracias. ¿Cuánto es?
That's all, thanks. How much is it?
A neighborhood bakery in Buenos Aires.
Hola, ¿qué te doy?
Hi, what can I get you?
Hola. Dame cuatro medialunas, por favor.
Hi. Give me four croissants, please.
¿De manteca o de grasa?
Butter or lard?
De manteca. ¿Aceptan tarjeta?
Butter. Do you take cards?
Sí, o transferencia.
Yes, or bank transfer.
Step into a real situation and respond in Spanish.
You're at a café with a friend who doesn't speak Spanish. Order for both of you.
Your role: The customer ordering for the table
What to say
Say the full morning-coffee order out loud three times in a row: greeting, order, para llevar, ¿cuánto es? Then do it once without looking at the screen.
"Buenos días. Me da un café con leche para llevar, por favor."
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