Order at a café in Spanish
The short answer
Un café con leche, por favor asks for a coffee with milk. Para tomar aquí means to have it here; para llevar means to take away. ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? asks whether you can pay by card. Here is one short counter-service exchange.
Follow the conversation
Read both roles, then cover one speaker’s lines and try to respond.
Staff
Buenos días. ¿Qué desea?
Good morning. What would you like?
Customer
Un café con leche, por favor.
A coffee with milk, please.
Staff
¿Para tomar aquí o para llevar?
To have here or to take away?
Customer
Para tomar aquí. ¿Cuánto es?
To have here. How much is it?
Staff
Son tres euros.
It’s three euros.
Customer
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
Staff
Sí, claro.
Yes, of course.
Customer
Gracias.
Thank you.
For here or to go?
The barista asks “¿Para tomar aquí o para llevar?” What would each customer answer? Say both replies before checking.
Show example answers
Para tomar aquí, por favor.
Left: for here, please.
Para llevar, por favor.
Right: to go, please.
Aquí means here. Para llevar tells the barista you will take your drink away.
Keep a simple order ready
At a counter, the item name followed by por favor can be a natural request. Change the drink while keeping the polite ending. A question with hay is useful when you first need to know whether an option is available.
Un té, por favor.
A tea, please.
The drink changes; por favor stays.
¿Hay leche sin lactosa?
Is there lactose-free milk?
Ask about availability before ordering.
Answer the follow-up and ask about payment
Service routines vary: some cafés take payment at the counter and others bring a bill later. Learn the question rather than assuming the process. You can use puedo plus an infinitive to ask whether an action is possible or allowed.
Para llevar, por favor.
To take away, please.
A short answer to the staff’s here-or-take-away question.
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
Pagar stays in the infinitive after puedo.
Try it yourself
Complete the sentence for the situation. Say it aloud before revealing the answer.
Complete the polite ending.
Un café con leche, por ___.
Check answer 1
Un café con leche, por favor.
Por favor is the complete expression for please.
Say you want the drink to take away.
Para ___, por favor.
Check answer 2
Para llevar, por favor.
Para llevar means to take away.
Ask to pay by card.
¿Puedo pagar con ___?
Check answer 3
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Con tarjeta names the payment method.
Make it your own
Play the customer’s role with a different drink. Choose here or takeaway, then ask to pay. Try all three lines without looking.
Usage references
These Spanish-language references support the usage explained here. Examples, dialogues and exercises are written for Bilvo.