1. Types of Coffee

• 
• Americano – Espresso with hot water.
• Cappuccino – Espresso and steamed milk, with foamed milk or cream on top.
• Latte – Espresso with lots of steamed milk.
• Mocha – Espresso, hot chocolate, and steamed milk, sometimes with cream on top.

2. Coffee Extras

• Low fat milk
• Fat free milk
• Soy milk

• Caramel syrup
• Chocolate syrup
• Vanilla syrup
• Cream
• Extra shot of espresso

3. Useful Phrases to Order Coffee in English

• Can I get a small cappucino with caramel syrup, please?
• I’d like a medium mocha without cream to go.
• I’ll have a large iced latte with low fat milk.
• Can I have a medium iced Americano, please?
• I’ll have a medium latte with vanilla syrup for here.

Let’s first look at some of the words you’ll need to know when ordering your morning cup.

1. Coffee Vocabulary

At a coffee shop drinks are usually made from espresso. An espresso is a small amount of very strong coffee. This small amount is called a shot.

This espresso is then drunk on its own, or mixed in different ways to make the different coffee drinks. Here are some of the most common:

• Americano – Espresso with hot water.
• Cappuccino – Espresso and steamed milk, with foamed milk or cream on top.
• Latte – Espresso with lots of steamed milk.
• Mocha – Espresso, hot chocolate, and steamed milk, sometimes with cream on top.

Which of these types of coffee have you tried? Personally, I really like lattes.

You can also have your coffee with different kinds of milk, like:

• Low fat
• Fat free
• Soy

If you want coffee without milk, ask for a black coffee.

Some people also like to have things added to their coffee like:

Caramel, chocolate, or vanilla syrup
Cream

You can even have an extra shot of espresso added.

You also have a choice of sizes. You can get:

• Small
• Medium
• Large
• Extra Large

Many coffee shops have their own names for these sizes, but you don’t need to know or use them. Just using these sizes will work.

2. How to Order Coffee in English

When giving your order, you usually say the size first, then the type of coffee, and then the type of milk or extras. For example:

• Small cappuccino with caramel syrup,
• Medium mocha without cream.

If you want a cold drink, you add the word iced before the type of coffee,

For example:

• Large iced latte with low fat milk.
• Medium iced Americano.

3. Placing your Order

A barista is someone who makes coffee.

They will usually take your order. There are a few things they can say, such as:

• May I take your order?
• What would you like?
• What can I get you?
• What will you have?

You can answer in a few different ways. You can say:

• I would like…
• I’ll have…
• Can I get…

Then you give your order:

• I’ll have an Americano with vanilla syrup.
• Or Can I get a latte with extra cream, please?

What’s this order missing? If you make an order like this, the first question you will be asked is:

• What size would you like?
• What size will that be?

Another question you might hear when making your order is:

• Is that for here, or to take away?

You can answer:

• For here
• To take away
• To go

You can also add this information to your order. What does that look like? When you order you can just say:

• I’d like a small mocha without cream to go.
• I’ll have a medium iced latte with vanilla syrup for here.

After your order, the barista might say:

• Will that be all?
• Is that everything?
• Would you like anything else?

And finally, the barista will tell you the total cost.

• Your total is…
• That comes to…
• That will be…

When handing over your money you can say:

• Here you are.
• Here you go.

Once you’ve paid you’ll both say thank you, and that’s it; you’ve just successfully ordered coffee in English! We hope you found this Oxford Online English lesson useful!

4. Sample Dialogues

Let’s look at a sample dialogue.

• Barista: Hi, what will you have?
• Customer: I’d like a large café latte.
• Barista: Will that be all?
• Customer: Yes, thank you.
• Barista: Is that for here or to go?
• Customer: To go.
• Barista: Your total comes to $4.
• Customer: Here you go. Thanks very much.
• Barista: Thank you. Have a nice day.

Let’s look at one more.

• Barista: Hi, what can I get you?
• Customer: I’ll have a small mocha with cream, and small cappuccino for here.
• Barista: Would you like anything else?
• Customer: Yes, I’d also like an espresso.
• Barista: Is that everything?
• Customer: Yes.
• Barista: That will be £6.
• Customer: Here you go.
• Barista: Here’s your change.
• Customer: Thanks.
• Barista: Thanks very much.