Would you like a coffee?

One thing you can find hard to understand in Portugal is how to ask for a coffee. There are many kinds of coffee and, each one, has its own name. So, let’s make a list to help you next time you go to a “Café” in Portugal:

Um café / Uma bica – an espresso

Um café cheio / Uma bica cheia – a wicker espresso with more water, filled to the top of the cup

Um café curto / Uma Italiana – a stronger espresso with less water

Um café em chávena escaldada – An espresso in a hot cup

Um café em chávena fria – An espresso in a cold cup

Um galão – Coffee and milk in a tall glass, in all similar to café latte. If you want more coffee than milk, ask for “um galão escuro”, if you prefer more milk than coffee, ask for “um galão claro”;

Uma meia de leite – It’s the same then “galão” but it comes in a cup, again, you can ask for “uma meia de leite escura” or “uma meia de leite clara”;

Um garoto – It’s an espresso with a little bit of milk. Again, you can ask for “um garoto escuro” (more coffee than milk) or “um garoto claro” (more milk than coffee);

Um pingado – It’s an espresso with just a drop of cold milk;

Um carioca de café – It’s a weak espresso;

Um descafeinado – it’s a decaff;

Um café duplo – Two espressos in a bigger cup.

Um abatanado / Um americano – It’s a long and weak coffee served in a medium cup, similar to the american coffee.

Finally, how to ask for a coffee in Portuguese? It’s simple: “Queria um café, por favor.”

Do you think this will help you?