LinguaOrdering at a café
When you order in a café, English often uses polite phrases. Two very common phrases are Can I have ... ? and I'd like .... They are both friendly and natural.
Can I have a coffee, please?
I'd like a sandwich, please.
Two useful order phrases
| Phrase | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Can I have ... ? | Ask for something | Can I have a tea, please? |
| I'd like ... | Say what you want | I'd like a cake, please. |
Can I have ... ? is a question. I'd like ... means I would like ..., but in speaking we usually say I'd like. We often add please to sound polite.
Talking about prices
You may hear prices when you order or pay. English prices are often said with pounds and pence or dollars and cents, depending on the country. In this lesson, just notice the number and the money.
Tea is two pounds fifty.
The sandwich is five dollars.
Paying at the end
When you finish, you can ask for the bill. This means the paper with the price to pay. A common phrase is Can I have the bill, please?
Can I have the bill, please?
A simple café dialogue
| Person | Words |
|---|---|
| Customer | I'd like a coffee, please. |
| Server | Sure. Anything else? |
| Customer | Can I have a cake too, please? |
| Server | Yes. That's four pounds. |
| Customer | Thanks. Can I have the bill later, please? |
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| coffee | coffee | I'd like a coffee, please. |
| tea | tea | Can I have a tea, please? |
| sandwich | sandwich | The sandwich is five pounds. |
| cake | cake | Can I have a cake too, please? |
| menu | menu | Can I see the menu, please? |
| Can I have ... ? | Can I have ... ? | Can I have a sandwich, please? |
| I'd like ... | I'd like ... | I'd like a tea, please. |
| please | please | A coffee, please. |
| the bill | the bill | Can I have the bill, please? |
| price | price | What is the price of the cake? |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- build the sentence: 2
- translate the sentence: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which phrase is polite in a café?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.