BicaUnit 3 of 16A15 lessons · 33 words
At the café in European Portuguese
No café
Order coffee, drinks and snacks politely, and ask for the bill. This is an A1 unit of the Bica course, in the Portuguese spoken in Portugal: below are all its words, example sentences you can listen to, and the grammar notes.
Words and phrases
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o café | coffeeIn Portugal, um café is an espresso. O café is also the place. |
a bica | espressoThe Lisbon word for an espresso. |
o galão | milky coffeeMilky coffee served in a tall glass. |
o chá | tea |
o leite | milk |
a água | water |
umalso uma | aUm with masculine words, uma with feminine words: um café, uma bica. |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
queria | I'd likeThe polite way to order in Portugal. |
quero | I want |
queres | you wantWith extra respect: O senhor quer um café? |
o sumo de laranja | orange juice |
a cerveja | beer |
a imperial | draught beerA small glass of draught beer. In Porto it is um fino. |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
o pão | bread |
a torrada | toastA thick slice of buttered toast, a classic café snack. |
o pastel de nata | custard tartPlural: pastéis de nata. |
a tosta mista | ham and cheese toastie |
a sandes | sandwichPlural: as sandes. |
o bolo | cake |
bomalso boa | goodWith feminine words: boa. |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
com | with |
sem | without |
o açúcar | sugar |
o copo | glass |
a chávena | cup |
a garrafa | bottle |
mais | moreMais um café = another coffee. |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
a conta | bill |
quanto é | how much is it |
o empregadoalso a empregada | waiterAlso o empregado de mesa. For a woman: a empregada. |
a ementa | menu |
aqui | here |
a pastelaria | pastry shopA café that sells cakes and pastries, found on every corner in Portugal. |
Example sentences
- Um café, se faz favor.A coffee, please.In Portugal, um café is a small, strong espresso.
- Uma bica, por favor.An espresso, please.In Lisbon an espresso is often called uma bica.
- Um galão, se faz favor.A galão, please.
- Eu queria um café, se faz favor.I'd like a coffee, please.Queria is the polite way to order in Portugal.
- Eu quero um sumo de laranja.I want an orange juice.
- Tu queres uma cerveja?Do you want a beer?
- Um pastel de nata, se faz favor.A custard tart, please.
- Eu queria uma torrada, se faz favor.I'd like some toast, please.
- Uma tosta mista e um galão.A ham and cheese toastie and a galão.
- Um café sem açúcar, se faz favor.A coffee without sugar, please.
- Um chá com leite.A tea with milk.
- Com açúcar?With sugar?
- A conta, se faz favor.The bill, please.To call the waiter, just say Se faz favor!
- Quanto é?How much is it?
- A ementa, por favor.The menu, please.
Every lesson page has all of its sentences: Coffee & tea · I'd like… · Something to eat · With or without sugar? · The bill, please
Unit notes
O or a? Um or uma?
Every Portuguese noun is either masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns take o (the) and um (a). Feminine nouns take a (the) and uma (a).
Words ending in -o are usually masculine (o copo, o bolo) and words ending in -a are usually feminine (a bica, a água). Many words give no clue, like o chá, o galão, a sandes and a imperial, so always learn a noun together with its article.
- Um galão e uma torrada.A galão and some toast.
- O chá e a água.The tea and the water.
Queria: the polite way to order
Queria literally means "I wanted", but in Portugal it is the normal, polite way to say "I'd like": Eu queria um café, se faz favor.
Quero (I want) is fine with friends, but with waiters and shop staff queria sounds friendlier. You can also just name what you want: Uma bica, se faz favor.
- Eu queria um chá, se faz favor.I'd like a tea, please.
- Eu quero um sumo de laranja.I want an orange juice.
Se faz favor
Se faz favor means "please" when you ask for something. It is also how you get a waiter's attention: just say Se faz favor! (or simply Faz favor!).
When the waiter brings your order, you will often hear Aqui está or Aqui tem, both meaning "here you are".
- Se faz favor!Excuse me! (calling the waiter)
- A conta, se faz favor.The bill, please.
Café culture in Portugal
In Portugal um café is a short, strong espresso, and in Lisbon people call it uma bica. A galão is milky coffee served in a tall glass.
Many people have their coffee standing at the counter of a pastelaria, with a pastel de nata or a tosta mista (a toasted ham and cheese sandwich). A small draught beer is uma imperial in Lisbon and um fino in Porto.
- Uma bica e um pastel de nata, se faz favor.An espresso and a custard tart, please.
- Um galão e uma tosta mista.A galão and a ham and cheese toastie.
Com, sem and de
Com means "with" and sem means "without": um chá com leite, um café sem açúcar.
De links a container to what is inside it, and a juice to its fruit: um copo de água (a glass of water), uma chávena de chá (a cup of tea), um sumo de laranja (an orange juice).
- Um café sem açúcar.A coffee without sugar.
- Uma garrafa de água, se faz favor.A bottle of water, please.