Order coffee in European Portuguese (and why it's in the past tense)
Breakfast at the café downstairs with Daniel, Senhor Manuel and Dona Lurdes. Order a galão, answer “here or to take away?”, say yes like a local and pay at the counter.
In this episode
- ✓Say “bom dia” first, and why skipping it sounds rude
- ✓Order a galão, a bica or “um café”
- ✓Answer “para levar” or “é para tomar aqui”
- ✓Say yes like a Lisbon local: “pode ser”
- ✓Ask “quanto é?” and pay by card
- ✓Hear the Lisbon sh: dois pastéis sounds like “doish pashtéish”
When Sofia says "your turn", say the phrase out loud.
Chapters
- 0:00Dona Lurdes orders “the usual”
- 0:19Hi, I am Sofia
- 1:01The scene: breakfast at the pastelaria
- 2:27Bom dia
- 2:46Queria, galão, bica
- 4:00Here or to take away?
- 4:40Pode ser
- 5:14Paying: quanto é?
- 6:18The Lisbon “sh”
- 7:15Your turn: order from Manuel
- 8:32Quick-fire
- 9:17Homework
The phrases
This scene is lesson one of Portuguese from Zero
Same café, same people, every line recorded, plus exercises. The course opens soon at CIPLE Ready: join the waitlist and you get in first.
Transcript (Sofia and Paulo; the scenes are in the video)
Dona Lurdes orders her usual (in the video)
Sofia: That's Dona Lurdes. She just ordered breakfast without naming a single thing. "O costume", "the usual". Honestly, that's the dream. We're not there yet, though. Today we start with "good morning".
Sofia: Olá, eu sou a Sofia!
Sofia: Hi! I'm Sofia, and this is Portuguese from Zero. The Portuguese people actually speak in Lisbon, for when you're starting from, well, zero. Every episode we drop into one everyday situation, and you walk away with a few phrases you can use that same day.
Sofia: So today we're going for breakfast. The little café downstairs, eight in the morning, everyone still half asleep.
Sofia: Oh, and one thing. Every time I say "your turn", say the phrase out loud. I mean it! On the bus? Fine. Keep one earbud in and people will think you're on a call.
Sofia: This is Daniel. He moved to Lisbon a week ago, and every morning he goes down to the café in his building. Senhor Manuel runs it. He's probably served more pastéis de nata than you've had hot dinners.
Sofia: Just listen first. Don't try to catch every word. If you get "bom dia", honestly, that's a win.
Daniel orders breakfast from Senhor Manuel, and Dona Lurdes comes in (the scene is in the video)
Sofia: So, two things happened. Daniel got his breakfast. And Dona Lurdes said yes to a pastel de nata, while making it very clear it was Manuel's idea. We'll come back to her.
Sofia: Okay, let's go through it phrase by phrase. Paulo says each one nice and slow, and then it's your turn.
Sofia: Everything starts with "bom dia". Before you order, before you point at the cake. If you just walk up and go "a coffee", it comes across a bit rude here, even if you're smiling. "Bom dia" works until lunch.
Paulo: Bom dia.
Sofia: Your turn.
Sofia: Now the order. Daniel says "queria". Literally, "I wanted". Past tense! You walk in and announce that you wanted a coffee, like it's already a nice memory. But that's just the polite way to order here.
Sofia: A galão is milky coffee in a tall glass. If you just say "um café", you get an espresso the size of a thimble. In Lisbon they also call that one "uma bica".
Sofia: And "se faz favor" means "please". In Brazil you'll mostly hear "por favor", but Lisbon loves "se faz favor".
Paulo: Queria um galão, se faz favor.
Sofia: Your turn.
Paulo: Queria um galão, se faz favor.
Sofia: Quick thing, while your galão cools down. This scene is actually lesson one of Portuguese from Zero, the course we're opening soon at CIPLE Ready. Same café, same people, every line recorded, plus exercises, so you actually practise instead of just nodding along. The waitlist is in the description, and people on it get in first. Okay, back to the counter.
Sofia: Then comes the question you'll hear in every café in the country.
Senhor Manuel asks: here or to take away? (in the video)
Sofia: "Já vai" is his "coming right up". And then: here, or to take away? You don't need a whole sentence. To take away is just "para levar".
Paulo: Para levar.
Sofia: Your turn.
Sofia: And to stay, "é para tomar aqui". "Tomar" means "to take". You take a coffee, like medicine. At eight in the morning, fair enough.
Paulo: É para tomar aqui. É para levar.
Sofia: Your turn.
Sofia: My favourite phrase in the whole language. Manuel offers Dona Lurdes a pastel de nata, and she says:
Dona Lurdes: “Pode ser…” (in the video)
Sofia: "Pode ser". Literally, "it can be". It's a yes, but a calm, unbothered yes. It's how you accept a pastel de nata you were absolutely going to have anyway. "Mas só um", "but just one". She'll be back tomorrow.
Paulo: Pode ser.
Sofia: Your turn.
Sofia: You pay at the end, at the counter. Nobody brings you a bill. You just ask:
Paulo: Quanto é?
Sofia: Your turn.
Senhor Manuel tells you the price (in the video)
Sofia: Three euros for a coffee and a pastel de nata. Lisbon, never change.
Sofia: And if you want to pay by card:
Paulo: Posso pagar com cartão?
Sofia: Your turn.
Sofia: Usually the answer is "pode, sim", "you can, yes". Sometimes it's "só dinheiro", cash only, so keep a few coins for the tiny places. And no, nobody expects a tip at the counter.
Sofia: Two phrases you'll hear before you ever say them. "Já vai", that's the staff's "coming right up". And "o costume", the usual. Three weeks of "bom dia" at the same café, and one morning you'll say it yourself. And Manuel will know exactly what you mean.
Sofia: Ever noticed that European Portuguese sounds a bit like someone speaking Russian in the next room? A big part of that is the S. At the end of a word, or before a consonant like P or T, it turns into "sh". Listen to Paulo:
Paulo: Se faz favor.
Sofia: Hear it? That "faz" comes out as "fash". Now, two pastéis de nata:
Paulo: Dois pastéis de nata, se faz favor.
Sofia: "Doish pashtéish". It feels illegal. It's correct.
Sofia: Your turn.
Sofia: Most of Brazil keeps a clean S there. Lisbon goes "sh", and it's one of the first things your ear learns to catch. And the vowels that went missing in "se faz favor"? Yep, we noticed. That's next episode's problem.
Sofia: Now it's your go. Senhor Manuel is going to serve you. He calls everyone Daniel, just go with it. When I say "your turn", answer him, and then you'll hear how Daniel did it.
The role-play: Senhor Manuel serves you and you answer in the pauses (in the video)
Sofia: You just had breakfast in Portuguese. Minus the breakfast, sadly. One detail: if you're a woman, it's "obrigada", with an A. The word agrees with you, not with Manuel.
Sofia: Last round, and it's quick. I say it in English, you say it in Portuguese, then Paulo says it.
Sofia: Good morning.
Paulo: Bom dia.
Sofia: I'd like a galão, please.
Paulo: Queria um galão, se faz favor.
Sofia: To take away.
Paulo: Para levar.
Sofia: Sure, why not.
Paulo: Pode ser.
Sofia: How much is it?
Paulo: Quanto é?
Sofia: Can I pay by card?
Paulo: Posso pagar com cartão?
Sofia: Homework: tomorrow morning, walk into a pastelaria and say "bom dia" before anything else. That's it, that's the homework. Not in Portugal yet? Say it to your kettle.
Sofia: Two things before you go. If you're starting from zero, Portuguese from Zero opens soon at CIPLE Ready: this café, these people, and a lesson for every situation of your first months here. The waitlist is in the description.
Sofia: And if you're already on your way to the CIPLE, the A2 exam for Portuguese citizenship, CIPLE Ready is built for exactly that: ten full mock exams in the real format, plus writing and speaking practice with feedback. You can start for free.
Sofia: Next time, Daniel needs a NIF. Bring snacks.
Sofia: Até já!
Sofia: "Até já", "see you in a bit". In Portugal, "a bit" can mean five minutes, or next Tuesday.