Au Café — ordering drinks in French | Vocabulary
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Ordering drinks & sitting on the terrasse. This French ordering drinks sitting on terrasse vocabulary list gives you 18 essential words — from un café (an espresso) to C’est pour emporter ? (Is it to take away?) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about ordering drinks sitting on terrasse, then test yourself with the games below.
Au Café
Ordering drinks & sitting on the terrasse
Les boissons chaudes ☕
Les boissons fraîches 🥤
Les phrases 💬
🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Au Café » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 Café culture, decoded
- « Un café » means a small black espresso by default. Want a big milky one? Ask for un café au lait or un crème.
- Un demi = a glass of draft beer (~25cl) — order « un demi » not « une demi-bière ».
- Prices change by where you sit: au comptoir (at the bar) is cheaper than en terrasse (on the terrace). You pay for the seat!
- You usually pay when you leave, and a small tip (round up) is appreciated but not required — service is included.
- The café is a social HQ: « On prend un verre ? » (shall we grab a drink?) is a core French invitation.
🔊 Useful phrases
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
a small black espresso = un ___ (default coffee)
Show answer
café
a glass of draft beer = un ___ (not une bière)
Show answer
demi
on the terrace = en ___ (costs more)
Show answer
terrasse
🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions
How do you say « an espresso »? (recall)
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un café
What does « un crème » mean? (recall)
Show answer
a coffee with cream
How do you say « a tea »? (recall)
Show answer
un thé
What does « un demi » mean? (recall)
Show answer
a beer
How do you say « a glass of wine »? (recall)
Show answer
un verre de vin
What does « une eau gazeuse / plate » mean? (recall)
Show answer
sparkling / still water
How do you say « An espresso, please. »? (recall)
Show answer
Un café, s’il vous plaît.
What does « La même chose » mean? (recall)
Show answer
the same
Go further: Au Restaurant — the full dining guide.
French ordering drinks sitting on terrasse vocabulary — FAQ
How do you say common ordering drinks sitting on terrasse words in French?
For example: an espresso is « un café », coffee with milk is « un café au lait », a coffee with cream is « un crème ». The full list above has 18 French ordering drinks sitting on terrasse words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.
What are the most useful French ordering drinks sitting on terrasse words to learn first?
Start with the basics: un café (an espresso), un café au lait (coffee with milk), un crème (a coffee with cream), un déca (a decaf), un thé (a tea), un chocolat chaud (a hot chocolate). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.
How can I memorise French ordering drinks sitting on terrasse vocabulary?
Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.
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