Ordering at a café in English: “Can I get a latte, please?”

Ordering coffee is one of the first real conversations most learners need, and it runs on a surprisingly small set of patterns. One short café dialogue shows almost all of them.

The whole café dialogue, line by line

• Can I get a latte, please?The customer orders. In Ukrainian: Можна мені лате, будь ласка?
• Sure. Would you like it with regular milk?The barista (Б) asks about the milk. Бажаєте на звичайному молоці?
• Can I have it with oat milk? Do you have anything sweet?The customer changes the milk and asks about desserts.
• We have cheesecake, muffins and croissants.The barista lists what’s available.
• I’ll take a croissant, and everything to go.The customer chooses and asks for takeaway.

Ordering politely: Can I get…?

Can I get a latte, please? is the standard polite way to order in a café. Can I get… works for any drink or food: Can I get a cappuccino, please?

Ukrainian speakers often say «Можна мені…» and try to translate it word for word. In English the subject always comes after can: Can I get, Can you make. Never Can me get.

The barista’s question: Would you like…?

Would you like it with regular milk? is a standard, polite offer used in service. You can answer briefly:

• Would you like sugar? — Yes, please. / No, thanks.A polite offer, answered with a short yes or no.
• Would you like it hot or iced?A choice question. Note that Do you want…? sounds more blunt.

Changing the milk: with, not on

Can I have it with oat milk? In Ukrainian you say «на вівсяному молоці», which tempts learners to write on oat milk. English uses with. Here have means the same as get: ordering a drink.

• Can I have it with almond milk?A common way to change the milk.
• I’ll have it with oat milk, please.A statement version: a clear, direct order.

Anything or something?

Do you have anything sweet? uses anything because it is a question. In offers, English uses something. For more on the question form, see our lesson on “Do you have anything sweet?”, and for takeaway orders, see the latte to go lesson.

• Would you like something sweet?An offer, so something.
• Anything else?What baristas often ask when the order is nearly complete.
• Yes, to go, please.Takeaway: to go, not to take away.

Common mistakes

• I want a latte is grammatical but sounds blunt. In a café, Can I get… or I’d like… is more polite.
• Can me get… → Can I get….
• on oat milk → with oat milk.
• Do you have sweet? → Do you have anything sweet?

Check yourself

New mini-lessons come out on our YouTube channel. To order confidently in an English-speaking café, not just in a textbook dialogue, come to a free trial lesson.