Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "coffee" in Spanish
"Coffee" in Spanish is café, pronounced kah-FEH (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a masculine noun (el café, plural los cafés).
| Spanish | café |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | kah-FEH |
| Meaning | coffee |
| Gender | masculine: el café |
| Plural | los cafés |
| Frequency | #18 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
How to pronounce café
Café is pronounced kah-FEH, in IPA /kaˈfe/. Café has two syllables, kah-FEH, with the stress on the second. The written accent on é marks that syllable. On a keyboard without Spanish letters it is often typed "cafe"; the correct spelling is café.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Is café masculine or feminine?
Café is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el café. The plural is los cafés. The ending does not tell you the gender here, so learn the word together with its article: el café.
Example sentences
Un café con leche
a coffee with milk
Quiero un café
I want a coffee
El café está caliente
The coffee is hot
"Coffee" in Spain and Latin America
Other words you will hear
- un cortado — espresso with a dash of milk
- un café con leche — coffee with a lot of hot milk
- un cafecito — a little coffee, a friendly way to offer one
Useful phrases
- Un café, por favor.
A coffee, please.
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember café
café [kah-FEH] sounds like the English “cafe”. Picture this:
The cafe serves coffee in cups the size of bathtubs; you row across the foam.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice café
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.