Portuguese · Café / Pastelaria
Order a coffee: bica, galão or meia de leite: what to say in Portuguese
You walk into a café and want to order coffee the way the Portuguese call it.
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How it's done. A regular espresso in Lisbon is called uma bica, and in general um café; coffee with milk in a glass is um galão.Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
THEY SPEAK FIRST
THEY SAY
Bom dia! Diga.Bohn DEE-uh! DEE-guh.
Good morning! Go ahead.
They might also say:
Bom dia! O que vai ser?
Bohn DEE-uh! Oo k vigh sehr?
Good morning! What'll it be?
Bom dia! Então, o que deseja?
Bohn DEE-uh! Ayn-TOW, oo k dih-ZEH-zhuh?
Good morning! So, what would you like?
YOU REPLY
Queria uma bica, por favor.
KREE-uh OO-muh BEE-kuh, poor fuh-VOR.
I'd like an espresso, please.
THEY SAY
Mais alguma coisa?Mighz uhl-GOO-muh KOY-zuh?
Anything else?
They might also say:
É só isso?
Eh soh EE-soo?
Is that all?
E mais?
Ee mighsh?
Anything more?
2
YOU FINISH
Não, é só, obrigado.
Now, eh soh, oh-bree-GAH-doo.
No, that's all, thank you.
Or say:É só isso, obrigado.
Eh soh EE-soo, oh-bree-GAH-doo.
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “Portuguese for life in Portugal”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Bom
Bohn
adjective
good
dia
DEE-uh
noun
day
Diga
DEE-guh
verb
say
Queria
KREE-uh
verb
would like (polite)
bica
BEE-kuh
noun
espresso
favor
fuh-VOR
noun
favour, kindness
9 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Desculpe, não percebi.
Dish-KOOLP, now pir-sih-BEE.
Sorry, I didn't understand.
Pode falar mais devagar, por favor?
Pod fuh-LAHR mighzh dvuh-GAHR, poor fuh-VOR?
Can you speak more slowly, please?
Similar situations
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