Ordering a coffee at a small café
Read/Listen first
A woman is in a small café near her office. She looks at the menu and talks to the waiter. She says, “Can I have a small coffee and a cheese sandwich, please?” The waiter smiles and asks, “Do you want tea or water with that?” She does not want tea. She asks, “How much is the bill?” The waiter says, “It is six euros.”
⚡ Learning goals
- Can understand a short café dialogue about ordering food and drinks.
- Can order a drink and a simple snack politely in a café.
- Can ask for and understand the bill in a café.
✨ Key language
- Can I have … ? “Can I have a small coffee, please?”
- Do you want … ? “Do you want tea or water with that?”
- How much is the bill? “How much is the bill?”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Can I have … ?
Rule: Use “Can I have … ?” to ask politely for food or drinks in a café.
Examples: Can I have a small coffee, please?; Can I have a cheese sandwich, please?; Can I have water with that?
Common pitfall + fix: Many learners say “I want a coffee now.” — Add can and please to make it polite: “Can I have a coffee, please?”
Choose the correct polite question.
Tip: Use “Can I have” + thing + “please?” for polite orders.
Fill with the best answer: ___ I have a cheese sandwich, please?
Tip: Start polite questions with Can.
2️⃣ Do you want … ?
Rule: Use “Do you want … ?” to offer something or ask about a choice.
Examples: Do you want tea or water?; Do you want a small coffee?; Do you want a cheese sandwich?
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often say “You want tea?” — Add Do at the start: “Do you want tea?”
Choose the correct question.
Tip: For you questions, use Do you want + thing.
Fill with the best answer: ___ ___ ___ water with that?
Tip: Write “Do you want”.
3️⃣ How much is … ?
Rule: Use “How much is … ?” to ask about the price of something.
Examples: How much is the bill?; How much is the coffee?; How much is the sandwich?
Common pitfall + fix: Some learners say “How much the bill is?” — Put is after the thing: “How much is the bill?”
Choose the correct question about the price.
Tip: Use How much is + the thing.
Fill with the best answer: ___ ___ ___ the coffee?
Tip: Start with How much is.
4️⃣ I want / I don’t want …
Rule: Use “I want …” and “I don’t want …” to talk about your choices.
Examples: I want a small coffee.; I don’t want tea.; I want a cheese sandwich.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes forget don’t: “I want not tea.” — Say “I don’t want tea.”
Choose the correct sentence.
Tip: Use don’t between I and want to make it negative.
Fill with the best answer: I ___ a cheese sandwich.
Tip: Use want after I.
✍️ Vocabulary
café
Meaning: a small place to buy coffee and snacks
Synonyms: coffee shop, small restaurant
Chunk/Idiom: small café near the office
Example: She waits for her coffee in the small café.
Morphology: noun; singular café; plural cafés
Self-practice: Write one sentence about a café you like.
waiter
Meaning: a person who brings food and drinks
Synonyms: server, café worker
Chunk/Idiom: talk to the waiter
Example: The waiter brings the bill to the table.
Morphology: noun; singular waiter; plural waiters
Self-practice: Say one sentence about a waiter in a café.
menu
Meaning: a list of food and drinks in a café
Synonyms: food list, drink list
Chunk/Idiom: look at the menu
Example: She looks at the menu and then she orders.
Morphology: noun; singular menu; plural menus
Self-practice: List three things you see on a café menu.
coffee
Meaning: a hot drink made from coffee beans
Synonyms: black coffee, hot drink
Chunk/Idiom: small coffee
Example: Can I have a small coffee, please?
Morphology: noun; uncountable coffee; a coffee as one cup
Self-practice: Write one sentence with the word coffee.
sandwich
Meaning: food with bread and something inside
Synonyms: snack, filled bread
Chunk/Idiom: cheese sandwich
Example: She eats a cheese sandwich in the café.
Morphology: noun; singular sandwich; plural sandwiches
Self-practice: Say what sandwich you like in English.
bill
Meaning: the paper that shows how much you pay
Synonyms: check, receipt
Chunk/Idiom: pay the bill
Example: She asks, “How much is the bill?”
Morphology: noun; singular bill; plural bills
Self-practice: Write one question with the word bill.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
Can I have a small coffee and a cheese sandwich, please? Do you want tea or water with that? How much is the bill for the coffee and sandwich? The waiter brings the bill to the small café table.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Choose the correct polite sentence.
Tip: After Can I, use have + a thing.
Choose the correct question.
Tip: Use Do you want in questions.
Fill with the best answer:
___ I have a small coffee, please?
Tip: Use Can at the start.
Fill with the best answer:
How much is the ____?
Tip: The bill shows the price.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Where is the woman?
Tip: Look at the first sentence of the mini text.
What drink does the waiter offer with the food?
Tip: The waiter offers two simple drinks.
Fill with the best answer:
She looks at the ______ before she orders.
Tip: She reads it to see the food and drinks.
Fill with the best answer:
The waiter brings the ______ to the table.
Tip: It shows how much she pays.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Can I have a small coffee and a cheese sandwich, please?
B: Of course. Do you want tea or water with that?
A: I don’t want tea, thank you. Just water.
Why this matters:
These short questions help you order politely. They are useful in any café. You can use them when you travel or meet friends.
Verb & Adjective Pack:
want — I want a small coffee.
don’t want — I don’t want tea.
small — I have a small coffee and a sandwich.
large — I don’t want a large coffee today.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: Can I have a ____ coffee, please?
Tip: Use the same word as in the mini text.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: I want not tea.
Tip: Use don’t between I and want.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
Can I have a small coffee, please?
Tip: Check your spelling of can, have, small, coffee, please.