The word café is likely one of the first French words you'll learn, and for good reason! Coffee is an integral part of daily life in France. But simply knowing the word café might not be enough when you're standing at the counter of a Parisian coffee shop.

Depending on how you like your coffee—black, with milk, a small shot, or a large cup—there's a specific term for it. Learning these variations will not only get you the drink you actually want but also make you sound more like a native speaker.

Let's explore nine common and essential ways to say “coffee” in French to help you order with confidence!

1. The standard 'coffee' – un café

The most fundamental and widely used term for 'a coffee' in French is simply un café. If you're in a café and want the standard, default option, this is the phrase you need.

Be aware that ordering un café in France will typically get you a small cup of strong, black coffee, very similar to an espresso. It is not a large mug of drip or filter coffee. This is the default coffee served in almost every establishment.

The word café is a masculine noun in French. This means you must use masculine articles with it:

• un café - a coffee
• le café - the coffee

Un café is the perfect term for ordering in any setting, from a casual bistro to a formal restaurant. The most common and polite way to order is: "Un café, s'il vous plaît." (A coffee, please.)

While un café is standard, you might also hear it called un express or un café noir. However, these are less common in everyday speech. Simply asking for un café is the most natural and efficient way to get your drink.

If you are ordering for more than one person, you use the plural form. For example: "Deux cafés, s'il vous plaît." (Two coffees, please.)

💡 * Je vais prendre un café pour commencer la journée.

• On se retrouve pour un café vers 15h ?
• L'addition, s'il vous plaît. C'était pour deux cafés et un croissant.
• Le matin, rien de mieux qu'un bon café noir.

1. The 'black coffee' – un café noir

The most straightforward way to ask for a 'black coffee' in French is by using its direct translation: un café noir. It's a fundamental phrase for anyone visiting a French café.

However, there's a crucial cultural difference. When you order un café noir in France, you won't typically receive a large mug of drip coffee. Instead, you'll be served a small, strong shot of espresso. This is the standard 'coffee' in France.

In fact, un café noir is so standard that you can often just order un café and you will receive the same thing: an espresso. The word noir (black) is used to specify that you don't want milk, but it's often implied.

If you are looking for a larger, more diluted black coffee similar to what's common in the United States, you should ask for un café américain or un café allongé. The latter is an espresso with extra hot water added.

To summarize, while un café noir literally means 'a black coffee,' functionally it means 'an espresso.' It's the classic, default coffee order that forms the heart of French café culture.

💡 * Je vais prendre un café noir, s'il vous plaît.

• Pour moi, ce sera un café noir, sans sucre.
• Garçon, deux cafés noirs et l'addition !
• Elle boit toujours son café noir pour bien commencer la journée.

The 'espresso' – un expresso

The French word for an espresso is, quite simply, un expresso. It's a direct loanword from Italian, but note the common French spelling with an 'x' instead of an 's'. This is a masculine noun and refers to the same short, strong coffee you'd find elsewhere.

Crucially, if you walk into a French café and just order 'un café, s'il vous plaît', you will almost certainly be served an espresso. It is the standard, default coffee. So, while you can specifically ask for 'un expresso', simply asking for 'un café' will achieve the same result.

As a masculine noun, expresso uses masculine articles. You would say 'un expresso' (an espresso), 'le expresso' (the espresso), or 'mon expresso' (my espresso). The plural form is 'des expressos'.

If you want your espresso slightly different, you can use related terms. A 'café serré' is a more concentrated, shorter shot (like a ristretto). A 'café allongé' is an espresso with more hot water passed through the grounds, making it a larger, slightly less intense drink (a lungo).

💡 * Je vais prendre un expresso, s'il vous plaît.

• Le matin, il boit toujours un double expresso pour se réveiller.
• Tu préfères un expresso ou un café allongé ?
• L'expresso de ce bistrot est particulièrement bon.

The 'coffee with milk' – un café au lait

One of the most classic French beverages, un café au lait literally translates to 'a coffee with milk'. It's a staple of the French breakfast table.

Traditionally, a café au lait is made with equal parts strong brewed coffee (not espresso) and steamed or hot milk. This differentiates it from the Italian caffè latte, which is espresso-based.

In France, this is almost exclusively a morning drink, often served at home in a wide, handleless bowl (un bol) perfect for dipping a croissant or a piece of baguette.

When ordering at a café, simply saying Un café au lait, s'il vous plaît is perfect. While you can order it anytime, be aware that it's considered a breakfast drink by locals.

💡 * Je voudrais un grand café au lait pour commencer la journée.

• Le matin, rien de tel qu'un café au lait avec une tartine.
• Peux-tu me préparer un café au lait, s'il te plaît ?
• En France, on boit souvent le café au lait dans un bol.

1. The 'coffee with cream' – un café crème

One of the most classic orders in a Parisian café is un café crème.

A café crème is an espresso with a generous amount of steamed milk. Despite its name, which translates to 'cream coffee,' it's rarely made with actual cream today. Think of it as the French equivalent of a cappuccino or a latte, though often with a higher milk-to-coffee ratio.

It's important not to confuse un café crème with a café au lait. A café au lait is typically made with drip coffee (not espresso) and is something you'd have at home for breakfast, often served in a wide bowl for dipping croissants. The café crème is what you order when you're out at a café.

This is a standard morning or afternoon drink. It’s perfect when you want something more substantial and less intense than a simple espresso (un café) or a noisette (espresso with a dash of milk).

Ordering is simple. You can just say, "Un café crème, s'il vous plaît." It's a staple on every café menu across France.

💡 * Je vais prendre un café crème, s'il vous plaît.

• Le matin, j'aime bien boire un grand café crème avec un croissant.
• Quelle est la différence entre un café crème et un noisette ?
• Pour moi, ce sera un café crème bien chaud.

The 'decaf' – un déca

If you love coffee but not the caffeine jitters, you'll need to know the French word for 'decaf'. While the full term is un café décaféiné, what you'll almost always hear and use in a café is the shortened, casual version: un déca.

Un déca is simply the abbreviated form of décaféiné, which means 'decaffeinated'. This type of shortening is very common in spoken French (like le petit-déj for le petit-déjeuner). It's the standard, everyday term used by everyone, from baristas to customers.

It's important to remember that déca is a masculine noun. This is because it's short for un café décaféiné. So, you always say un déca (a decaf) or le déca (the decaf).

Using this word is simple and will make you sound like a local. When ordering, you can just say, Bonjour, je vais prendre un déca, s'il vous plaît. It's universally understood in any French-speaking café or restaurant.

💡 * Je voudrais un déca et un croissant, s'il vous plaît. (I would like a decaf and a croissant, please.)

• Pour moi, ce sera un grand déca. (For me, it will be a large decaf.)
• Vous faites aussi le café en déca ? (Do you also make coffee in decaf?)

The 'long coffee' – un café allongé

If you find a standard espresso a bit too strong, the café allongé is your perfect alternative in a French café. Literally meaning an 'elongated' or 'lengthened' coffee, it's an espresso made by passing twice the amount of hot water through the same amount of coffee grounds. This results in a larger, milder coffee that retains the core flavor of the espresso.

It's important not to confuse a café allongé with un café américain (an Americano). With an allongé, all the water is part of the brewing process. In contrast, an américain is a standard shot of espresso to which hot water is added after it's been brewed. This subtle difference in preparation creates a distinct taste.

Ordering this popular drink is simple. You can confidently walk into any café and say, Bonjour, je voudrais un café allongé, s'il vous plaît. It’s a common and well-understood order throughout France.

💡 * Le matin, je préfère un café allongé, c'est moins fort. (In the morning, I prefer a long coffee, it's less strong.)

• Pour moi, ce sera un café allongé avec un croissant. (For me, it will be a long coffee with a croissant.)
• Garçon, deux cafés allongés, s'il vous plaît ! (Waiter, two long coffees, please!)

The 'small black coffee' – un petit noir

The “small black coffee” – un petit noir

Literally translating to “a little black one,” un petit noir is a colloquial and classic French slang term for a small black coffee, which is typically an espresso. It’s a term you would use in a traditional French café.

This expression is informal and has a slightly old-fashioned, charming feel. While not as common as simply saying un café, using un petit noir demonstrates a deeper, more nuanced understanding of French café culture.

If you want to be sure you're understood everywhere, the most common ways to order an espresso are simply un café, un expresso, or un café noir. Think of un petit noir as a more poetic alternative.

💡 Garçon, un petit noir, s'il vous plaît. (Waiter, a small black coffee, please.)
Je vais prendre un petit noir pour me réveiller. (I'm going to have a small black coffee to wake myself up.)
Le matin, rien de tel qu'un bon petit noir. (In the morning, there's nothing like a good small black coffee.)

1. Un Jus de Chaussette: The 'Sock Juice' Coffee

The French expression un jus de chaussette literally translates to “sock juice.” It's a popular and humorous slang term used to describe coffee that is particularly bad, weak, watery, or tasteless. Imagine the kind of bland, unappealing coffee you might get from a cheap hotel breakfast buffet or an old vending machine.

This phrase is used informally to complain about the poor quality of a coffee. It’s a very visual and effective way to express your disappointment. You'd say it among friends, family, or colleagues, but probably not directly to the waiter who served it to you, unless you have a very familiar relationship! It perfectly captures the feeling of being served a truly awful cup of coffee.

The existence of such a specific and common idiom highlights the importance of good coffee in French culture. The French typically enjoy strong, aromatic coffee like un expresso. Describing a coffee as un jus de chaussette is a strong, comical condemnation, implying it's as disgusting as wringing out a dirty sock into a cup.

💡 * Le café de cette station-service est un vrai jus de chaussette. (The coffee at this gas station is real sock juice.)

• Je ne peux pas boire ça, on dirait du jus de chaussette ! (I can't drink this, it tastes like sock juice!)
• Au bureau, la machine à café ne fait que du jus de chaussette. (At the office, the coffee machine only makes sock juice.)
• Il m'a servi un jus de chaussette en prétendant que c'était du café filtre. (He served me sock juice pretending it was filter coffee.)

Are there other ways to say 'coffee' in French?

Are there other ways to say “coffee” in French?

Our list covers the essential and most common ways to say “coffee” in French. But the French language, like a good espresso, is rich and full of surprises! You'll find other terms, from playful slang like jus de chaussette (sock juice) for bad coffee, to regional variations you might hear on your travels.

For the adventurous learner, try an online search for terms like “argot pour café” (slang for coffee) or “comment on dit café en [region]” to explore local flavors of the language.

When you discover a new word for coffee, always check its connotation. Does it mean a strong coffee, a quick shot, or is it used ironically? Context is key to sounding like a native speaker.

The best way to learn is by listening. Pay attention when you watch French films or visit a café. How do people order their coffee? What little words do they use? This is how you'll pick up the real language.

If you want to dive deeper into the vocabulary of French café culture, from types of coffee to the pastries that go with them, exploring a French food blog or the Larousse dictionary entry for café can be a great next step.

We hope this guide has energized your French learning! To finish, here’s a thought from the famous French novelist Honoré de Balzac, a notorious coffee aficionado: Le café est le breuvage qui fait glisser les pensées dans le sang comme un bataillon de la grande armée sur le terrain d’une bataille. (Coffee is the beverage that makes thoughts flow into the blood like a battalion of the grand army on the battlefield.)