Order Coffee (part 1 of 2)

Step up to the counter, say which drink you want and how big, choose something sweet to go with it, and hand over your card, all in Spanish. That whole routine is what this first half of the café conversation trains.

You practice greeting the person serving you, naming a drink, picking a size, asking what is available today, and dealing with the bill. Two of the wordings are worth a closer look because they are not literal. The question ¿Qué le puedo ofrecer? translates word for word as "what can I offer you", but it is simply the Spanish equivalent of "what can I get you". And Me da una rebanada de pastel de chocolate looks like a flat statement, "you give me a slice of chocolate cake", yet this plain present tense is one of the most common polite ways to place an order in Latin America, softer than a command.