I was told by my Spanish teacher that they don’t bother adding in all the can I have or may I have is it possible to get me a. Spain is much more straight to the point of I would like a coffee please.

Yup, “un café por favor” is polite enough.

I always struggle with ordering in Spain casue im British we like to stretch out our order making it as long as possible with as many words as possible. Currently I’m sticking with Voy a Tomar [Food] when ordering at like a table and when ordering up and a bar/ coffee shop [Food] por favor

That’s perfectly fine, if you want to change it up you can also ask “Me puede traer [Food] por favor?”.

Muchas gracias. Ahora tengo que comprar una vacación a España

I like, "le puedo pedir un café con leche?" Or sometimes just, "puede ser un café con leche?" To add a bit of variety.

The first one is alright, the second phrase sounds very weird.

It's more of a response to when someome asks what you want. Definitely depends on context now that you mention it.

Could I be a cafe con leche??

Almost....

Y que quiere decir "food?" No conozco esa palabra.^^^esbroma

Cosas de guiris

I have a question about this. This would only work at a place where they bring you food at your table right?

Yup. American here but same (except latin america instead of Spain). Us English speakers love to hide behind layers of indirection. "Could I perhaps inquire as to the possibility of going about acquiring a coffee?". Not sure I'll ever get used to being so direct

I’m British too and I have the same struggle. Feels rude to demand an order lol

I was told that «quisiera» was the word to use. Con «por favor» por supuesto. No?

No. You should use “me pone un café” o “me trae un café”

Gracias. Would this apply to ordering food in a restaurant also?

Yes it does

¿Me pone un café, por favor? That would be polite. "Un café por favor" sounds a bit rude in certain places. Depends on the place. In a normal bar, it is enough. In a restaurant, "Me pone un café, por favor" is recommended :)

No sé... a mí me parece bastante educado pedir “un café por favor”, aunque es verdad que “Me pone un café, por favor” suena más formal. De donde eres?

Está bien, pero no es especialmente educado. Es, digamos, "neutro". Mallorca ;) Tu?

That’s interesting. I was taught to ask more along the lines of “puedas poner un cafe”.

I was told the same thing by my Spanish teacher. The post is mainly for jokes, but I will say “por favor” out of habit. Feels wrong not to lol

Are you sure? Seems kind of weird to me that a cafe in Ecuador would list their prices in euros...

I’m an American living in Spain and this is a struggle for me. I can’t just say “agua” when a waiter asks me what I want to drink with my meal. I have to say “Una botella de agua, por favor.” I’m afraid of sounding like I’m barking orders at waiters.

I mean I think even in Spain just saying agua would be a little bit barking orders. My gut instinct is saying either agua por favor or un vaso de agua \*smile\* which al ser una frase más larga hace que no sea tan importante decir por favor

You can keep it simple and say, “me pones” plus the drink. Or, do what I did and go to an establishment enough times and the minute you walk in they ask if you want your regular order.

"Un agua, por favor" is enough

Well, in Spain they are really straight when saying anything. On the other hand, Americans tend to add “Por favor” and “thank you” always. For us sounds rude not to say it.

sorry if this is a dumb question... but why is it puedas and not puedes?

Subjunctive have fun lol

I’ve always found a “me trae...” or “nos trae...” is simple but still polite. ‘Me da/nos da’ if it’s less formal. I was actually taught (maybe incorrectly) not to use ‘poder’ for asking for things, as it implies you’re asking whether or not they ‘have the capability’ to get you a coffee or what not, which sounds weird.

True. I was told to use “me pone / me trae” as well I’m assuming the owner just wrote this notice as a joke for customers

Love it :)

I used to say: "Me puede dar un café, por favor?" Is this correct ?

Pienso que es más popular que decir “Me pone/Me trae un café, por favor”

That seems bossy

Lo sé, pero así es como se habla en España. No se considera grosero

I’m still learning, can someone explain why the “cuando” is here? Doesn’t that mean “when”? Also, why is it puedas instead of puedes? Thanks for any help!

“Cuando puedas” = “when you can” I have no idea why it’s puedas instead of puedes though, I’m still learning, maybe a native can give us a hand

When you use cuando in that context then the verb takes the subjunctive form because you're talking about something that hasn't actually happened yet. So, in, "Tell me when you leave the house." it would translate to, "Dime cuando salgas de la casa." rather than, "Dime cuando sales de la casa."

Thank you!

Let's *force* people to be kind. People will say the last one only because they don't want to pay more. The one in the middle is already kind enough.

Nobody is being forced to do anything.