Ordering Coffee in a Café – Chinese Reading Practice

Learning Chinese through real-life scenarios makes studying fun and practical. One common daily situation is ordering coffee in a café. In this lesson, you’ll read a short story about visiting a coffee shop, complete with Chinese text, pinyin, and English translation.

At the end, try the reading exercises to test your understanding!

Vocabulary List

☕ Coffee & Drinks

1. 咖啡 kāfēi – coffee

   • 我每天早上都要喝咖啡。
     Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang dōu yào hē kāfēi.
     (I drink coffee every morning.)

2. 拿铁咖啡 nátiě kāfēi – latte

   • 她点了一杯冰拿铁咖啡。
     Tā diǎn le yī bēi bīng nátiě kāfēi.
     (She ordered an iced latte.)

3. 牛奶 niúnǎi – milk

   • 小孩喜欢喝牛奶。
     Xiǎohái xǐhuān hē niúnǎi.
     (Children like to drink milk.)

🍴 Café & Ordering

4. 咖啡店 kāfēi diàn – café, coffee shop

   • 这家咖啡店的环境很安静。
     Zhè jiā kāfēi diàn de huánjìng hěn ānjìng.
     (This café has a quiet environment.)

5. 服务员 fúwùyuán – waiter/waitress

   • 服务员微笑着欢迎顾客。
     Fúwùyuán wēixiàozhe huānyíng gùkè.
     (The waiter smiled and welcomed the customers.)

6. 点单 diǎndān – to order (food/drinks)

   • 你可以在手机上点单。
     Nǐ kěyǐ zài shǒujī shàng diǎndān.
     (You can order on your phone.)

🪑 Inside the Café

7. 椅子 yǐzi – chair

   • 我坐在椅子上看书。
     Wǒ zuò zài yǐzi shàng kàn shū.
     (I sat on the chair and read a book.)

8. 窗户 chuānghu – window

   • 阳光从窗户照进来。
     Yángguāng cóng chuānghu zhào jìnlái.
     (Sunlight came in through the window.)

9. 音乐 yīnyuè – music

   • 我喜欢一边喝咖啡一边听音乐。
     Wǒ xǐhuān yībiān hē kāfēi yībiān tīng yīnyuè.
     (I like drinking coffee while listening to music.)

😋 Actions & Feelings

10. 喝 hē – to drink

• 我想喝一杯水。
  Wǒ xiǎng hē yī bēi shuǐ.
  (I want to drink a glass of water.)

11. 结账 jiézhàng – to pay the bill

• 我去柜台结账。
  Wǒ qù guìtái jiézhàng.
  (I went to the counter to pay.)

12. 舒服 shūfu – comfortable

• 这把椅子很舒服。
  Zhè bǎ yǐzi hěn shūfu.
  (This chair is very comfortable.)

Reading Text

Part 1 – 走进咖啡店 (Walking into the Café)

今天上午，我打算去一家新开的咖啡店。🔊
Jīntiān shàngwǔ, wǒ dǎsuàn qù yī jiā xīn kāi de kāfēi diàn.
This morning, I planned to go to a newly opened café.
这家咖啡店就在学校附近。🔊
Zhè jiā kāfēi diàn jiù zài xuéxiào fùjìn.
This café is near my school.
我听说里面的咖啡很好喝。🔊
Wǒ tīngshuō lǐmiàn de kāfēi hěn hǎohē.
I heard that the coffee there is delicious.
推开门的时候，一股香味迎面扑来。🔊
Tuīkāi mén de shíhòu, yī gǔ xiāngwèi yíngmiàn pū lái.
When I pushed open the door, a wave of aroma came to me.
店里播放着轻柔的音乐。🔊
Diàn lǐ bōfàng zhe qīngróu de yīnyuè.
Soft music was playing inside the shop.
墙上挂着一些艺术画。🔊
Qiáng shàng guàzhe yīxiē yìshù huà.
Some art paintings were hanging on the wall.
我找了一个靠窗的座位坐下。🔊
Wǒ zhǎo le yī gè kào chuāng de zuòwèi zuò xià.
I found a seat by the window and sat down.

Part 2 – 点单 (Placing the Order)

一位服务员走过来微笑着问：“您好，请问您要点什么？”🔊
Yī wèi fúwùyuán zǒu guòlái wēixiàozhe wèn: “Nín hǎo, qǐngwèn nín yào diǎn shénme?”
A waiter came over and smiled, asking: “Hello, what would you like to order?”
我想了想，说：“请给我一杯拿铁咖啡。”🔊
Wǒ xiǎng le xiǎng, shuō: “Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi nátiě kāfēi.”
I thought for a moment and said: “Please give me a latte.”
服务员问：“您要热的还是冰的？”🔊
Fúwùyuán wèn: “Nín yào rè de háishì bīng de?”
The waiter asked: “Do you want it hot or iced?”
我回答：“热的，谢谢。”🔊
Wǒ huídá: “Rè de, xièxie.”
I replied: “Hot, thank you.”
服务员又问：“需要加糖吗？”🔊
Fúwùyuán yòu wèn: “Xūyào jiā táng ma?”
The waiter asked again: “Do you need sugar?”
我说：“不用，加一点牛奶就好。”🔊
Wǒ shuō: “Bù yòng, jiā yīdiǎn niúnǎi jiù hǎo.”
I said: “No need, just add a little milk.”
服务员点了点头，在小本子上写下我的订单。🔊
Fúwùyuán diǎn le diǎn tóu, zài xiǎo běnzi shàng xiě xià wǒ de dìngdān.
The waiter nodded and wrote my order in a small notebook.

Part 3 – 等咖啡 (Waiting for Coffee)

我靠在椅子上，看着窗外的街景。🔊
Wǒ kào zài yǐzi shàng, kànzhe chuāngwài de jiējǐng.
I leaned on the chair, looking at the street view outside.
外面的人来来往往，有人骑自行车，有人走路。🔊
Wàimiàn de rén lái lái wǎng wǎng, yǒu rén qí zìxíngchē, yǒu rén zǒulù.
People were coming and going outside; some were riding bikes, others walking.
阳光透过玻璃照在桌子上，很温暖。🔊
Yángguāng tòuguò bōlí zhào zài zhuōzi shàng, hěn wēnnuǎn.
Sunlight shone through the glass onto the table, very warm.
我拿出一本书，开始安静地阅读。🔊
Wǒ ná chū yī běn shū, kāishǐ ānjìng de yuèdú.
I took out a book and began reading quietly.
不一会儿，服务员端着咖啡走了过来。🔊
Bù yíhuìr, fúwùyuán duānzhe kāfēi zǒu le guòlái.
After a while, the waiter came over with my coffee.
杯子是白色的，上面有一点拉花。🔊
Bēizi shì báisè de, shàngmiàn yǒu yīdiǎn lāhuā.
The cup was white, with some latte art on top.
我闻到浓浓的咖啡香。🔊
Wǒ wéndào nóng nóng de kāfēi xiāng.
I smelled the rich aroma of coffee.

Part 4 – 喝咖啡 (Drinking Coffee)

我轻轻地喝了一口，觉得很顺口。🔊
Wǒ qīngqīng de hē le yī kǒu, juéde hěn shùnkǒu.
I took a small sip and found it very smooth.
牛奶的香味和咖啡的苦味刚好平衡。🔊
Niúnǎi de xiāngwèi hé kāfēi de kǔwèi gānghǎo pínghéng.
The milk’s aroma and coffee’s bitterness were perfectly balanced.
我一边喝，一边继续看书。🔊
Wǒ yìbiān hē, yìbiān jìxù kàn shū.
I drank while continuing to read my book.
店里的人不多，环境很安静。🔊
Diàn lǐ de rén bù duō, huánjìng hěn ānjìng.
There weren’t many people in the shop, and the environment was very quiet.
我觉得时间过得很慢，也很舒服。🔊
Wǒ juéde shíjiān guò de hěn màn, yě hěn shūfu.
I felt time passed slowly, and it was comfortable.
一杯咖啡，很快就喝完了。🔊
Yī bēi kāfēi, hěn kuài jiù hē wán le.
The cup of coffee was finished quickly.
我起身去柜台结账。🔊
Wǒ qǐshēn qù guìtái jiézhàng.
I stood up and went to the counter to pay.
服务员微笑着说：“欢迎下次再来！”🔊
Fúwùyuán wēixiàozhe shuō: “Huānyíng xià cì zài lái!”
The waiter smiled and said: “Welcome to come again!”
我也笑着回答：“一定会的！”🔊
Wǒ yě xiàozhe huídá: “Yīdìng huì de!”
I smiled back and replied: “I definitely will!”
走出咖啡店的时候，阳光正好洒在街道上。🔊
Zǒuchū kāfēi diàn de shíhòu, yángguāng zhènghǎo sǎ zài jiēdào shàng.
When I walked out of the café, the sunlight was shining perfectly on the street.
我觉得这一天有了一个美好的开始。🔊
Wǒ juéde zhè yī tiān yǒu le yī gè měihǎo de kāishǐ.
I felt that this day had a wonderful start.

Exercises

🔹 Exercise 1: Vocabulary Match

Match the Chinese word with the English meaning.

🔹 Exercise 2: True or False

Decide whether the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. The café was near the narrator’s school.

2. The narrator ordered an iced latte.

3. The waiter asked if sugar was needed.

4. The narrator read a book while waiting.

5. The café was very crowded.

🔹 Exercise 3: Translate into English

1. 我听说里面的咖啡很好喝。

2. 服务员问：“需要加糖吗？”

3. 我觉得这一天有了一个美好的开始。

Answer Key

Exercise 1: 1-D, 2-B, 3-A, 4-E, 5-C
Exercise 2: 1-T, 2-F, 3-T, 4-T, 5-F
Exercise 3:

1. I heard that the coffee inside is very delicious.

2. The waiter asked: “Do you need sugar?”

3. I felt that this day had a wonderful start.

🎯 Conclusion

This reading passage about ordering coffee in a café introduces useful everyday Chinese vocabulary such as drinks, ordering phrases, and conversations with staff. By practicing with stories like this, learners can improve both reading comprehension and real-life speaking skills.

👉 Next step: Try writing your own short dialogue about ordering your favorite drink in Chinese!

See more topics

• Chinese reading exercise: Weekend Plans
• 美好的一天 (A Beautiful Day)