Can I Have a Coffee, Please? — Teacher Edition

Reading

10 minutes

Say to student:

"Now let's listen to someone ordering from this menu!"

Reading

Read the text aloud. Then discuss the questions below.

CAFE MENU

FOOD: Cheese sandwich — $4.50 Burger — $6.00 Toast — $2.00

DRINKS: Coffee — $3.00 Tea — $2.50 Orange juice — $3.50 Water — $1.50 Coke — $2.00

Key Words from the Text

sandwich — A cheese sandwich, please.

burger — How much is a burger?

coffee — Can I have a coffee, please?

tea — A tea, please.

juice — An orange juice, please.

water — A water, please.

Coke — A Coke, please.

menu — Can I see the menu?

1. How much is a burger?

2. How much is a coffee?

3. What's cheap? What's expensive?

4. What do YOU want?

Language Focus

12 minutes

Dialogue: A cafe. A customer orders food and drinks from the menu.

Tina and Nora

Hi! What can I get you?

A cheese sandwich, please.

Anything else?

And a coffee, please.

That's $7.50.

Here you are.

Thanks. Here's your change.

Wait — can I have a cookie? How much is it?

A cookie is $2.00.

Click any speech bubble to hear that line!

Comprehension:

1. What does the customer order?

Answer: A cheese sandwich and a coffee.

2. How much is it?

Answer: $7.50.

3. Does the customer say 'please'?

Answer: Yes, twice!

Grammar: (recycling) How much is/are + Can I have...? + ordering expressions

Form	Structure
Affirmative	Can I have ___, please? (pedido educado). A ___ , please. (pedido curto). That's $X.XX. (preço total). Here you are. (entregando dinheiro/item).
Negative	No, thanks. / I don't want anything else. (recusa educada).
Interrogative	What can I get you? (server abre). Anything else? (server pergunta + items). How much is it? (cliente pede preço). How much are these ___? (cliente pede preço plural).

Examples:

Customer: Can I have a coffee, please?

Server: Anything else?

Customer: Here you are. (giving money)

Server: Here's your change.

Try it!

1. You want a coffee. You say: 'Can I a coffee, please?'

2. The server asks if you want more. She says: 'Anything ?'

3. You give money to the server. You say: ' you are.'

4. Server gives back $2: 'Here's your .'

Answers: 1. have | 2. else | 3. Here | 4. change

Common Errors

I want a coffee. → Can I have a coffee, please?
Em PT 'Eu quero' é normal, mas em EN 'I want' soa rude. Use 'Can I have...please?' pra educação.

How much it is? → How much is it?
Em PT 'Quanto é?' tem ordem livre. Em EN é fixo: How much + IS + IT (verbo antes do sujeito em pergunta).

Explicação (PT-BR):
Can I have = Posso pedir. Anything else? = Mais alguma coisa? Here you are = Aqui esta (dando algo). Here's your change = Aqui esta o troco.

Practice

15 minutes

Watch for:
- 'Can I have' vs 'I want': Brazilian tends to say 'I want a coffee.' Correct but too direct. Teach: 'Can I have a coffee, PLEASE?' is more polite.
- Prices with cents: '$7.50' = 'seven fifty' (short form, most used) or 'seven dollars and fifty cents' (complete). In practice, 'seven fifty' is what students will hear.
- 'Anything else?': fixed expression the server ALWAYS says. Student needs to recognize and respond: 'No, thanks.' or 'And a ___.'
- 'Here you are' — 2 uses: (1) Customer giving money. (2) Server giving the product. Same expression.
- Math check: sandwich ($4.50) + coffee ($3.00) = $7.50. If student notices, praise: 'Good math!'
- Real menu: if possible, bring a real cafe menu and practice. 'How much is a cappuccino at Starbucks?'

Food and Drinks

Match the picture to the word.

Column A

🥪

🍔

☕

🍵

🧃

💧

Column B

sandwich

burger

water

coffee

tea

juice

Answer Key:
🥪 = sandwich
🍔 = burger
☕ = coffee
🍵 = tea
🧃 = juice
💧 = water

Prices

Match the price to the words.

Column A

$2.50

$3.00

$4.50

$6.00

$7.50

$1.50

Column B

four fifty

two fifty

one fifty

six dollars

three dollars

seven fifty

Answer Key:
$2.50 = two fifty
$3.00 = three dollars
$4.50 = four fifty
$6.00 = six dollars
$7.50 = seven fifty
$1.50 = one fifty

Ordering Phrases

Complete with words from the box.

elseHerepleasehavechange

1. Can I a sandwich, ?

2. Anything ?

3. you are. (giving money)

4. Here's your . (server gives back $2 after a $10 bill)

Answer Key:
1. have, please
2. else
3. Here
4. change

True or False — The Menu

Based on the cafe menu, is each statement True (A) or False (B)?

1. A burger is $6.00.

True

False

✅ Correct: True

2. A coffee is $5.00.

False

True

✅ Correct: False (A coffee is $3.00, not $5.00. Read the DRINKS section: Coffee — $3.00.)

3. Water is the cheapest drink.

False

True

✅ Correct: True

4. Pizza is on the menu.

False

True

✅ Correct: False (Pizza is NOT on the menu. The FOOD options are: cheese sandwich, burger, toast — only 3 food items.)

5. Tea is $2.50.

True

False

✅ Correct: True

At the Cafe

You have $10. Order food and drinks from the menu.

Scenario:

You are at a cafe. You have $10. Order from the menu.

Useful Expressions

Can I have a ___, please?Anything else?How much is it?Here you are.Thanks!

Single round — You're the customer with $10. Order food + drink + something extra. Use the menu prices.

TEACHER: Hi! What can I get you?
YOU: Can I have a sandwich, please? (or burger / toast)
TEACHER: Anything else?
YOU: And a coffee, please. (or tea / juice / water / Coke)
TEACHER: Anything else?
YOU: Yes, one more — a ___, please.
TEACHER: That's $___. (teacher adds up from menu)
YOU: How much? Here you are.
TEACHER: Thanks. Here's your change.

(Try a SECOND order with totally different items — challenge: spend exactly $10!)

Let's Talk

13 minutes

Let's Talk!

Use what you learned today to answer these questions. Elaborate as much as you can!

Ordering for two — and talking about real cafe habits.

1. You're at a cafe with a friend. Order for BOTH of you — one food and one drink each. Then ask the price.

Follow-up: Now ask: 'Anything else?' to me, and let me order something extra.

Target: Can I have a ___ and a ___, please? And for my friend, ___. How much is it?

Expected answer: Can I have a sandwich and a coffee, please? And for my friend, a burger and a juice. How much is it?

Tip: Force 4 items minimum (2 per person). Don't accept single-item answer — push for 'and a ___' multiple times. After student finishes, YOU say 'Anything else?' to flip the script and let them respond as customer.

2. How much is a coffee in Brazil?

Follow-up: Is it expensive or cheap?

Target: A coffee is about ___. / It's ___ reais.

Expected answer: Five reais. / It's cheap.

Tip: Connect to real prices. Recycle expensive/cheap. Bridge to dollars vs reais.

3. What's your favorite cafe order? Tell me 3 things you usually buy.

Follow-up: Every day? Or just on weekends?

Target: I usually have a ___, a ___, and a ___.

Expected answer: I have a coffee. And a sandwich.

Tip: Productive — student talks about REAL habits. Push to 3 items. If hesitant: prompt 'food? drink? snack?'. Bonus: ask price in BR.

4. Now YOU are the server. Take MY order — ask 3 polite questions: greeting, food, drink, anything else, total.

Follow-up: OK, here you are! ($20 bill — calculate the change)

Target: Hi! What can I get you? / Anything else? / That's $X. Here's your change.

Expected answer: What can I get you? Anything else?

Tip: Reverse role — student is SERVER, teacher orders. Force production of 'What can I get you?', 'Anything else?', total + change. Calculate change live (e.g. $7 from $20 = $13).

Extension activity: Aluno rapido: criar seu proprio menu (restaurante brasileiro) com precos em dolares. Professor pede, aluno serve e calcula.

Self-Assessment

How did you do today?

✓
I can order food and drinks: Can I have a ___, please?
✓
I can ask: How much is it?
✓
I can understand: Anything else? and Here's your change.

Great work today!

Next class: family! This is my sister. Her name's Maria.