Everyday Dialogues

Going for a Coffee

Do you like drinking coffee or tea? In this lesson,
you will learn some useful vocabulary and expressions
to use at coffee shops. After this lesson, you will
be able to order exactly what you want to drink.

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. What do you usually order at a coffee shop?

2. D
 o you prefer caffeinated or decaffeinated
beverages? Explain your preference.

3. What do you take in your coffee or tea?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. herbal a) made with herbs

2. decaffeinated b) something that adds sweetness, such as sugar or honey
3. brew c) strong
4. mild d) without caffeine
5. blend e) to be bothered by
6. dark f) a mixture
7. mind g) not strong
8. in a rush h) in a hurry
9. specialty i) to make a beverage by boiling or steeping
10. sweetener j) something that is better than average

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Dialogue Reading
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns
being each character. Practice your intonation and pronunciation.
Circle any new words or phrases that you need to practice.

Customer: Can I have a large coffee, please?

Barista: Sure. Would you like our mild, medium, or dark blend?

Customer: Do you have any flavored coffee?

Barista: Our coffee of the day is vanilla hazelnut.

Customer: That sounds good. Is it decaffeinated?

Barista: No, I’m afraid not. Do you want decaf?

Customer: Yes, please. It’s getting late.

No problem. I’ll have to brew a new pot. It will take a few minutes. Do you mind
Barista:
waiting?

Customer: Hmm. Do you have any decaffeinated tea?

Barista: Yes, we have lots of herbal teas. We have lemon ginger, orange ginger, or chamomile.

Customer: Great. I’ll take a lemon ginger tea. Large, please.

Barista: Sure. Is that for here or to go?

Customer: To go. And I’d like some honey if you have some.

Barista: The milk and sweeteners are on the table behind you.

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Practice
Work with your partner. Role-play the dialogue on page 2,
substituting the different expressions below. Then switch roles.

1. Can I have a large coffee, please? 5. Is it decaffeinated?

• I’d like a coffee, please. • Do you have decaf?

• Could I please get a small coffee? • Is that decaf?
• Is that caffeinated?
2. Would you like mild, medium, or dark?
6. Do you mind waiting?
• Which blend would you like?
• How dark do you like your coffee? • Do you have a few minutes to wait?
• Is medium blend okay? • Are you in a hurry?
• Do you want the mild blend? • Are you in a rush?
• It will be a few minutes.
3. Do you have any flavored coffee?
7. Is that for here or to go?
• Can I add a flavor shot?
• Do you have any specialty coffees? • Is it takeout?
• Do you have any vanilla syrup? • Do you want that in a to-go cup?
• Do you want that in a mug?
4. Our coffee of the day is vanilla hazelnut. • Are you staying here, or is this to go?

• Our special today is chocolate amaretto.

• Today’s specialty coffee is a French roast.
• Our specials are on the board.

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Listening Practice
Listen to the recording of the dialogue from page 2. Fill in the missing
words as you listen. Listen again. Now look back at page 2 and check your
work. Did you fill in the correct words? Did you spell everything correctly?

Customer: Can I have a large coffee, please?

Barista: Sure. Would you like our mild, medium, or dark             ?

Customer: Do you have any             coffee?

Barista: Our coffee of the day is vanilla hazelnut.

Customer: That sounds good. Is it decaffeinated?

Barista: No, I’m afraid not. Do you want             ?

Customer: Yes, please. It’s getting late.

No problem. I’ll have to             a new pot.

Barista:
It will take a few minutes. Do you mind waiting?

Customer: Hmm. Do you have any decaffeinated tea?

Yes, we have lots of             .

Barista:
We have lemon ginger, orange ginger, or chamomile.

Customer: Great. I’ll take a lemon ginger tea. Large, please.

Barista: Sure. Is that             ?

Customer: To go. And I’d like some honey if you have some.

Barista: The milk and             are on the table behind you.

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Write Your Own Dialogue

Write a dialogue with a partner using phrases from page 3.
One of you will be a customer and one of you will be a barista.
Practice and present the dialogue to your class.

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Review
Task 1

LISTEN & ANSWER

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.

Your teacher will tell you if you have to write or say the answers.

1. What coffee strengths are available at this coffee shop?

2. What is the coffee flavor of the day?

3. Why does the customer want a decaffeinated beverage?

4. Name one flavor of tea that is available.

5. Where are the sweeteners and creamers located in the coffee shop?

Task 2

PLACING AN ORDER

Imagine you are at a coffee shop and want to place You will need to provide answers about size, roast,
a coffee order. Your teacher is the barista. Tell your flavor, etc. Don’t forget to say whether you will be
teacher what you would like to order and answer drinking the coffee at the shop or taking it with you.
his/her follow-up questions.

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Review cont.
Task 3

TAKING AN ORDER

Imagine you are working at a coffee shop.

Complete the dialogue with appropriate responses.
Then practice the conversation with a partner in front of your teacher.

Barista: Hello. What can I get for you today?

Customer: I’d like a coffee, please.

Barista:

Customer: I’d like a dark roast, please.

Barista:

Customer: Yes, what flavors do you have?

Barista:

Customer: On second thought, I feel like tea. Do you have any herbal teas?

Barista:

Customer: Okay, I’ll have a peppermint tea, please.

Barista:

Customer: Small, please.

Barista:

Customer: To go, please.

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Low Int

In this lesson, a customer enters a coffee shop and does not know TIME: 1.5 hours
what he wants. The barista helps the customer make a decision.
TAGS:  dialogues, coffee, coffee shop, tea,
Students learn vocabulary to use when ordering coffee or tea.
food, beverages, date, restaurant
This lesson includes assessment/review tasks.

Pre-Reading Write Your Own Dialogue

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS Encourage your students to use vocabulary from the model.

Discuss as a class or in small groups. Answers will vary.

Review (Assessment Tasks)
B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW
The following tasks can be used for assessment purposes
1. a 3. i 5. f 7. e 9. j
and/or review practice. You can save all of the tasks until
2. d 4. g 6. c 8. h 10. b
the end or assess your students throughout the lesson.

Dialogue Reading TASK 1

Play the recording of the dialogue from this lesson again.

Give your students time to read the dialogue in pairs.
Practice
Have your students read the dialogue again and
practice subbing in some of the different expressions.
Listening Practice
Have students complete the dialogue by listening
to the recording or by having two students read
the completed dialogue from page 2.
Give students a short amount of time to write or tell
you the answers to the questions.
1. T he available coffee strengths
are mild, medium, or dark blend.
2. T he coffee flavor of the day is vanilla hazelnut.
3. It is getting late, so he wants a decaf beverage.
4. T he available tea flavors are lemon ginger,
orange ginger, or chamomile.
5. T he sweeteners and creamers are on
the table behind the order counter.
(continued on the next page...)

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 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Review (Assessment Tasks) cont.

TASK 2

Role-play the situation with one student. You, the teacher, will be
the barista. Start by saying hello to the customer. Ask the customer
what he/she would like to order. Follow up with some questions
about the size/roast/caffeine etc. Ask if the order is for takeout or
not. You could also ask two students to do a role-play for you.

TASK 3

Answers will vary. Have students fill out the dialogue

on their own or in pairs (for pair assessment). Then
ask two students to perform the dialogue for you.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Flavor,

Flavored, and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries
spell these words this way: Flavour, Flavoured, and Practise
(when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make
it a challenge for your students to find these words in the
lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings.

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( LO W I N T / V E R S I O N 4 .1) 9
 Going for a Coffee
Everyday Dialogues

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( LO W I N T / V E R S I O N 4 .1) 10