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How to Say ‘I had a coffee’ in French

J'ai pris un café

zhuh ay pree uhn kah-fay

[zhuh ay pree uhn kah-fay]

💬 Usage Tip: French often uses [prendre] where English uses "have" for food and drinks: [j'ai pris un café] = "I had a coffee." You can reuse it with other orders too: [j'ai pris un thé].

Phrase Breakdown

J'

[zhuh]

I

First person singular pronoun.

Example

Après le déjeuner, J'ai pris un café.

After lunch, I took a coffee.

ai

[ay]

have

Helping verb used in past tense.

Example

J'ai visité le musée hier.

I visited the museum yesterday.

pris

[pree]

taken

Past participle of 'take'.

Example

J'ai pris le train ce matin.

I took the train this morning.

un

[uhn]

a

Indefinite article used for singular nouns (masculine).

Example

J'ai trouvé un chat.

I found a cat.

café

[kah-fay]

coffee

A popular caffeinated drink.

Example

J'ai pris un café avec mon petit déjeuner.

I took a coffee with my breakfast.

Related guides

French Conversation for Beginners: 5 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseFive short French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.The Best App to Learn French: An Honest ComparisonDuolingo, Babbel, Pimsleur, Busuu, italki and PrettyFluent compared for learning French: what each is best at, how you pay, and which fits your goal.

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