café/ka.fe/
noun / adjective · A2 · Frequency 634
nounmasculine
Meanings
coffee (drink)
Refers to the coffee beverage.
coffee colour
Refers to a colour similar to coffee.
cafe, coffee shop, public house
Refers to a place serving coffee and drinks.
Examples
Le café refroidit rapidement dans cette tasse fine.
The coffee cools quickly in this thin cup.
Le café de ce fauteuil s'accorde bien avec les murs clairs.
The coffee colour of this armchair goes well with the light walls.
Après le travail, nous nous retrouvons au café près de la gare.
After work, we meet at the cafe near the station.
Collocations
- boire un cafédrink a coffee
- couleur cafécoffee colour
Common mistakes
Je bois un café noir.
Je bois un café.
In French, usually say “boire un café” to mean drinking coffee without adding color adjectives unless specifically emphasizing.
Je vais au café pour boire un café.
Je vais au café pour prendre un café.
In French, “prendre un café” is more common to mean ordering a coffee rather than “boire un café.”
Related words
synonymexpressoespresso coffee
synonymbistrotsmall café, bistro
synonymbrunbrown color
adjective
Meanings
of the colour of coffee
Used as an adjective to describe colour, commonly used to describe the colour of objects.
Examples
Un canapé café réchauffe le salon.
A coffee-coloured sofa warms up the living room.
Il a choisi un manteau café pour l'hiver.
He chose a coffee-coloured coat for the winter.
Le fauteuil café s'accorde bien avec le tapis beige.
The coffee-coloured armchair goes well with the beige rug.
Collocations
- un pantalon cafécoffee-coloured trousers
Common mistakes
un café couleur
de couleur café
When the adjective ‘café’ denotes colour, it is usually used in the structure ‘de couleur café’.
une robe café
une robe couleur café
When ‘café’ is used as a colour adjective, it should be used with ‘couleur’.
Related words
- synonymmarronbrown
synonymbrunbrown (color/colour)
nounmasculine
Meanings
coffee (drink)
Refers to the coffee beverage.
coffee colour
Refers to a colour similar to coffee.
cafe, coffee shop, public house
Refers to a place serving coffee and drinks.
Examples
Après le repas, nous avons commandé deux cafés.
After the meal, we ordered two coffees.
Le nuancier présentait plusieurs cafés allant du beige au brun foncé.
The color chart showed several coffee shades ranging from beige to dark brown.
Les cafés du quartier ouvrent tôt le dimanche.
The cafes in the neighborhood open early on Sundays.
Collocations
- boire un cafédrink a coffee
- couleur cafécoffee colour
Common mistakes
Je bois un café noir.
Je bois un café.
In French, usually say “boire un café” to mean drinking coffee without adding color adjectives unless specifically emphasizing.
Je vais au café pour boire un café.
Je vais au café pour prendre un café.
In French, “prendre un café” is more common to mean ordering a coffee rather than “boire un café.”
Related words
synonymexpressoespresso coffee
synonymbistrotsmall café, bistro
synonymbrunbrown color
adjective
Meanings
of the colour of coffee
Used as an adjective to describe colour, commonly used to describe the colour of objects.
Examples
Les rideaux cafés assombrissent légèrement le salon.
The coffee-coloured curtains make the living room slightly darker.
Elle a choisi des carreaux cafés pour la salle de bains.
She chose coffee-coloured tiles for the bathroom.
Les fauteuils cafés s'accordent bien avec le tapis beige.
The coffee-coloured armchairs go well with the beige rug.