Learn Hardcore German: Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken. - I would like to drink the coffee in peace.

Nominative (subject): der Kaffee – The coffee is hot. (Der Kaffee ist heiß.)
Accusative (object): den Kaffee – I drink the coffee. (Ich trinke den Kaffee.)

In Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken, the subject is ich, and den Kaffee is what you want to drink, so it takes the accusative form den (masculine singular accusative of der).

What exactly does möchte mean, and how is it different from will?

Möchte is the subjunctive form of mögen and is usually translated as “would like (to)”. It sounds polite, soft, and less direct.

Ich möchte den Kaffee trinken. = I would like to drink the coffee. (polite, somewhat tentative)
Ich will den Kaffee trinken. = I want to drink the coffee. (more direct, stronger will)

In everyday speech, people use möchte a lot for making requests or expressing wishes politely, especially in cafés, restaurants, or with people you don’t know well.

Why is trinken at the end of the sentence?

German sends the main verb to the end of the clause when you have a modal verb (like möchte, kann, muss, will, soll, darf).

Structure here:

Ich (subject)
möchte (modal verb, 2nd position)
den Kaffee in Ruhe (objects/adverbial phrase)
trinken (main verb/infinitive at the end)

So the pattern is: Subject – modal – [other stuff] – main verb.
That’s why you get Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken, not Ich möchte trinken den Kaffee in Ruhe.

What does in Ruhe mean exactly? Is it just “in peace”?

In Ruhe is an idiomatic expression. Literally it’s “in calm/quiet”, but the usual meaning is:

in peace / undisturbed / without stress / without being rushed

So Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken means something like:

I’d like to drink my coffee in peace.
I want to enjoy my coffee without being disturbed / without rushing.

It’s a very common phrase with actions you want to do calmly:

etwas in Ruhe überlegen – to think something over in peace
lass mich das in Ruhe machen – let me do this quietly / properly, without pressure

Could you also say ruhig den Kaffee trinken instead of in Ruhe trinken?

You can say ruhig den Kaffee trinken, but the meaning and feel are not exactly the same.

in Ruhe trinken: focuses on the action being calm, unhurried, undisturbed (very idiomatic and natural).
ruhig trinken: grammatically fine; means “drink calmly/quietly”, but it sounds less idiomatic here and less like a fixed expression.

Also, ruhig has another everyday use:

Du kannst ruhig den Kaffee trinken. = You can go ahead and drink the coffee; feel free to drink the coffee.

So: for “in peace / without disturbance”, in Ruhe trinken is the most natural choice.

Can I change the word order, like Ich möchte in Ruhe den Kaffee trinken?

Yes, that’s possible: Ich möchte in Ruhe den Kaffee trinken is grammatically correct.

The difference is mostly in emphasis:

Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken. – more neutral; slight focus on den Kaffee.
Ich möchte in Ruhe den Kaffee trinken. – slight focus on in Ruhe (doing it in peace is more foregrounded).

Both are understood the same in most contexts. German allows flexible word order, but the verb positions (möchte in 2nd position, trinken at the end) must stay the same.

Why is it der Kaffee in the dictionary, but den Kaffee here?

German dictionaries list nouns in the nominative singular, so you see:

der Kaffee – coffee (masculine)

In a sentence, the article changes depending on the case:

Nominative (subject): der Kaffee
Accusative (direct object): den Kaffee
Dative (indirect object): dem Kaffee
Genitive: des Kaffees

Since here the coffee is what you drink (direct object), you must use the accusative: den Kaffee.

Can I drop the article and say Ich möchte Kaffee in Ruhe trinken?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken.
→ Refers to a specific coffee (for example the one you already have in front of you).
Ich möchte Kaffee in Ruhe trinken.
→ More general: I’d like to drink some coffee in peace (not a particular cup you’re already referring to).

Both sentences are correct; the choice depends on whether you mean this particular coffee or coffee in general / some coffee.

What is the difference between Ich möchte den Kaffee trinken and Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken?

Ich möchte den Kaffee trinken.
→ Just says that you want to drink the coffee. No information about how.
Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken.
→ Adds the manner: you want to drink it calmly / in peace / undisturbed.

So in Ruhe adds a nuance of taking your time, not being rushed or disturbed. It’s more expressive and often used when someone is interrupting you or when you’re asking to be left alone for a moment.

How is möchte pronounced, especially the ö?

Pronunciation tips:

möchte = [MÖCH-te]
- ö: like the vowel in British “bird” or “nurse” (but with rounded lips), or like French eu in “peur”.
- ch: soft, like in ich; put your tongue near the roof of the mouth and blow air (not like English “k”).

Very roughly:

m
- œ (rounded “e” sound) + soft ch
  - te
    Stress is on the first syllable: MÖCH-te.

Is möchte the same as saying I’d like in English in terms of politeness?

Yes, that’s a good way to think of it.

Ich möchte … ≈ I would like …
Polite, respectful, used for ordering, requesting, or expressing wishes without sounding too pushy.

Examples:

Ich möchte einen Kaffee. – I’d like a coffee.
Ich möchte den Kaffee in Ruhe trinken. – I’d like to drink my coffee in peace.

This is softer than Ich will … (I want …), which can sound more insistent or even rude in some situations.

Is Kaffee always masculine in German?

Yes, Kaffee is masculine in standard German:

Singular: der Kaffee
Accusative singular: den Kaffee
Plural: die Kaffees (rarely used in everyday speech; more common is treating Kaffee as a mass noun: viel Kaffee, kein Kaffee).

So with this noun, you always use the der/den/dem/des forms, depending on the case.