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Dois cafés para levar, por favor.

Dois cafés para levar, por favor.
Two coffees to go, please.
From Lesson 255:Na cozinha (o molho, queimar)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Dois cafés para levar, por favor.

Why is "to go" translated as para levar?
In Portuguese, you don't use the verb ir (to go) for takeaway food or drinks. Instead, you use levar, which means "to take" or "to carry". So, para levar essentially means "for taking away".
Why do we use the preposition para here instead of por?
Para is used to indicate purpose or intention. You are ordering the coffees with the specific purpose of taking them away. Por wouldn't work here because it usually indicates the cause of something, the means of doing it, or movement through a place.
If I just order dois cafés in Portugal, what kind of coffee will I actually get?
By default, asking for um café in Portugal means you are ordering an espresso. If you want a coffee with milk, you would need to ask for something specific like a meia de leite (half coffee, half milk) or a galão (a tall glass of milk with a shot of espresso).

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