Queria uma chávena de café ao balcão, por favor.
I would like a cup of coffee at the counter, please.
Breakdown of Queria uma chávena de café ao balcão, por favor.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
um
a / an / some (all forms)
o café
the café
ao
to the / at the (m.sg; f.sg à, m.pl aos, f.pl às)
Questions & Answers about Queria uma chávena de café ao balcão, por favor.
Why does the sentence use queria, which is a past tense, to ask for something right now?
Queria is the Pretérito Imperfeito (Imperfect Past) of querer (to want). In Portuguese, using this past tense is the standard way to make polite requests. It works just like using 'would like' instead of 'want' in English. Saying quero can sound too direct or demanding when speaking to a waiter or barista.
Can I use gostaria de instead of queria to mean 'I would like'?
Yes, gostaria de is also polite and perfectly correct. However, queria is much more common in everyday spoken European Portuguese when ordering at a café or restaurant. Gostaria de can sound slightly more formal.
Why do we say ao balcão instead of no balcão for 'at the counter'?
Ao is a contraction of the preposition a (to/at) and the article o (the). When talking about sitting or standing right next to a counter or table, Portuguese usually uses a (like ao balcão or à mesa) rather than em (in/on), which would imply you are sitting physically on top of the counter.
Is there a difference between uma chávena and um copo?