cafe

cafe — noun

1. a casual eating place, often quite small, where customers come to sit with a hot

1.名詞A1
釋義

a casual eating place, often quite small, where customers come to sit with a hot drink, a sandwich, a slice of cake, or a light meal — usually cheaper and more relaxed than a proper restaurant.

例句

Yara stopped at a small cafe near the train station for coffee and toast.

preposition: at + a cafe

There is a quiet cafe on the corner where students go to study with a laptop.

there is + cafe + relative clause

同義詞
  • coffee shop

    very close in meaning; emphasises coffee over food

  • tearoom

    older, British; emphasises tea and cake, often genteel

  • bistro

    slightly more upmarket; serves proper meals, often French-style

  • diner

    American; bigger menu, all-day breakfasts, classic roadside style

文法句型

a/the cafe

in/at a cafe

open a cafe

用法筆記

Often appears with prepositions 'at' (location: I'll meet you at the cafe) and 'in' (inside: it was warm in the cafe). Frequently modified by adjectives describing atmosphere or location ('cosy cafe', 'street cafe', 'corner cafe'). British speakers also pronounce and spell it 'café' with the accent; American English usually drops the accent.

常見錯誤

❌Let's go to a cafe to drink coffee and eat steak.
✅Let's go to a restaurant to drink coffee and eat steak.
💡cafes serve light meals and snacks, not full main courses like steak.
❌The cafe was full of people drinking wine and beer.
✅The bar was full of people drinking wine and beer.
💡most British and American cafes do not serve alcohol; for that, use 'bar' or 'pub'.

2. a tiny neighbourhood shop, mainly in some English-speaking countries, that sells

2.名詞B2
釋義

a tiny neighbourhood shop, mainly in some English-speaking countries, that sells things like sweets, magazines, milk, bread, and snacks, and tends to keep its doors open into the late evening.

例句

Apinya ran down to the cafe on the corner to buy a pint of milk.

British/regional: cafe = corner shop

The cafe near the bus stop sells newspapers, sweets, and lottery tickets until midnight.

typical goods sold at this kind of cafe

同義詞
  • corner shop

    British; same idea, more common term

  • convenience store

    American/general; often part of a chain (7-Eleven etc.)

  • dairy

    New Zealand; same kind of small late-open shop

  • bodega

    American (esp. New York); small neighbourhood store

反義詞
  • supermarket

    much larger, with set opening hours and a wide product range

  • department store

    huge multi-floor shop selling clothes, furniture, electronics, etc.

文法句型

a/the cafe

go to the cafe

用法筆記

Mostly heard in Australian, New Zealand, and parts of British English; American English would usually say 'corner store', 'convenience store', or 'bodega'. Distinguish from sense 1 by what is on offer: a place selling milk, sweets, and newspapers is sense 2; one selling coffee and cake to drink in is sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌I sat at a cafe and bought toothpaste and a magazine.
✅I went into a cafe and bought toothpaste and a magazine.
💡sense 2 is a tiny shop you walk into and out of, not a place you sit and order; only sense 1 takes 'sit at'.
❌There's a cafe across the road that sells petrol.
✅There's a service station across the road that sells petrol.
💡even sense 2 cafes do not sell fuel; they stock small everyday items only.