kafa / kahva

Kafa and Kahva

Level 2

Kafa is the everyday word for coffee, and kahva is used by older and traditional speakers.

How It Works

Bosnian has two words for the same drink.

WordWhere you hear it
kafaeveryday speech, cafés, young and old
kahvaolder and traditional speakers, family visits
kavathe form used in Croatia; the norm accepts it too

Poppy uses kafa in lessons, and you can use it everywhere. Coffee in Bosnia is often made in a džezva and served in a small fildžan, with a piece of rahat-lokum or a sugar cube. People drink it slowly and talk. An invitation like Dođi na kafu means come over to talk.

Do not confuse kafa with kafana, which is a café or a pub. If you go to a place, you go u kafanu. If you go for the drink or the visit, you go na kafu.

Examples (5)

  1. Pijem kafu svako jutro.

    I drink coffee every morning.

    Kafa becomes kafu as the object.

  2. Baka kuha kahvu u džezvi.

    Grandmother is making coffee in a džezva.

    Kahva is the older, traditional word.

  3. Hoćeš li kafu ili čaj?

    Do you want coffee or tea?

    Kafa is used in everyday questions.

  4. Dođite na kafu!

    Come over for coffee!

    Na kafu invites someone for a visit.

  5. Kafa je gotova.

    The coffee is ready.

    Kafa is feminine, so gotova ends in -a.

Common Mistakes

  • Kafa is used for the place.

    Idemo u kafu.
    Idemo na kafu.

    Kafa is the drink. The place is kafana, so you say u kafanu.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kafa / kahvaLevel 2Kafa and Kahva

Learn This First

Two words for coffee are a vocabulary choice.

Words in This Pattern

kafakahvakavakafana