Everyday listening · B1
Checking a café order
Hear quantities, ingredient changes and questions about allergies in a café order.
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The full explanation
In an order such as two soups, but one without cream, the customer wants two portions and changes only one. With introduces something included; without introduces something excluded. An allergy explains why an ingredient must be avoided.
We would like two vegetable soups, but one without cream, please.
Why it works: The total stays at two; only one portion changes.
2 more examples
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Could you use oat milk instead of ordinary milk in one tea?
Instead of makes the replacement explicit.
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My sister has a dairy allergy, so could you check the ingredients?
The reason is an allergy, and the speaker asks for a check.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exercise
Count the items before adding changes
Start with the total number of items. In a café, two people may order the same food but ask for different ingredients. A change does not usually add another portion. Picture two bowls first, then put a small note beside the bowl that needs a change.
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Two carrot soups, please, with no cream in one.
Why it works: There are two bowls altogether.
Your turn
How many soups does the example order?
Answer: Two soups in total.
Show the answer
Answer: Two soups in total.
One identifies a portion within the order of two.
Decide whether one or both items change
One limits a request to a single item. Both applies it to two items together. But often introduces a difference after a shared order: two sandwiches, but one without cheese. Keep listening after the quantity because the next few words may change how one portion should be prepared.
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We want two cheese sandwiches, but one without tomato.
Why it works: Only one sandwich has the stated change.
You can practise this again in Returning faulty headphones and Volunteer arrival instructions.
Your turn
Which request removes tomato from two sandwiches?
Answer: Both without tomato, please.
Show the answer
Answer: Both without tomato, please.
Both includes the two sandwiches.
Choose without or instead of
Use without followed by an ingredient to ask for its removal. Use with to say what you want included. If you want one ingredient to replace another, instead of makes that relationship clear. Put the requested ingredient first and the ingredient it replaces after instead of.
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I would like oat milk instead of ordinary milk in my coffee.
Why it works: Oat milk replaces ordinary milk.
Your turn
Which wording clearly asks for a replacement?
Answer: Coffee with oat milk instead of ordinary milk, please.
Show the answer
Answer: Coffee with oat milk instead of ordinary milk, please.
Instead of names both sides of the replacement.
Separate a preference from an allergy
A customer may leave out an ingredient because they dislike it or because they have an allergy. These reasons need different attention. Because introduces a reason; so can introduce the action needed. Do not guess the reason from a milk choice. Listen for a direct statement about the allergy.
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I have a dairy allergy, so please check the bread too.
Why it works: The speaker connects an allergy with a request to check.
Your turn
Which sentence explicitly gives allergy information?
Answer: I have a dairy allergy.
Show the answer
Answer: I have a dairy allergy.
The other sentences express preferences without stating an allergy.
Check what an ingredient request means
Without cream and dairy free do not communicate the same amount of information. The first names one ingredient to leave out. It does not tell you everything already in the food. When an allergy is involved, state it directly and ask staff to check rather than assuming one change settles the question.
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Can you check whether the soup contains any other dairy ingredients?
Why it works: The question goes beyond the cream added to a bowl.
Your turn
What does without cream establish?
Answer: The customer wants cream left out.
Show the answer
Answer: The customer wants cream left out.
This wording requests one change; it does not report an ingredient check.
Listen closely to with and without
With and without begin similarly, but the final part of without changes the request. Listen through the whole word before writing. In longer orders, pause mentally after each food or drink. Recall its quantity and change together. If you miss the key word in conversation, ask a focused question.
-
Did you say with cream or without cream?
Why it works: Repeating the two possibilities targets the missing detail.
Your turn
You heard cream but missed the word before it. What should you ask?
Answer: Was that with cream or without cream?
Show the answer
Answer: Was that with cream or without cream?
This question checks the ingredient choice you did not hear.
Name the item when one is unclear
One works well when the item is obvious. After several foods and drinks, however, one without milk may leave the listener unsure. Repeat the item name to repair the order. A useful confirmation includes the quantity, the item, and its change, followed by any allergy information that staff need.
-
One tea needs oat milk, and the other tea needs ordinary milk.
Why it works: Repeating tea keeps the two drink choices clear.
Your turn
An order includes tea and coffee. Which confirmation is clearest?
Answer: The tea needs oat milk.
Show the answer
Answer: The tea needs oat milk.
Naming tea removes uncertainty about which drink changes.
Keep quantities and reasons in written orders
For a collection order, write the food and quantity before describing changes. Use another sentence for allergy information if that makes the message easier to follow. Avoid a loose note such as no milk when several items could contain it. End by asking for confirmation of the specific request.
-
Please confirm whether you can prepare one soup for someone with a dairy allergy.
Why it works: The message asks the café to check its ability to meet the request.
Your turn
Which note clearly connects a change to an item?
Answer: Two teas, with oat milk in one tea.
Show the answer
Answer: Two teas, with oat milk in one tea.
The note gives a total and attaches oat milk to one tea.
Common mistakes
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
Both sandwich needs no cheese.Say: Both sandwiches need no cheese.
'Both' refers to two items, so the noun and verb must be plural.
-
Not this:
Put ordinary milk instead oat milk.Say: Put oat milk instead of ordinary milk.
'Instead of' introduces the ingredient being replaced.
-
Not this:
One tea need oat milk.Say: One tea needs oat milk.
A singular subject such as 'one tea' needs the verb form 'needs'.
Use it naturally
How people really use “instead of”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- oat milk instead of ordinary milkCould I have oat milk instead of ordinary milk in my coffee?
- tea instead of coffeeI'd like tea instead of coffee today.
- fruit instead of cakeWe ordered fruit instead of cake.
What people also say
- “Could you use oat milk instead?” instead of “Could you replace the ordinary milk with oat milk?” This is shorter when the other person already knows which milk you mean.
Before you go
Remember this
Recall the total quantity, attach each change to the correct item, and repeat any allergy information clearly. Before finishing an order, check whether one means one soup, one drink, or another item.
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Questions about "Checking a café order"
Can I say one without cream without repeating soup?
Yes, when soup is clearly the item being discussed. If the order includes several foods or drinks, repeat the item name so the listener can attach the change correctly.
We would like two soups, one without cream.
The mushroom soup should be without cream.
Does asking for oat milk tell the café that I have an allergy?
No. People choose oat milk for different reasons. If an allergy is involved, state it directly and ask the café to check the relevant ingredients and preparation.
I prefer oat milk in my tea.
I have a dairy allergy, so can you check this drink for me?
Should I use because or so when explaining an allergy request?
Both can work. Because introduces the reason for a request. So introduces a request or action that follows from the reason. Keep the connection clear by putting the allergy next to the relevant request.
Please check the soup because I have a dairy allergy.
I have a dairy allergy, so please check the soup.
Which ingredient comes first with instead of?
Put the ingredient you want before instead of, then name the ingredient it replaces. If several items are being ordered, also name the food or drink that needs the replacement.
Please use oat milk instead of ordinary milk in the coffee.
Could I have tomato instead of cheese in my sandwich?
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Your turn
Say it your way
Speak for 20-30 seconds as a customer ordering two sandwiches and two coffees. Change one sandwich, explain that it is a preference, and choose different milk for the two coffees.
You could start with “Could I order two sandwiches and two coffees, please?…”
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