French Phrase
Tu bois du café le matin ?
Meaning
Literally: “Do you drink coffee in the morning?” It’s a casual way to ask someone about their morning coffee habit, often to start a friendly chat or to suggest meeting for coffee.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal settings with people you know well—friends, classmates, coworkers you’re on a first‑name basis with, or family members. It’s not appropriate in formal or professional contexts where you’d use “vous”.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tuboisducafélematin?
Pronoun "Tu"
Informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends, family, or peers.
Verb "boire" (present)
"Bois" is the 2nd‑person singular present‑tense form of the irregular verb *boire*.
Partitive article "du"
"Du" (de + le) indicates an unspecified amount of something, here coffee.
Time expression "le matin"
"Le" is a definite article that together with "matin" forms a habitual time phrase meaning “in the morning”.
Question intonation vs inversion
In spoken French, this sentence is usually asked with rising intonation rather than full inversion; the written question mark shows it’s a query.
🗨In Conversation
Tu bois du café le matin ?
Do you drink coffee in the morning?
Oui, j’en prends toujours un espresso avant de partir au travail.
Yes, I always have an espresso before heading to work.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu boit du café le matin ?
The verb must agree with the subject "tu"; the correct form is "bois", not "boit" (3rd person singular).
Tu bois le café le matin ?
Using the definite article "le" would imply a specific coffee, not the habit of drinking coffee.
Vous bois du café le matin ?
Switching to "vous" changes the register; keep "tu" for informal contexts or use the whole phrase with "vous" consistently.
↔Alternatives
Est‑ce que tu bois du café le matin ?
Do you drink coffee in the morning?
Tu prends du café le matin ?
Do you have coffee in the morning?
Vous buvez du café le matin ?
Do you (formal/plural) drink coffee in the morning?
Cultural Tip
Coffee is a cornerstone of French daily life. Most French people start their day with a small espresso or a café au lait, often standing at the counter of a local café. Using the partitive "du" signals you’re talking about coffee in general, not a specific cup. In a professional setting you’d more likely ask "Prenez‑vous du café le matin ?" to keep the tone polite.