Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[muni]

Once my friend told me not to say (pronounce) cafe (kafay) to cafeteria ,I should either say caf (kaf) or cafeteria but not cafe "that is kafay " is she correct or not.
Thanks for help.

[bud]

Cafe doesn't work because there is a type of eating place called a cafe. A cafe is more like a restaurant, but often specializing in coffee and snacks and often with tables outside on the sidewalk. Sometimes they also serve full meals.

Your friend is correct. Stick with cafeteria, or with caf when you are with your friends.

[dduck]

"Cafe doesn't work because there is a type of eating place called a cafe."

Umm, what does this mean? What did you think Muni was asking? I think Muni is asking how to pronounce the word "cafe".

In Britain, people pronounce it two ways "kah-fay" and more commonly in the south of England people say "kahf". I think they say "Diner" in the US.

Iain
_________________

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

[bud]

I think he is asking if he can use "cafe" as an abbreviation for "cafeteria." It sounds like he already knows the pronunciation for cafe.

[muni]

yes I want to know if I can use cafe as an abbreviation for cafetaria,because my friend told me that caf is the abbreviation for cafetaria,I was assuming that caf is pronounced as kahf and cafe is pronounced as only kah-fay not kahf because its a pronunciation of caf.
By the way I am not he
Regards
Muni

[dduck]

I never quite understood the difference myself, never thought much about it before. But here's what I found on the web:

Info taken from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Main Entry: caf�e�te�ria
Pronunciation: "ka-f&-'tir-E-&
Function: noun
Etymology: American Spanish cafeter�a coffeehouse, from cafetera coffee maker, from French cafeti�re, from caf�
Date: 1894
: a restaurant in which the customers serve themselves or are served at a counter and take the food to tables to eat

Main Entry: ca�f�
Variant(s): also ca�fe /ka-'fA, k&-/
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French caf� coffee, caf�, from Turkish kahve -- more at COFFEE
Date: 1802
1 : a usually small and informal establishment serving various refreshments (as coffee); broadly : RESTAURANT
2 : BARROOM
3 : CABARET, NIGHTCLUB
_________________

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

[Lib]

Could the difference be that a 'cafeteria' or 'caf' is a restaurant / snack bar/ caf� within an institution (like a hospital or a college) intended to be used by the people who use the institution (doctors, students etc.)... and a caf� is a (usually small) restaurant / snack bar in the street, used by the public in general?
puffff, I'm exhausted after that loooong sentence.

[bud]

Oops! Sorry for my assumption Ms. Muni.