The word “coffee”: what kind, all the secrets of spelling and pronunciation

Modern people associate the word coffee with something aromatic and invigorating. This is one of the symbols of progressive world development. A cup of this drink in the morning is considered the key to a successful day for business and simply active people. Everything related to coffee implies dynamism and purposeful movement towards your goal. For about two thousand years, humanity has been drinking coffee with great pleasure, so the name is used quite often in everyday speech. But here's how to spell the word coffee

, may be difficult for some people. Let's try to figure this out.

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What's the rule

In order to no longer wonder how to correctly spell this word in a sentence, you need to know one simple rule. The word "coffee" is never declined or changed by case. Whatever the phrase, its spelling always remains the same - in the nominative singular case. Now the neuter form is also allowed. In other languages, this name also sounds almost identical.

For better memorization, you can use image words, for example, cafe - coffee. The technique is very simple. In the first word, the last vowel “e” is stressed, so its spelling is not in doubt (unless, of course, you write “cafe”, which is a mistake). You remember this word-image and subsequently associate it with the second word, which contains a dubious letter.

Example sentences

For clarity, the following examples can be given:

• After making sure that everything was in order in the room, I went down to the hotel restaurant to have a cup of coffee.
• In the middle of a hot summer, a person’s energy may decrease, but drinking a cup of aromatic coffee in the morning and moderate physical activity will help quickly return the body to its former vigor.
• When I returned to the cafe, my coffee was already cold and I had to order a new one.

The name of the drink "coffee" is often used in combination with the place where it is served, for example, an ice cream parlor. You should also remember the spelling of the ice cream parlour, how it is written - together or separately. As a rule, such words are written with a hyphen.

Spelled incorrectly

It would be a mistake if you start inflecting the word “coffee” in a sentence (coffee, coffee, coffee and others) or write the letter “e” at the end - coffee.

Coffee strength scale

Typically, experts share 2 factors that determine how strong a drink is - a combination of saturation (TDS) and the percentage of caffeine. And it is not necessary that the taste sensations coincide with the real strength. You can see this in the table (the rating is given on a 10-point scale).

You can see that the tart and rich ristreto in a tiny cup is the lightest in caffeine concentration. Even delicate milk lattes or cappuccinos benefit in this regard.

The strongest coffee recipe

To prepare the most richly flavored invigorating drink, it is better to use not a coffee machine, but a drip coffee maker, a French press or a classic cezve. Then the coffee will turn out strong, even if you prepare it from light varieties. If you need to cheer yourself up as much as possible, you should try making “French Insomnia”. The drink is brewed this way:

1. 3 hours are placed in the Turk. l. with a heap of coffee and pour a glass of cool water.
2. Bring to a boil over low heat or hot sand. When the head of foam rises, remove the cezve and allow it to settle. Repeat the action 2-3 times.
3. The drink is filtered, after which it is poured back into the Turk and another 3 tsp is added. coffee. Repeat the cooking process.
4. Remove the Turk from the heat and strain again.

On a note!

To obtain additional strength, pour another 3 tsp into the strainer. ground coffee, then pass the hot drink through it one more time.

What type of word is coffee and how to say it correctly

No one except Russians cares about what kind of word coffee is, although in the modern world there is not a single corner where it is not drunk. Each country has its own name for this wonderful drink and prepares it according to its own recipes.

Words ending in “e” in Russian are generally classified as neuter, which is why debates in the philological community about the word “coffee” continue. In Russia, the consumption of the drink began in the 17th century.

Then it was called “kofiy” or “coffee” and belonged to the masculine gender. That's why it's a masculine word. This is also written in the main Russian dictionaries of Dahl, Ozhegov and Efremova. But over the years, the letter “th” at the end of the word disappeared and the result was “coffee,” which has survived to this day.

This was the reason for the appearance in Lopatin’s dictionary at the beginning of the 21st century of information about the admissibility of using it in the neuter gender.

What does the word coffee mean?

The first mentions date back to the 17th century. The ancestor of the invigorating drink is considered to be the town of Kaffa in Ethiopia. Since time immemorial, coffee trees have been grown there to produce coffee beans, although their drink is called completely differently - “buno” or “bunna”.

There is an opinion about the origin of the word from the Arabic “qahwah” - activating, but with a small caveat: it meant a type of wine. The Turks also have a similar word “kahve”. Depending on the characteristics of the language and the pronunciation of individual sounds, this word (or koffa) began to be called in a special manner among different nationalities.

The drink came to Russia in 1724 and was called differently everywhere. In Russian there were even such variations as “kof”, “kofa”, “kefa”, “kohei” and “cafe”. In modern Russian, in current dictionaries the word is written “coffee” and belongs exclusively to the masculine gender.

The spelling of this noun has acquired an unambiguous status and other variants have become unacceptable. Despite the different spellings, the meaning of the word coffee has always remained the same for all consumers of the drink - invigorating, increasing energy.

What is the gender of the word coffee?

It is immediately necessary to clarify that in Russia the word coffee is masculine and this noun is not declined. In any case, in writing, in works of art, in the menu there are no other options.

But according to the new rules, in oral speech it is allowed to talk about this drink in both the masculine and neuter gender. To say he or it is not really considered a mistake.

However, people working in the coffee industry never allow this to happen. For example, for a barista the phrase “strong coffee” is unacceptable.

In this matter, there is no need to rely on the world history of drinking the drink. In different countries, not only its name is different, but also its genus. For example, in Arabic it is generally feminine, in English it is strictly masculine, and the Turkish name is neuter. Therefore, in Russia, one should rely on information from traditional, official dictionaries, and not guess what type of coffee.

These restrictions apply only to the word itself in the sense of a drink. If we judge a tree with beans, then it is a neuter genus - a coffee tree.

How coffee became neuter

Language, like all living things, undergoes changes over time. Some words go out of use altogether, some are modified, and many words come from outside or are born at the behest of time. Therefore, in such a situation, it would be fair to reconsider the life of language in society and make changes to dictionaries based on the results obtained.

If more than half of native speakers begin to use certain words on a regular basis, then it is worth listening to the voice of the people. For example, few people know that “metro” (neuter gender) comes from “metropolitan” (masculine gender) and they rightfully say that it is the (St. Petersburg) metro.

“Coffee” is just from this list. For the second century now, the use of the word coffee in the neuter gender has been increasing, therefore, in order to eliminate disputes, the Ministry of Education and Science legalized this phenomenon by its order.

Since 2016, the use of the word coffee in both the masculine and neuter gender is considered correct.

How to speak correctly

In oral speech, it is not a mistake to say “my coffee” or “my coffee.” In light of recent changes made to the official dictionary, it is acceptable to say “delicious coffee” as well as “delicious coffee.”

But it will still be more correct to adhere to the correct form of the word in the oral and written version of the word. This is especially true in a society where the drink is prepared by a specialist. If you want to get a quality drink and be known as a connoisseur, you should order correctly.

It is also very important to clarify whether you want freshly brewed or freshly brewed coffee. In the first case, it will be freshly ground coffee beans, filled with soft water and boiled in a Turk, and in the second, the finished ground coffee powder is poured with boiling water and infused.

This word came to us from abroad. And words borrowed from foreign languages ​​ending in -e and -o remain unchanged in the singular and plural and are not declined in case. It does not decline in colloquial speech, not only in writing. In the case of “coffee” it would be correct to say:

• pour coffee, not coffee;
• little coffee, not coffee;
• condensed milk with coffee, not coffee;
• treat you to coffee, not coffee.

Since the starting material for making the drink is initially only grain, you have to solve the issue of obtaining coffee flour, that is, grind it. And again the difficulty of agreeing the verb with the noun arises. To describe the process of obtaining ground coffee it would be correct to say this:

• I grind;
• you are shallow;
• you are grinding;
• he grinds;
• they grind.

All words that came into the Russian language from outside and have a vowel ending belong to the neuter gender. However, the name of the drink did not want to fit into this series. He remained masculine.

Despite the order from September 2016 to make changes to the official dictionary, to this day the vast majority of people continue to use this word in the masculine gender. Time will tell what his fate will be in the future.

What kind of word “coffee” is in Russian?

The Russian language reform that took place in Russia some time ago caused a lot of controversy. As a result, the name of the delicious drink was allowed to be used in the neuter gender. People who are used to saying that coffee is “he” and not “it” cannot take this change into account and tirelessly correct everyone who uses this word in the neuter gender. Let's figure out how to speak correctly.

"He" or "it"

Since 2016, drinking coffee in both the masculine and neuter genders is considered correct. But many people get annoyed when others say “my coffee” instead of “mine.” According to the latest changes affecting the official dictionary, you can say “delicious” and “delicious”.

But it is better to adhere to the correct form of using the word “coffee” in spoken and written speech. This is important when a specialist prepares a drink. It is necessary to specify which one to serve: freshly brewed or freshly brewed. The first option is freshly ground grains, filled with water and boiled in a Turk. The second option is to pour the finished powder from a jar with boiling water and infuse it.

This is a word that came from abroad. Words borrowed from foreign languages ​​remain unchanged in the singular and plural if they end in -e and -o. They cannot be inclined not only in writing, but also in oral speech.

Examples of misspelled words:

• coffee is too bitter;
• I want coffee;
• Mom made delicious coffee;
• you have condensed milk with coffee;
• I splashed myself with coffee.

Correct usage:

• coffee is too strong;
• the coffee has already cooled down;
• waiter, please, one coffee;
• add more coffee.

In literary language, the word “coffee” is masculine. Everyone should learn this.

Coffee shop owners, baristas and anyone who views their favorite drink from a professional point of view will never allow themselves to say “it”. Only "he".

A little history

Over time, people began to change the endings and decline in borrowed words. Nouns ending in “e” have become the subject of endless debate. The name of this tonic drink, beloved by many, is borrowed from the English language. According to other sources - from the Netherlands. Coffee is a masculine word. Initially, the drink was called “coffee” or “coffee”.

Over time, the word “coffee” has undergone changes - it began to end with the letter “e”. As a result, a lot of misunderstandings arose and endless disputes began. Previously, schoolchildren were taught that the drink was masculine and they should say “he” and not change numbers and cases. Now is coffee “it”?

In modern Russian there are several meanings of the word “coffee”:

1. A plant that produces large fruits with grains.
2. Beans that are obtained after processing the fruits collected from the coffee tree.
3. Ground grain powder.
4. A drink that is brewed or infused.
5. An extract from ground beans that serves as the basis for the production of instant coffee drinks.

The word retains the masculine gender, singular number and invariable case in all meanings: natural, ground, soluble.

Why did people start saying that coffee is neuter?

Over the course of every decade, our language improves and undergoes changes. Words borrowed from foreign languages ​​that are inanimate, indeclinable, and have a vowel at the end are usually classified as neuter. For example, metro, dominoes, butter, variety shows. The same goes for coffee.

What has changed in Russian dictionaries

In 2009, several dictionaries were released, which caused confusion among the linguistic community. A team of authors: Cheptsova, Sazonova and Bukchina published a spelling dictionary, where the masculine and neuter genders are indicated next to the word “coffee”. The authors refer to the Big Academic Dictionary, where this word is used in oral speech in the neuter gender. Philologists believed that this did not contradict the rules of the Russian language.

An attempt to classify coffee as a neuter word was unsuccessful. The innovation did not last. Ordinary citizens, teachers and writers who learned from childhood that they should say “mine” and not “mine”, and did not accept the new rule. The masculine gender has been assigned to this noun to this day.

How to speak correctly

Due to recent changes in the Russian language, a person who says “how delicious your coffee is” will not be considered illiterate. For some, the phrase still hurts the ears, and they begin to correct those around them. But in colloquial speech you can say so.

When writing letters, articles, preparing restaurant menus, this noun is left in the masculine gender, without declension.

In order not to get into a sticky situation and not look illiterate, you should learn a simple rule: proceed from what the word “coffee” means at the moment. Examples:

1. When it comes to ordering a drink, you need to say "one."
2. When talking to a person about coffee that is grown on a plantation, you can use the noun in the neuter gender because it is a plant.

This word is also classified as feminine when referring to coffee grounds. In this case, you cannot say “one” or “one”.

You should not rely on the experience of world history: in different countries this noun can have not only masculine and neuter gender. In Arabic, coffee is feminine. Residents of our country should be guided by the norms of official and traditional dictionaries.

Thus, in Russia the noun coffee is masculine and is not declined. This is confirmed by works of art. In oral speech, it is not prohibited to talk about a drink in the neuter gender. You can't tilt it. You need to say, “I want coffee,” not “coffee.” You shouldn’t correct people who insist on saying “my coffee.” Based on the above, a noun can be neuter or masculine.

At important events, coffee breaks become mandatory for organizers who provide meeting participants with decent food and drinks.

Coffee has long been a part of European culture: it is grown, studied, mythologized, but most importantly, it is enjoyed.

Sourness in taste is considered the main property of coffee.

Information from the history and etymology of the word “coffee”

In English, the word is written as coffee, pronounced according to the transcription - [ˈkɒfɪ]. “Coffee” is borrowed from a foreign language. It is generally accepted that it is from English, although there are several versions. There is also an opinion that the roots of the origin of the word go back to the Arabic language. In the region of Ethiopia called Kaffa, coffee trees were grown. As a result, the fruits of the plant, as well as the drink made from them, began to be called in a similar way.

In other languages ​​it sounds like this:

• French - cafe;
• German – kaffe;
• Dutch - coffee.

Our ancestors first tried the drink brought by merchants from the Netherlands. They said “kofi” there, so in Rus' they pronounced “kofiy” or “coffee”. The following forms and derivatives have become common: coffee, drink coffee, coffee, kohei, kefa, coffee, coffee, coffee pot.

Phonetic analysis of the word

This analysis is needed in order not to lose the meaning of the lettering of the sounds heard. It happens that one thing is written, but pronounced differently. The opposite situation is also possible. Phonetic analysis develops sound attention, the ability to notice something hidden, to feel softening or deafening.

Sound-letter analysis of the word “coffee”:

• k – [k] – consonant, voiceless paired, hard, noisy;
• o – [`o] – vowel, stressed;
• f – [f'] – consonant, voiceless paired, soft, noisy;
• e – [e] – vowel, unstressed.

The word has two syllables, the first one is stressed. There are only 4 letters and 4 sounds, and not all correspond to each other. There are equal numbers of vowels and consonants.

How does roasting affect strength?

Lovers of an invigorating drink know: the darker the color of the beans, the more tart and bitter the coffee will taste. The higher the degree of roasting, the more essential oils are released, which affect the organoleptic characteristics. How exactly this stage of processing coffee beans affects the strength of the drink can be seen in the table.

On a note!

For espresso and ristretto, it is customary to use the highest degree of roasting. For Americano and cappuccino – medium.

What determines the strength of coffee?

When people talk about how strong a drink they prefer to drink, they often mean a variety of things. And most often we are talking about a rich taste, pronounced bitterness. Only in rare cases is the percentage of caffeine implied.

For the most part, when a cafe visitor asks the barista to make him stronger coffee, he means tartness and rich taste. And these criteria depend on 3 main factors:

1. Variety - Arabica and Robusta are most often used. In the first, the caffeine content is 0.7-1.3%, and in the second it can reach 2.7%.
2. Roasting - the stronger it is, the more pronounced the astringency, taste and bitterness will be.
3. Brewing method. The duration of extraction plays a major role here. The strongest drink is obtained if the process takes at least 4 minutes. So those who like to cheer up should prefer coffee brewed in a French press or cezve.

Attention!

There is a special unit used to measure the strength of coffee - TDS. And it is determined by the concentration of solid particles in the cup. The higher this figure (and it can reach 96-98%), the stronger the drink.

Meaning of the word

The concept of “coffee” came to us from the Arabic language – “kakhwa”. It has two common meanings:

1. An evergreen tree growing in the tropics. There are over eighty species of this plant, but only two are of food and agricultural value to humans - robusta and arabica.
2. A food product obtained by roasting and grinding coffee beans - the seeds of the coffee tree. It is used to prepare the world's favorite aromatic and invigorating drink. After careful processing, instant coffee is obtained in the form of granules or powder.