When ordering coffee, what is the proper way to ask for sugar?

[jBirch]

Ok, so this is pure water cooler fodder...

I was at Tim Hortons today and I was ordering my coffee. I said, "Two Cream, Three Sugar". The person handling my order replied, "Two Creams, Three Sugars". I got into a debate about which was the grammatically correct way to utter that phrase.

So which is it? Do you pluralise the cream and sugar and assume that the phrase is talking about individual packets of one or the other? Or do you not, reasoning that creams and sugars are actually verbs?

James.

[swordwench]

HUH? While I sometimes do make verbs out of cream and sugar (as in, to cream together the butter and sugar, or to sugar my cereal)...

This person was out of line for correcting you. Rude! And not even a Starbucks jockey!

When ordering coffee, I use the plural. It's probably not grammatically correct (thanks - now I'll have panic attacks over this). But it's logical. When I order these things to go, they're usually pre-packaged in little containers. Hence - two containers of cream, two packets of sugar. If I'm in a place where somebody is going to do it for me and make it to order, I will adjust that accordingly - because somehow, the enormous spoonful these people count as "one sugar" is roughly equivalent to half a CUP of sugar. Ewwwww.

This is bizarre.

[Tazz]

I dunno why.. but for some reason Id say 2 cream (no plural).. 3 sugars..(plural)

[Tazz]

Atleast Im getting one of them right that way.. hehe.

[Inquartata]

Coffee is nasty stuff. The poll therefore is....

[Fencergrl]

I do not pluralize cream and sugar, although many people do. Although I sometimes do what Tazz does and pluralize the sugar such as 2 cream and 3 sugars.

I suppose it makes sense to pluralize when you’re dealing with packets or sugar and containers cream, but I suspect from a grammar point of view you are correct…. However it was very rude to “correct” your proper grammer.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Coffee is nasty stuff. The poll therefore is....

...unnecessary for you to vote in..?


Anyway, this is of interest to me too, as I would like to know which is correct to say should I order coffee in the US.

In swedish ordering milk/cream or sugar with your coffee would be infinite. If you were to pluralise it you would have to specify, like 'two lumps of sugar'.

(Which in any case would sound a bit silly, since you either take whetever extras you want in your coffe yourself, or simply order it with just 'sugar' or 'milk/cream'...)

[larry hurdiss]

Hi, All...
{chuckles...this certainly IS water cooler stuff....my fav...}
isnt it funny...the stuff we never think of, until someone brings it up...?
i love the idea of cream and sugar being verbs.....~!~
this leads into one of my other fav-raves...."less calories, more taste"....the beer lie !!!
so....
i guess everyone is "half-right".....
[is "half and half" really.....50%/50% ????]
if they only have little packets...the serving person was correct...but unacceptably impolite....deserves a lunge or even a fleche....~!~
if they are simply pouring from bulk containers...i guess the "rule of thumbs" {whose thumbs and why do we say that ~!?}
is that if you can "count things" you might say...twice as much cream,and three times as much sugar..." ...........
i just MISS Timmies....i live in the "South of Canada" aka,,,,'Merica....no Timmies cept in Buffalo (aka...South Toronto !)
personally i have gotten around to cheating Starbucks as much as i can by just asking for "large coffee....room for cream" then watch em go nuts trying to sell you something else....
however you like it...with or withour the "Gramma".....enjoy....
{ Quiz...???
i knock on your door.....you ask...." who's there?"....what is my CORRECT reply.....???}

[larry hurdiss]

Hi SliberOne...:-)
best coffe i ever had was last year at a cafe in Lund!!!
and you are (of course) right...you doctor it yourself....
danke !!

[Inquartata]

Technically, you are asking for two packets of sugar, not for "two sugar" ( or "sugars" ). Use the full phrase and there will be no argument.

[jBirch]

Ah, well a look on dictionary.com has no plural specification for either cream or sugar.

One creams another team and sugars the cake. Both are verbs when used with the 's'.

It might just be that the sloppy slang of 2 sugars should properly be "2 lumps/packets/containers/shots of sugar". Pluralise the containers, not the contents, so my grandmother used to say. Properly, two "cups of coffee" rather then two "coffees".

Interestingly, do you say, "I have two ice creams" or "I have two ice cream cones"?

Definitely weird.

James.

[jBirch]

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cream

has the plural of cream being "creams".

James.

[jBirch]

Ah ha!

Countable and uncountable nouns are what we're discussing here and whether "cream" and "sugar" are countable or not.

http://members.fortunecity.com/leanora/gramch16.html

James.

[Feltan]

Just order it frickin black like any other red blooded American man.

Regards,
Feltan

[kalivor]

Just order it frickin black like any other red blooded American man.

Regards,
Feltan

He's not an American, though. Though he is a man and presumably his blood is red.

[Feltan]

He's not an American, though. Though he is a man and presumably his blood is red.

Uh.....

I meant North American......yeah, that's the ticket.

Regards,
Feltan

[kalivor]

Ah ha!

Countable and uncountable nouns are what we're discussing here and whether "cream" and "sugar" are countable or not.

http://members.fortunecity.com/leanora/gramch16.html

James.

Well, normally they're not. Hence the plural of cream is "cream", and the plural of sugar, "sugar".

However, when you add the numbers in front of them: "two cream(s), three sugar(s)", you are no longer talking about it in that context. You are re-defining cream to be "helping of cream" or "packet of cream", and doing the same with sugar. Hence, in this context it is enumerable and should have an "s" on the end.

And, just to note, I've taken too much math to consider this a case of "countable" or "uncountable", as that would indicate an infinite amount of cream and/or sugar. Which is more than I like in my coffee.

[latenight]

I vote for black.....dark black.

[FencingKitten]

Okay, having worked in a coffee shop for the better part of a year, I feel qualified to address this.

In Austin, TX, USA, at least, you order coffee and, at most, request they leave room for milk.

Then you walk to the end of the counter, or in some places over to the condiment station, and add whatever you like to it. Alternatively, if you're at a table in a restaurant and being served, the sugar should be on the table and the person should bring more than enough creamers for any coffee cup, so it still doesn't have to be uttered

You shouldn't have to use the words "cream" and "sugar," so no need to worry about it

[ReverseLunge]

http://ds1.thatvideosite.com/streamv...key=1136455331