Let’s say that there is a coffee vending machine in my office, and I ask my friend to get some for me. However, the standard amount of coffee the machine serves is half of, say, a Starbucks mug. Thus, every time I go to the coffee machine, I press the button twice.
How would I express this to my friend? Should I say
I want two coffees.
Which is unfortunately ambiguous. Or maybe
Pour the coffee twice.
Or suppose he brings me a new, different cup, one that’s shaped differently. How would I ask him about the amount it contains?
How many coffees is this?
Answer
Since you state specifically that the machine dispenses a standard amount of coffee, an appropriate word would be serving. Portion would also be correct, but isn’t as common in everyday use.
Can you please get me two servings of coffee?
Can you please get me two portions of coffee?
This assumes that your friend is familiar with the machine, and knows or can figure out that it dispenses a particular amount. If you don’t trust him that much, the best way to ensure you get a full cup of coffee would be something like what you said originally:
Go to the machine and push the button twice so that the cup gets filled completely.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Thor , Answer Author : Jonathan Garber
