A1French

Paying & Splitting the Bill

Use these phrases at the end of a meal to ask for the bill, state how you want to pay, and handle splitting the cost.

Key Phrases

Voice
Asking for the bill · 2 ways to say it

L'addition, s'il vous plaît.

neutral

The bill, please.

On peut payer ?

casual

Can we pay?

Commonly used in informal cafés to get the waiter's attention.

Checking the total · 2 ways to say it

Quel est le total ?

neutral

What is the total?

Ça fait combien ?

casual

How much is it?

Very common in everyday spoken French.

Paying by card

Je paie par carte.

neutral

I am paying by card.

Paying in cash

Je paie en espèces.

neutral

I am paying in cash.

Splitting the bill · 2 ways to say it

On paie séparément.

neutral

We are paying separately.

Use this to tell the staff you need separate transactions.

On divise ?

casual

Shall we split?

Said to your friends before paying.

Offering to pay

C'est pour moi.

casual

It's on me.

Use this when you want to treat your friends to the meal.

Tipping

Gardez la monnaie.

neutral

Keep the change.

Service is included in France, but leaving small change is appreciated.

Practice Dialogue

Customer
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
Server
Oui, voilà.
Customer
Ça fait combien ?
Server
Trente euros en tout.
Customer
On divise.
Server
D'accord, quinze euros chacun.
Customer
Je paie par carte.
Server
Sans contact ?
Customer
Oui. Merci, au revoir.
Server
Bonne journée !

More Eating & Drinking Out (A1)

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