kann ich die Rechnung haben?
The English phrase "can I get the check?" is translated into German as kann ich die Rechnung haben?
You use this phrase in a restaurant to make a polite request to a server for your bill. While die Rechnung refers to the bill or invoice, Germans also frequently use the verb zahlen (to pay) as a shorthand method to request the bill.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In casual restaurant settings, it is much more common and concise to simply say Zahlen, bitte! (The bill, please!).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use die Quittung when you want to ask for your bill. Die Quittung means receipt, and it is only provided after the payment has already been made. Use die Rechnung instead.
When do people say it?
When you request the bill, the server will almost always ask you Zusammen oder getrennt?, which means "Together or separately?" They are asking if you are paying the total amount together or if each person at the table would like their own separate bill.
Did you know?
- In very traditional German dining, it is common to signal for the bill by making a writing gesture in the air with your finger toward the server.
- The German word zahlen means both 'to pay' and 'to count'.
- The word Rechnung shares an ancestor with the English word 'reckoning', as seen in the way both languages relate the act of calculating to the act of billing.
Examples in context
- Können Sie mir bitte die Rechnung bringen?Can you please bring me the check?
- Könnten Sie mir die Rechnung bringen, bitte?Could you please bring me the check?
- Hätten Sie die Güte, mir die Rechnung zu bringen?Would you be so kind as to bring me the check?
- Entschuldigung, kann ich die Rechnung haben?Excuse me, can I get the check?
- Wir sind fertig, kann ich die Rechnung haben?We are finished, can I get the check?
Example conversation
Julia and Julian are finishing their lunch at a cafe.
- JuliaDas Essen war sehr gut.The food was very good.
- JulianJa, das stimmt. Kann ich die Rechnung haben?Yes, that's true. Can I get the check?
- JuliaIch rufe den Kellner.I will call the waiter.
- JulianDanke, Julia.Thanks, Julia.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Rechnung, die, haben, ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
