How to Say "Can I Pay the Bill?" in French

Est-ce que je peux payer l'addition ?

To say "can I pay the bill?" in French, use Est-ce que je peux payer l'addition ?

This phrase is a request made to a server to pay for a meal at a restaurant. While you can use full sentences, it is very common and perfectly polite in many French restaurants to simply say L'addition, s'il vous plaît to mean "The bill, please."

Which one should you use?

There are several ways to phrase this depending on the level of formality. The standard version is Est-ce que je peux payer l'addition ? The informal version is Je peux payer l'addition ? For a more formal tone, you can use Puis-je régler l'addition ? Additionally, you may use Je peux régler la note ? as an informal way to ask to pay the bill.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For formal situations, use Puis-je régler l'addition ? or Je voudrais régler l'addition, s'il vous plaît to express "I would like to settle the bill, please." Using the verb régler instead of payer is a more formal and polite way to ask to settle the bill. For informal situations, you can use Je peux payer l'addition ? or Je peux régler la note ?

How does it change in a sentence?

You can create a more formal version of the question by inverting the subject and the verb, such as in Puis-je payer l'addition ? which translates to "May I pay the bill?"

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use la facture to ask for a restaurant bill. However, la facture is typically reserved for commercial invoices or utility bills.

Did you know?

The French verb payer comes from the Latin 'pacāre', which means 'to pacify'. This suggests that paying a debt was seen as a way to bring peace between two parties.
In some traditional French restaurants, a server may not bring l'addition until you explicitly ask for it. They consider it rude to rush a guest by presenting the bill too early.
If you wish to split the bill, you can ask On peut diviser l'addition ? However, in France, it is increasingly common to use the phrase On fait moitié-moitié to suggest splitting it exactly in half.

Examples in context

Excusez-moi, est-ce que je peux payer l'addition ?
Excuse me, can I pay the bill?

Example conversation

At a cafe after finishing a coffee.

Hugo

Est-ce que je peux payer l'addition ?
Can I pay the bill?
Chloé

Oui, bien sûr.
Yes, of course.
Hugo

Merci beaucoup.
Thank you very much.
Chloé

Je vous en prie.
You're welcome.

Sources

Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, payer, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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How to Say “Can I Pay the Bill?” in French