mag ik de rekening
In Dutch, the phrase for "check please" is mag ik de rekening.
This phrase is used to request the bill at the end of a meal in a restaurant. Instead of asking for a "check" as is common in English, you ask for de rekening, which translates to "the bill" or "the account".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make the request more polite and formal, you can add alstublieft to the end, forming Mag ik de rekening alstublieft?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses de rekening to mean "the bill". In Dutch, rekening is a common gender noun and is used here with the definite article de.
Did you know?
- In the Netherlands, it is common to signal for de rekening by making a scribbling motion in the air with an imaginary pen, even without speaking.
- The word rekening shares the same root as the English word 'reckoning', which often refers to a calculation or a settling of scores.
- The word rekening is also the word for a 'bank account', so you are technically asking for 'the account' during your meal.
Examples in context
- Mag ik de rekening alstublieft?May I have the check, please?This sentence is useful for learning how to make a polite request for the bill using mag ik de rekening.Tatoeba #847501 by Vulgaris, translation #21104 by CK
- Kan ik afrekenen?Can I pay?
Example conversation
Levi and Lisa are finishing their dinner at a cafe.
- LeviDat was heerlijk, Lisa.That was delicious, Lisa.
- LisaIk ben echt voller dan vol.I am really completely full.
- LeviOber, mag ik de rekening?Waiter, may I have the bill?
- LisaIk betaal vandaag voor ons beiden.I will pay for both of us today.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, ik, rekening, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
