払いたいです
haraitai desu
The English phrase "I want to pay" is expressed in Japanese as 払いたいです (haraitai desu).
払いたいです is used when expressing a personal desire or intention to perform the act of paying, rather than simply requesting the bill.
Which one should you use?
While 払いたいです expresses a desire to pay, it is more common in a shop or restaurant to use 払います, which means "I will pay" or "I am paying", to signal your intent to settle the bill. For a formal way to request the bill specifically, you should use お会計をお願いします. If you are dealing with formal financial matters, 支払いたいです is a more appropriate phrase to convey an intention to pay.
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual conversation, the polite 払いたいです can be shortened to the informal 払いたい.
How do you pronounce it?
haraitai desu
Did you know?
- The word 払い (harai) also refers to a purification ritual in Shintoism. This means that 'paying' or 'clearing' a debt shares a linguistic space with the concept of spiritual cleansing.
- In many Japanese shops, you do not actually hand the money to the person. Instead, you place it on a small tray called a トレー (tore) or カルトン (karuton), which acts as a respectful buffer between the customer and the staff.
- While 払いたいです means 'I want to pay', Japanese people often use the phrase おごる to say they want to pay for someone else's meal as a treat.
Examples in context
- 今すぐ払いたいです。Ima sugu haraitai desu.I want to pay right now.
- カードで払いたいです。Kado de haraitai desu.I want to pay by card.
- 窓口で払いたいです。Madoguchi de haraitai desu.I want to pay at the counter.
Example conversation
Daito and Misaki are at a restaurant together.
- 大翔 Hirotoここは私が払いたいです。Koko wa watashi ga haraitai desu.I want to pay for this.
- 美咲 Misakiいいですよ。ありがとうございます。Ii desu yo. Arigatō gozaimasu.That's fine. Thank you very much.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいえ、気にしないでください。Iie, ki ni shinaide kudasai.No, please don't worry about it.
- 美咲 Misakiでは、お言葉に甘えますね。Dewa, okotoba ni amaemasu ne.Then, I'll take you up on your offer.
