¿me trae la cuenta?
In Spanish, the phrase for "may i have the bill?" is ¿me trae la cuenta?
This phrase is a standard, polite way to request the check in a restaurant setting. A shorter, very common alternative is to simply say La cuenta, por favor.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿me trae la cuenta? literally translates to "Will you bring me the bill?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can say ¿Me puedes traer la cuenta, por favor? to mean "Can you bring me the bill, please?" In Argentina, one can say ¿Me hacés la cuenta, por favor? to mean "Could you make the bill for me, please?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the default form ¿me trae la cuenta?, the verb trae is the third-person singular conjugation of traer used with the formal usted subject. To use the informal tú form, change trae to traes.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, you can request the bill without saying a word by making a writing motion in the air with your hand.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, servers will not bring la cuenta until you explicitly ask for it, as doing so unprompted can be seen as rushing the guest to leave.
- While la cuenta is the bill, the act of paying for everyone in a group is often called invitar, which literally means 'to invite'.
Examples in context
- ¿Podría traerme la cuenta, por favor?Could you bring me the bill, please?
- Disculpe, ¿me podría traer la cuenta?Excuse me, could you bring me the bill?
- ¿Me traes la cuenta, por favor?Will you bring me the bill, please?
- Oye, dame la cuenta, por favor.Hey, give me the bill, please.
- Cuando pueda, ¿me trae la cuenta?When you can, may I have the bill?
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are finishing their lunch at a cafe.
- LucíaLa comida estuvo muy buena, Daniel.The food was very good, Daniel.
- DanielSí, tenemos que irnos ya.Yes, we have to leave now.
- LucíaPerdone, ¿me trae la cuenta?Excuse me, may I have the bill?
- DanielYo la pago esta vez.I will pay this time.
