payer l'addition
To say pay bill in French for a meal or drinks, use payer l'addition. It means to pay the bill at a restaurant or bar.
To ask for the bill, it is more natural to say l'addition, s'il vous plaît than to use the full verb phrase.
Which one should you use?
Use l'addition for a restaurant bill, but la facture for a utility bill or a commercial invoice. Régler la note also means pay the bill and suits restaurants or hotels.
How does it change in a sentence?
payer is a regular verb.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use la facture when you ask for the bill at a restaurant. Ask for l'addition.
Did you know?
- The verb payer shares an unlikely ancestor with the word 'pacify'. It comes from the Latin pacāre, meaning to appease or make peace, suggesting that paying a debt was originally seen as a way to settle a conflict.
- In some traditional French cafés, you might see the word ardoise used in relation to paying. An ardoise is a slate, and avoir une ardoise means to have a running tab that you will pay later.
- The word 'l'addition' is a linguistic bridge between the dining room and the classroom, as it is the exact same word used for mathematical addition.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais l'addition, s'il vous plaîtI would like the bill, please
- Je dois régler la facture du restaurantI need to pay the restaurant bill
- Je dois payer la facture d'électricitéI need to pay the electricity bill
- Je voudrais payer l'addition, s'il vous plaît.I would like to pay the bill, please.
- Est-ce que je peux payer l'addition par carte ?Can I pay the bill by card?
- Nous allons payer l'addition séparément.We are going to pay the bill separately.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are finishing a meal at a cafe.
- ManonLe repas était délicieux, Gabriel.The meal was delicious, Gabriel.
- GabrielOui, c'est vrai. Je vais payer l'addition.Yes, it's true. I am going to pay the bill.
- ManonC'est gentil, mais je peux payer aussi.That is kind, but I can pay too.
- GabrielNon, laisse, c'est mon tour.No, leave it, it is my turn.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries payer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
