payer en espèces
To say pay by cash in French, say payer en espèces.
To ask whether you can pay this way, say Est-ce que je peux régler en liquide ?, can I pay in cash. A more formal question is Comment puis-je régler en espèces, s'il vous plaît ?
What does it mean word for word?
en espèces means in cash and refers to money in its physical form.
Which one should you use?
payer en liquide means the same and is more colloquial. For a card, the preposition changes: payer par carte.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not say payer par espèces. Cash takes en, while a card takes par.
Did you know?
- The French word payer shares its origin with the English word 'pacify'. It comes from the Latin pacāre, suggesting that paying a debt was a way to 'pacify' the person you owed money to.
- The term espèces in this phrase refers to 'kinds' or 'species'. Using it to mean cash treats physical money as a distinct physical species of currency.
- French law allows certain businesses to refuse cash payments if the amount exceeds a specific legal limit. In these cases, you are forced to payer par carte or by check.
Examples in context
- Je préfère payer en espèces.I prefer to pay by cash.
- Est-ce que je peux payer en espèces ?Can I pay by cash?
- Il faut payer en espèces ici.You have to pay by cash here.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are at a small bakery.
- GabrielJe voudrais ce croissant, s'il vous plaît.I would like this croissant, please.
- ChloéD'accord, ça fera deux euros.Okay, that will be two euros.
- GabrielPuis-je payer en espèces ?Can I pay by cash?
- ChloéOui, bien sûr, Gabriel.Yes, of course, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, payer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
