de rekening, alstublieft
/də ˈreː.kə.nɪŋ ˌɑ(l)styˈblift/word by word
The English phrase "the bill, please" is translated into Dutch as de rekening, alstublieft.
Meaning: the bill, please (phrase)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can also use the more informal version de rekening, alsjeblieft. For even more formal requests, you might say Mag ik de rekening alstublieft? (May I have the bill, please?) or Zou ik de rekening mogen krijgen? (Could I receive the bill, please?).
How do you pronounce it?
/də ˈreː.kə.nɪŋ ˌɑ(l)styˈblift/. The word has 6 syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- While English speakers might snap their fingers or make a writing gesture in the air to signal for the bill, doing this in the Netherlands can be seen as rude or overly demanding.
- The word alstublieft is actually a compressed sentence consisting of four separate words: als, het, u and belieft.
- While de rekening is used for a restaurant bill, if you are at a bank, the word rekening refers to your 'account'.
Examples in context
- Mag ik de rekening alstublieft?May I have the bill, please?
- Kan ik afrekenen?Can I settle the bill?
- De rekening, alstublieft.The bill, please.
- Zou u de rekening, alstublieft, willen brengen?Would you please bring the bill?
Example conversation
Lucas and Julia are finishing their meal at a restaurant.
- LucasDat was een heerlijk diner.That was a delicious dinner.
- JuliaJa, ik ben echt vol.Yes, I am really full.
- LucasDe rekening, alstublieft!The bill, please!
- JuliaIk betaal vandaag wel, Lucas.I will pay today, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “the bill, please” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (de, rekening, alstublieft) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alstublieft, de, rekening, CC BY-SA 4.0.
