When you need this

The food is on the table. Now you need small things: more water, another fork, a box for the rest of the pizza. And at the end you need the check, which is the American word for the paper that says how much you owe. British speakers call it the bill, and you'll hear "bill" in many other countries too.

In the US, the server usually won't bring the check until you ask. That's not slow service; they don't want to rush you. Catch their eye, raise your hand a little, and ask. Then there's the tip: in American restaurants people usually add fifteen to twenty percent for the server. In Japan there's no tip at all, and in the UK it's often already on the bill.

Phrases

gets the server's attention; say it with a small hand raise

asks for one more of something

a polite way to say the food is wrong

the answer when the server asks about the food

asks for a container to take extra food home

asks for the bill in American English

each person gets their own check

share one check, often in two equal parts

checks if the service charge is already added

asks if you can pay by card

tells the server the extra money is theirs

questions a line on the check

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.