How to ask for the bill in English: “Can we get our check, please?”

Dessert is finished, the waiter is nowhere in sight, and you’re ready to pay. The polite way to ask is Can we get our check, please?

The phrase: Can we get our check, please?

Get here means “bring”, and our check means the bill for your table. It’s friendly and relaxed, and it’s what most people say in a restaurant.

• Can we get our check, please?The everyday way to ask. In Ukrainian: «Можна рахунок, будь ласка?»
• Could we have the bill, please?A little more formal and polite.
• Excuse me, can we get the check?Use it to get the waiter’s attention.

The notebook shows pls, a shortcut used in text messages. At the table, say and write please in full.

Check or bill?

Both words mean the restaurant bill. Which one you hear depends on where you are:

• check — the everyday word in American English: Here’s your check.
• bill — the everyday word in British English, and it’s understood everywhere. If you’re unsure, use bill.

Don’t confuse this with the verb to check (“to verify”): Can you check the bill? asks someone to look over the amounts, not to bring it.

Common slip-ups

Account is for bank or online accounts, not for paying at a restaurant. And Bring the bill! sounds like an order, so a question is always the safer choice: Can we get the bill?

More payment phrases

• Can we split the bill?Divide the total between everyone at the table.
• Can we pay separately?Each person pays for their own food.
• We’re ready to pay.Use it when the waiter hasn’t come over for a while.
• Do you take cards?Ask before you order a large bill.
• Keep the change.You leave the rest as a tip.

The pattern Can we get… is close to Can I get a latte to go, please? from our latte-to-go lesson. Just swap I for we when you’re ordering or paying as a group.

Check yourself

New mini-lessons come out on our YouTube channel. To order and pay in English with confidence, not just know the phrases, come to a free trial lesson.