pay the bill

Meaning

This expression means to give money for services received or goods purchased, such as electricity, water, internet, or a meal at a restaurant. It is a neutral, everyday phrase. In a restaurant context, it is often used when asking to settle the check.

Examples

• Excuse me waiter, we are ready to pay the bill.

  Excuse me waiter, we are ready to pay the bill.

• Don't forget to pay the bill for the electricity before the weekend.

  Don't forget to pay the bill for the electricity before the weekend.

• We decided to split the cost instead of letting one person pay the bill.

  We decided to split the cost instead of letting one person pay the bill.

• I always pay the bill online because it is much faster.

  I always pay the bill online because it is much faster.

• He offered to pay the bill to thank her for helping him.

  He offered to pay the bill to thank her for helping him.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to pay the ticket at the restaurant.

  ✓ I need to pay the bill.

  In English, a 'ticket' is for traffic violations or event entry. For restaurants or utilities, we use 'bill' or 'check'.

• ✗ Can I have the bill to pay?

  ✓ Can I pay the bill, please?

  While 'have the bill to pay' is understandable, it sounds stilted. It is much more natural to ask directly 'Can I pay the bill?' or 'Could we get the bill?'

Related Expressions

Practice

• After we finished our dinner, I waved to the waiter to ___.

  💡 Give money for the meal you just ate.

  Show answer

  pay the bill

• You can set up automatic payments so you never forget to ___.

  💡 Send money for monthly services like electricity or internet.

  Show answer

  pay the bill