How to pay and ask for a receipt in Italian
Posso pagare con la carta?
“Can I pay by card?”
When: At the till, before they total your items
The moment
You are at the till of a small shop in Rome with a scarf in your hand. You want to pay by card, hear the total correctly, and leave with your receipt.
A1 · Unit 5 · Shopping
The lines
Paying by card
'Posso pagare con la carta?' asks if you can pay by card. You can also ask the shop directly with 'Accettate la carta?' before they ring anything up.
Posso pagare con la carta?
“Can I pay by card?”
When to use it: At the till, before they total your items
What you’ll hear back: Certo, prego. (Of course, go ahead.)
Asking for the receipt
'Mi fa lo scontrino, per favore?' is the normal way to ask for a receipt. Shops in Italy have to give you one, so asking is polite, never pushy.
Mi fa lo scontrino, per favore?
“Can I have the receipt, please?”
When to use it: Right after you pay
What you’ll hear back: Certo, ecco a lei. (Of course, here you are.)
Words for this scene
| Italian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Quant'è in tutto? | kwan-TEH een TOOT-toh | How much is it all together? |
Scusi, quant'è in tutto? Excuse me, how much is it all together? Tip: Quanto costa? is for one item; Quant'è? is the total. | ||
| Pago in contanti | PAH-goh een kon-TAHN-tee | I'll pay cash |
Pago in contanti, va bene? I'll pay cash, is that OK? Tip: Useful in tiny shops and markets that still prefer cash. | ||
| Ecco a lei | EK-koh ah LEH-ee | Here you are |
Ecco a lei, cinquanta euro. Here you are, fifty euros. Tip: Say it as you hand money over; ecco a te with friends. | ||
Your objective
Ask if they take cards, check the total, and ask for a receipt.
- paying by card
- the total
- a receipt
Lines that get it done
- Posso pagare con la carta?
- Quant'è in tutto? · How much is it all together?
- Mi fa lo scontrino, per favore?
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. The cashier says 'Fanno diciotto euro e cinquanta.' How much do you owe?
- 18,50 €
- 80,15 €
- 18,15 €
- 19,50 €
Show the answer
18,50 €
Diciotto is 18 and cinquanta here means 50 cents.
2. You want to know if you can pay by card. What do you ask?
- Posso pagare con la carta?
- Ha una carta?
- Posso pagare con lo scontrino?
- La carta, per favore?
Show the answer
Posso pagare con la carta?
Posso pagare con...? asks permission for the payment method you want to use.
3. You have paid and you need the receipt. What do you say?
- Mi fa lo scontrino, per favore?
- Mi dà lo sconto, per favore?
- Mi fa il conto, per favore?
- Mi fa il biglietto, per favore?
Show the answer
Mi fa lo scontrino, per favore?
Scontrino is a shop receipt; sconto is a discount and conto is a restaurant bill.