¿Nos trae la cuenta?
Could you bring us the check?
After eating, this is how you signal the waiter that you're done and ready to pay.
From Ted 2 · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "check" in Spanish
la cuenta
noun, feminineplural: las cuentasto check: comprobarbank check: el cheque
At a restaurant, "the check" in Spanish is la cuenta: La cuenta, por favor. When you check something to make sure it's right, the verb is comprobar. A check you write at the bank is el cheque.
Hear "cuenta" in real movie scenes
Two ways to deal with the bill after a meal. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Eh, tranquila, yo pago la cuenta.
Hey, relax, I'll pay the check.
Then comes the big question of who pays, and here someone generously covers the whole bill with pagar la cuenta.
From Hombres de Negro Internacional · Spanish audio
One English word, several Spanish ones
Pick the Spanish word by what kind of check you mean.
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the check (restaurant bill) | la cuenta | La cuenta, por favor. |
| to check, make sure | comprobar | Compruebo el aceite. |
| to check, look over | revisar | Reviso el correo. |
| a bank check | el cheque | pagar con cheque |
| to check a bag (airport, Spain) | facturar | facturar la maleta |
| to check in (hotel) | registrarse | registrarse en el hotel |
Tip: In much of Latin America you'll also hear chequear for to check: chequear el correo.
Grammar: la cuenta and comprobar
Four points for the noun and the verb.
La cuenta is feminine
la cuenta, las cuentas. The same word also means a bank account: una cuenta bancaria.Comprobar changes its stem
The o becomes ue when it's stressed: compruebo, compruebas, comprueba. With nosotros it stays: comprobamos.Hay que + infinitive
Hay que comprobar la presión. The pressure needs checking. It says something has to be done without naming who does it.Asking politely
To a waiter: ¿Nos trae la cuenta? To someone you call usted: Compruebe la presión, por favor.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
La cuenta, por favor.
The check, please.
Un par de vasos de agua y la cuenta, por favor.
A couple of glasses of water and the check, please.
Hay que comprobar la presión.
We need to check the pressure.
Compruebe la presión, por favor.
Please check the pressure.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗El cheque, por favor (at a restaurant)
✓La cuenta, por favor
A cheque is a bank check. The bill for your meal is la cuenta.
✗Yo comprobo
✓Yo compruebo
Comprobar changes o to ue in the stressed forms.
✗Yo pago por la cuenta
✓Yo pago la cuenta
Pagar already means to pay for, so the bill comes right after it.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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How to remember it
Cuenta comes from the verb contar, to count. The check is where the restaurant counts up everything you ordered.
Questions about "check" in Spanish
How do you say check in Spanish?
At a restaurant it's la cuenta. To check something, use comprobar or revisar. A bank check is el cheque.
How do you say "check, please" in Spanish?
La cuenta, por favor. A slightly softer way is ¿Nos trae la cuenta?
How do you say "to check" in Spanish?
Comprobar when you make sure something is right, revisar when you look something over. In much of Latin America people also say chequear.
How do you say "check in" at a hotel in Spanish?
Registrarse: Me registro en el hotel. In Spain many people also say hacer el check-in.
