ask to pay
- ¿Nos trae la cuenta? Can you bring us the bill?
- ¿Acepta tarjeta? Do you take card?
- ¿Incluye propina? Does it include tip?
- ¿Se puede dividir? Can it be split?
Back to situations 
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Photo by Dick Hoogerdijk on Unsplash
food + errands
paying the bill without making the table weird
The money moment is tiny but loaded: cuenta, propina, vaquita, transfer, cash, and who is pretending not to notice.
Use This First
- Learn la cuenta, ¿acepta tarjeta?, ¿incluye propina?, vaquita, and te transfiero.
- Do not over-explain splitting. Mexicans often solve it with one quick proposal.
- Lana is useful slang, but cuenta and propina are the transaction words.
Memorize these first
with friends
- Hacemos vaquita. We all chip in.
- Te transfiero. I will transfer you.
- Yo pongo la propina. I will cover the tip.
- Sale, queda. Okay, done.
One-screen cheat sheet
🧾
paying the bill cheat sheet Screenshot this before you go.
| Spanish | English | Use case | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Nos trae la cuenta? | Can you bring us the bill? | restaurant bill | safe |
| ¿Acepta tarjeta? | Do you take card? | payment method | safe |
| ¿Incluye propina? | Does it include tip? | tip check | safe |
| ¿Se puede dividir? | Can it be split? | split bill | safe |
| Hacemos vaquita. | We all chip in. | group split | local |
| Te transfiero. | I will transfer you. | payback | safe |
| Yo pongo la propina. | I will cover the tip. | clean split | safe |
| Sale, queda. | Okay, done. | confirming | local |
the gringo trap
Do not say this by default
don't say this
Do not say tip in English and hope the table reads your mind.
say this
Use propina, cuenta, and te transfiero.
Money talk gets easier when the vocabulary is boring and precise.
safe / local / spicy
Pick your register
safe
¿Nos trae la cuenta, por favor?
local
¿Pedimos la cuenta?
spicy
Armemos vaquita y ya.
Vaquita is friend-table language, not waiter language.
How it sounds
at the table
¿Pedimos la cuenta? Should we ask for the bill?
Sí, ya se hizo tarde. Yes, it got late.
¿Nos trae la cuenta, porfa? Can you bring us the bill, please?
Claro. Of course.
splitting
Yo pago con tarjeta. I will pay by card.
Va, te transfiero mi parte. Okay, I will transfer you my part.
Sale, yo pongo la propina. Okay, I will cover the tip.
Perfecto. Perfect.
Practice cards
three fast taps before you try it outside.
You paid for the table and your friend owes you.
You need the safest version for paying the bill. What do you pick first?
Which move avoids the gringo trap?
Words you'll hear
Deep dives
FAQ
What should I memorize first for paying the bill?
Start with ¿Nos trae la cuenta?, ¿Acepta tarjeta?, ¿Incluye propina?, ¿Se puede dividir?, Hacemos vaquita.. These cover the fastest moments on the page.
Is this paying the bill Spanish safe to use as a foreigner?
Yes. Start with the safe phrases, then use the local phrases with friends or people your age. Treat spicy phrases as context-dependent, not universal.
How should I practice this situation?
Read the cheat sheet out loud, run the mini-dialogues once in Spanish and once in English, then answer the practice card before you go out in CDMX.