A guide to saying it like a local
How to Say "The check please" in Italian
The standard Italian phrase to ask for the bill at a restaurant or cafe.
Il conto, per favore.
eel KOHN-toh, pehr fah-VOH-rehneutral
Italian TTS · 0:01
Use this when you're ready to pay after a meal or drinks. It's polite and direct, suitable for most dining situations.
Alternatives
- Posso avere il conto?Slightly more of a question, asking permission to receive the bill.
- Mi porta il conto?A bit more direct, asking the server to bring you the bill.
Ways to get it wrong
Don't say 'la conta'
'Conta' means count or account, not the bill for a meal. Use 'conto' for the check.
Pronounce 'conto' correctly
The 'o' at the end is a clear 'oh' sound, not a silent 'uh'. Make sure to stress the first syllable.
A small cultural note
While 'Il conto, per favore' is perfectly fine, sometimes a simple wave and 'Conto!' might be used in very casual settings, but it's best to stick to the polite version.
When you'd actually say this
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Splitting the bill after aperitivo
You and two colleagues have finished your Aperol spritzes and a plate of olives at a bar in Milan. The conversation has wound down and everyone is reaching for their jackets. You catch the barista's eye and say 'Il conto, per favore' before anyone starts the awkward shuffle of who pays.
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Long Sunday lunch running late
Your family has been at a trattoria in Bologna for nearly three hours. The dessert plates were cleared twenty minutes ago and your train leaves in forty. You turn in your chair to find the waiter and say 'Il conto, per favore' with enough volume to carry across the room without shouting.
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Business dinner, host signals end
You are the guest at a client dinner in Rome and the Italian host has just set down his napkin and pushed back slightly from the table. You want to offer to pay before he does. You raise a hand toward the nearest server and say 'Il conto, per favore' clearly and without hesitation.
Related ways to say it in Italian
- Ci porta il conto quando può? — Could you bring us the bill when you get a chance?
- More deferential than the main phrase; use this at a busy restaurant when you are not in a hurry and want to avoid seeming impatient.
- Facciamo separati. — We'll pay separately.
- Say this immediately after requesting the bill when your group wants individual checks; Italian servers often assume one bill per table.
- Pago io. — I'll pay.
- Use this when you intend to cover the whole table; typically said at the same moment you ask for the bill, especially in a host-guest situation.
- Tutto insieme, grazie. — All together, thanks.
- The opposite of separati; clarifies upfront that one person is paying for the whole table, saving the server a follow-up question.
Notes for English speakers
- English speakers often drop 'per favore' thinking the request is clear enough without it, but in Italian dining culture omitting it shifts the tone from a polite request to something closer to a blunt demand, even if that is not your intention.
- The word 'conto' is masculine, so you will always hear 'il conto' — never 'la conto' — and if a server confirms back to you with 'subito il conto' you will notice no article at all, which is normal in fast spoken Italian but can sound incomplete to a learner expecting the full form.
- In southern Italy and Sicily you may hear 'il conto' pronounced with a noticeably shorter, more clipped first vowel than in standard Italian, so do not assume you misheard the word if it sounds closer to 'KOHN-toh' with a very tight 'oh'.
The same phrase in other languages
Frequently asked
how to ask for the bill in italian
The most common way is 'Il conto, per favore.' This is polite and universally understood when dining out.
is il conto per favore formal
It's a neutral and polite phrase, suitable for almost any restaurant or cafe situation. You don't need to worry about it being too casual or too formal.
what does conto mean in italian restaurant
In a restaurant context, 'conto' refers to the bill or the check. So, 'Il conto, per favore' translates to 'The bill, please'.
