Portuguese · Café / Pastelaria
Ask where to pay: at the till or at the table: what to say in Portuguese
You're at a table and don't know whether to order and pay at the till or wait for a waiter.
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How it's done. In pastelarias you often order and pay at the counter, and in cafés with waiters at the table. If in doubt, just ask.Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
YOU START
Desculpe, pago aqui ou na mesa?
Dish-KOOLP, PAH-goo uh-KEE oh nuh MEH-zuh?
Excuse me, do I pay here or at the table?
Or say:Faço o pedido aqui?
FAH-soo oo pih-DEE-doo uh-KEE?
THEY SAY
Pode sentar-se, que eu já vou aí.Pod sayn-TAHRS, k eh-oo zhah voh uh-EE.
Have a seat and I'll be right over.
They might also say:
Paga aqui no balcão.
PAH-guh uh-KEE noo buhl-KOW.
You pay here at the counter.
É na caixa, ali ao fundo.
Eh nuh KIGH-shuh, uh-LEE ow FOON-doo.
It's at the till, over there at the back.
2
YOU FINISH
Está bem, obrigado.
Shtah bayn, oh-bree-GAH-doo.
OK, thank you.
THEY SAY
De nada!d NAH-duh!
You're welcome!
They might also say:
Não tem de quê!
now tayn d keh!
Don't mention it!
Disponha!
deesh-POH-nyuh!
Any time!
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “Portuguese for life in Portugal”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Desculpe
Dish-KOOLP
verb
sorry, excuse me
pago
PAH-goo
verb
(I) pay
aqui
uh-KEE
adverb
here
mesa
MEH-zuh
noun
table
Pode
Pod
verb
can
sentar-se
sayn-TAHRS
verb
to sit down
12 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Desculpe, não percebi.
Dish-KOOLP, now pir-sih-BEE.
Sorry, I didn't understand.
Similar situations
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