#17 Expressions for Talking About Music｜French Conversation Phrases
Izumi French Garden
#153 Making a Payment at the Checkout｜French Shopping Phrases
Izumi
When shopping or dining in France, paying at the checkout is an unavoidable situation.
Although the interaction itself is usually brief, it includes several key elements such as confirming the total amount, specifying the payment method, and deciding whether to receive a receipt. Each of these steps has standard expressions commonly used in French.
In this article, I explain useful French expressions for making a payment at the checkout, based on realistic conversation examples.
Contents
Dialogue
Ce sera tout, merci.
（That will be all, thank you.）
Très bien. Ça fait 18 euros 40, s’il vous plaît.
（Very well. That comes to 18 euros and 40 cents, please.）
Je peux payer par carte ?
（May I pay by card?）
Oui, bien sûr. Sans contact ou avec le code ?
（Yes, of course. Contactless or with a PIN?）
Sans contact, s’il vous plaît.
（Contactless, please.）
C’est bon. Vous souhaitez le reçu ?
（All set. Would you like the receipt?）
Oui, je veux bien. Merci.
（Yes, please. Thank you.）
1. Indicating That You Are Ready to Pay
At the checkout, you can signal that you are ready to proceed with payment by saying the following:
Example
- Ce sera tout, merci.
（That will be all, thank you.）
Literally, this means “This will be everything,” but it is commonly used to indicate that you are finished shopping and ready to pay.
In practice, this indirect expression sounds more natural than directly saying “Please check me out.”
Related Expressions
- C’est tout, merci.
（That’s all, thank you.） - Voilà, c’est tout.
（That’s everything.）
2. Confirming the Total Amount
Next, the cashier will inform you of the total amount.
Example
- Ça fait 18 euros 40, s’il vous plaît.
（That comes to 18 euros and 40 cents.）
The expression “ça fait ～” is a standard phrase used at the checkout to mean “the total comes to ～.”
If you did not hear the amount clearly, you can ask for confirmation:
Examples
- Pardon, ça fait combien ?
（Sorry, how much is it?） - Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ?
（Could you repeat that, please?）
Since checkout areas can often be noisy, it is helpful to know these expressions for asking again.
3. Confirming the Payment Method
Once the total has been given, you choose how to pay.
Example
- Je peux payer par carte ?
（May I pay by card?）
The structure “payer par ～” (to pay by ～) is the basic pattern used to indicate a payment method.
Related Expressions
- payer par carte
（to pay by card） - payer en espèces
（to pay in cash）
In France, card payments are very common, so cashiers often ask:
Example
- Sans contact ou avec le code ?
（Contactless or with a PIN?）
“Sans contact” refers to contactless payment, while “avec le code” means entering a PIN number.
4. Indicating Whether You Need a Receipt
After payment is completed, you may be asked about the receipt.
Example
- Vous souhaitez le reçu ?
（Would you like the receipt?）
Responses
- Oui, je veux bien.
（Yes, please.） - Non, ce n’est pas nécessaire.
（No, it’s not necessary.）
The phrase “je veux bien” is a polite and friendly way to accept an offer and is commonly used in everyday conversation.
Summary
Key French Phrases
- Ce sera tout, merci.
→ Used to indicate that you are ready to proceed to payment. - Ça fait ～ euros.
→ A standard phrase for stating the total amount. - Je peux payer par carte / en espèces ?
→ Used to confirm or specify the payment method. - Sans contact ou avec le code ?
→ A common question during card payments. - Vous souhaitez le reçu ?
→ Used to ask whether a receipt is needed.
