Bill, chosen total and cash handed over
| Bill | You choose to pay | Tip | If you hand over €30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| €22.40 | €24.00 | €1.60 | €6.00 change |
| €22.40 | €25.00 | €2.60 | €5.00 change |
| €22.40 | €22.40 | €0.00 | €7.60 change |
Keep three numbers separate: the bill, your chosen final total, and the cash you hand over. The tip is chosen total minus bill. Change is cash handed over minus chosen total. Handing over €30 in cash does not automatically mean you want to pay €30.
In the second example, say Machen Sie bitte fünfundzwanzig Euro. — “Make it twenty-five euros, please.” You have named the total, so the other person does not need to work out whether a number you said was the tip or the full payment. These numbers are invented for practice, not prices at a real restaurant.
When Stimmt so fits a cash payment
Stimmt so. means, in this payment context, “Keep the change.” Use it only when you intend to leave the full amount you are handing over. If the bill is €22.40 and you hand over €30, saying Stimmt so leaves €7.60. If you want €5 back, name €25 as the total instead.
| Speaker | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Server | Das macht zweiundzwanzig Euro vierzig. | That comes to €22.40. |
| Guest | Machen Sie bitte fünfundzwanzig Euro. | Make it €25, please. |
| Server | Von dreißig? | Out of €30? |
| Guest | Ja, genau. Danke. | Yes, exactly. Thank you. |
The server’s question checks the cash received. Listen for that part rather than repeating your total automatically. If you miss the amount, ask Könnten Sie den Betrag bitte wiederholen? — “Could you repeat the amount, please?” It is fine to check a number before paying.
Two situations to practise
The following situations are invented for language practice. They do not describe a particular venue or its actual prices. Use the stated conditions for each example.
Name a total and receive change
Die Rechnung beträgt 12,60 Euro. Du gibst einen Zwanzig-Euro-Schein.
Machen Sie bitte vierzehn Euro.
In this example, €14 is the final total: €1.40 is the chosen tip and €6 is the change. The sentence names the total, not a €14 tip.
Leave the full cash amount
Die Rechnung beträgt 9,50 Euro. Du gibst zehn Euro und möchtest kein Rückgeld.
Stimmt so, danke.
Here the tip is €0.50. This phrase fits because you do not want any of the €10 back. These are practice amounts, not a recommended tipping rate.
Try a reply, then read the explanation
A bill is €16.80. You want to pay €18 in total and hand over €20. What can you say?
Machen Sie bitte achtzehn Euro.
A possible answer names the final €18 total. The chosen tip is €1.20 and the change is €2. Other clear sentences naming that same total also work.
With the same €16.80 bill and €20 note, what does Stimmt so change?
Sie können die zwanzig Euro behalten.
It now means leaving the full €20. The tip would be €3.20 and there would be no change. This checks the phrase, not how much anyone should tip.
The server asks Von zwanzig? while looking at your note. What are they checking?
Ja, von zwanzig Euro.
The question checks the cash handed over. It does not ask you to name a €20 tip. Confirm the note and, if necessary, repeat your chosen final total.
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