How to Ask for Separate Checks in Brazilian Portuguese — Practice

Ask whether the group can pay separately

Conta is the bill or check. Pagar separado means to pay separately, while dividir a conta means to divide the bill. Restaurants may have different policies, so ask before ordering if separate payment matters to your group.

Explain how you want to divide it

If everyone wants an equal share, say em partes iguais. If each person wants to pay for what they ordered, say cada um paga o seu. Brazilian restaurants may add a service charge; ask whether it is included rather than assuming it is handled the same way everywhere.

Confirm the payment method

Use cartão to mean card, Pix for Brazil’s instant payment system, and dinheiro for cash. When there are several cards, tell the server how many payments you need. A quick confirmation helps prevent confusion when the bill is busy or the group is large.

Remember: Ask about separate payment early, then specify whether to divide equally or let each person pay for their own order.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Can we pay separately?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente pode pagar separado?

2. Can you split the bill per person?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vocês dividem a conta por pessoa?

3. Could you split it into equal parts, please?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode dividir em partes iguais, por favor?

4. Each person is going to pay for what they ordered.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Cada um vai pagar o que pediu.

5. There are three cards. Can you charge them as three separate payments?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   São três cartões. Dá para cobrar em três vezes separadas?

6. Is the service charge already included?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A taxa de serviço já está incluída?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Ask about separate payment early, then specify whether to divide equally or let each person pay for their own order.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our How to Ask for Separate Checks in Brazilian Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.