Practise the final exchange at a restaurant or café. Trade Ministry notice, 30 January 2026: voluntary tips; compulsory restaurant service charges prohibited.
The idea
Use Hesabı alabilir miyiz, lütfen? to request the bill for your table. Hesap is the bill, para üstü is change, and bahşiş is a tip; servis ücreti means service charge. In a cash payment, Üstü kalsın tells the other person to keep the change. Learn this as a fixed phrase at A2; the third-person imperative in kalsın is studied later.
| Turkish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hesap | bill |
| para üstü | change |
| bahşiş | tip |
| servis ücreti | service charge |
Examples
- Hesabı ben ödüyorum.I am paying the bill.
- Bu para bahşiş değil.This money is not a tip.
- Para üstü burada.The change is here.
- Hesabı alabilir miyiz, lütfen?Could we have the bill, please?
- Kartla ödemek istiyorum.I would like to pay by card.
- Para üstünü alabilir miyim?Could I have my change?
- Üstü kalsın, teşekkür ederim.Keep the change, thank you.
- Bahşiş bırakmak istiyorum.I would like to leave a tip.
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Watch out
Do not say Üstü kalsın when you want your change back: it gives up the whole remaining amount, not a particular percentage. Para üstünü alabilir miyim? asks for the change. This lesson sets no tipping percentage.
Try it yourself
Complete the request for the bill with the correct form of hesap.
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hesabı
hesabı: you are requesting the specific bill for your table, so hesap takes the accusative; the final p becomes b before the vowel.
The bill is 470 lira; you pay 500. Name the 30 lira to be returned: para üstü or bahşiş.
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para üstü
para üstü: 500 minus 470 leaves 30 lira to return. The subtraction alone does not make that money a tip.
You choose to leave the change. Complete the fixed phrase using kalmak.
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kalsın
kalsın: together with Üstü, it tells the person to keep what remains. The customer is choosing not to take the change.
I am voluntarily leaving an extra payment. Choose bahşiş or hesap.
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bahşiş
bahşiş: the extra money is being left by choice. Hesap names the bill itself, which is not the extra payment.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete the request for the bill with the correct form of hesap.
The bill is 470 lira; you pay 500. Name the 30 lira to be returned: para üstü or bahşiş.
You choose to leave the change. Complete the fixed phrase using kalmak.
I am voluntarily leaving an extra payment. Choose bahşiş or hesap.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write two endings to the same cash payment: one requesting the change and one leaving it. Before each ending, ask for the bill and say who is paying.