tính tiền
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
tính tiền means to pay.
Meanings of tính tiền in English
Verb
- to pay (to give money in exchange for goods and services) ≈ thanh toán
Interjection
- The bill, please!
- Em ơi, tính tiền!Excuse me, the bill, please!
Example sentences with tính tiền
- Làm ơn tính tiền. The bill, please.
Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).
Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)
Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, tính tiền could be written as 并錢. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: tính tiền
tính tiền literally means "calculate the money", and it is how you ask for the bill.
- Em ơi, tính tiền! — Excuse me, the bill please!
- Chị ơi, tính tiền giúp em. — Could you do the bill for me?
- Tính tiền riêng nhé. — Separate bills, please.
In Vietnamese eateries, the bill rarely arrives unless you ask, and people often call out across the room. That is normal, not rude.
More formal alternative: thanh toán (pay, settle), used in restaurants with menus in several languages, hotels, and online: Cho tôi thanh toán.
Who pays? Vietnamese often do not split bills; one person pays, and next time someone else does. If someone says Để em or Hôm nay em mời, they are offering to pay.
Shops: quầy tính tiền — checkout counter; máy tính tiền — cash register.
Etymology
tính (“to calculate”) + tiền (“money”).
Frequently asked questions
What does tính tiền mean in English?
tính tiền (verb) means "to pay".
How do you pronounce tính tiền?
IPA: Hanoi [tïŋ˧˦ tiən˨˩]; Saigon [tɨn˦˥ tiəŋ˨˩]. Tones: tính — rising tone (sắc), tiền — falling tone (huyền).