German · Real conversations
How to say “I think there's a mistake on the bill.” in German
Politely ask staff to check a possible bill error.
Ich glaube, auf der Rechnung ist ein Fehler.
I think there's a mistake on the bill.
The phrase signals uncertainty and opens a practical check.
Use it in three situations
An extra item
Ich glaube, auf der Rechnung ist ein Fehler.
I think there's a mistake on the bill.
An incorrect quantity
Ich glaube, uns wurden zwei Kaffees berechnet.
I think we've been charged for two coffees.
Checking a total
Könnten Sie bitte die Rechnung prüfen?
Could you check the bill, please?
What to watch for
Identify the item or amount in question; repeating that the whole bill is wrong is less useful.
Read the whole expression before replacing a detail. The natural wording may use a different order or construction from the English sentence.
Your turn
Imagine restaurant problems. Say this in German: I think we've been charged for two coffees.
Reveal a sample reply
Ich glaube, uns wurden zwei Kaffees berechnet.
I think we've been charged for two coffees.
Build a useful exchange
Explain a problem with an order and settle the bill.
This expression in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
