Four friends are sitting at a restaurant. They have just finished a delicious dinner together. Their names are Anna, Tom, Lisa, and Mark. The waiter brings the bill to their table. 'Here is your bill,' says the waiter politely. Anna picks up the bill and looks at it. 'The total is eighty euros,' she says. 'That is not too bad for four people,' says Tom. 'Should we split it equally?' asks Lisa. 'Wait a moment,' says Mark with a worried face. 'I only had a small salad and water.' Anna looks at the bill more carefully. 'You are right, Mark. Your meal cost only twelve euros.' 'And I had the expensive steak,' admits Tom. 'My steak was twenty-five euros.' 'Let me calculate what everyone owes,' offers Anna. She takes out her phone and opens the calculator. 'Mark, you owe twelve euros for your salad and water.' 'Tom, your steak and beer came to thirty euros.' 'Lisa, your pasta and wine were nineteen euros.' 'And my fish and juice were also nineteen euros,' adds Anna. 'But wait, that only adds up to eighty euros total,' says Tom. 'So the math is correct!' says Lisa happily. 'But we should also leave a tip for the waiter,' suggests Mark. 'Good idea! The service was excellent tonight,' agrees Anna. 'How much should we tip?' asks Tom. 'Usually ten percent is standard,' explains Lisa. 'That would be eight euros for the tip,' calculates Anna. 'So two euros each for the tip,' says Mark. 'Wait, that is not fair,' protests Tom. 'Mark had the cheapest meal, so his share of the tip should be smaller.' Everyone thinks about this for a moment. 'Actually, let us just split the tip equally,' says Mark. 'Two euros is not a big difference.' 'That is very generous of you, Mark,' says Lisa gratefully. 'All right, let me get my wallet,' says Tom. He reaches into his pocket but his face suddenly changes. 'Oh no! I forgot my wallet at home!' Tom exclaims. The others look at each other in surprise. 'Do you have any cash or cards at all?' asks Anna. 'I only have my phone,' Tom says embarrassed. 'Can you pay with your phone?' suggests Lisa hopefully. 'Let me check if this restaurant accepts mobile payments.' Tom asks the waiter about payment options. 'Yes, we accept all major mobile payment apps,' the waiter confirms. 'Perfect! Problem solved!' says Tom with relief. Each friend pays their share separately. Mark pays fourteen euros, Lisa and Anna pay twenty-one euros each. Tom pays thirty-two euros using his phone. 'Thank you all for the generous tip,' says the waiter smiling. The friends put on their coats and prepare to leave. 'That was a lovely evening,' says Anna. 'We should do this more often,' agrees Lisa. 'Next time, I will remember my wallet!' promises Tom. Everyone laughs at his promise. 'And maybe we can try a new restaurant next month,' suggests Mark. 'Great idea! I know a good Italian place nearby,' says Lisa. They all agree to meet again soon. The four friends say goodbye outside the restaurant. It was a successful dinner with good food and even better company.
English Story (A2)Splitting the Bill
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Four friends finish dinner at a restaurant and need to split the bill. They decide to pay individually rather than equally since Mark only had a salad while Tom had an expensive steak. They also discuss leaving a tip for the excellent service. When Tom realizes he forgot his wallet, he uses his phone to pay. The evening ends with plans to meet again at an Italian restaurant next month.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What was the total bill for dinner?
2
Why did Mark think the bill should not be split equally?
3
What problem did Tom have when it was time to pay?
4
How did Tom solve his payment problem?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
