What does “bar bezahlen” mean, and why do Germans love cash?
Bar oder mit Karte? Bezahlen in Deutschland erklärt
A2 German listening practice · Standard German · Picked for people who know a little
Bar bezahlen means “to pay in cash,” handing over Münzen (coins) and Scheine (notes) instead of tapping a card. At almost any German checkout you’ll hear the question from the clip: “Bar oder mit Karte?” (“Cash or card?”). The adverb bar on its own already means “in cash,” so Ich zahle bar is “I’ll pay cash.”
Germany is famously cash-loving. A large share of everyday payments are still made in bar, and many Germans say it feels einfach, schnell (easy, fast) and more private, since the bank can’t see where the money goes. That’s why people keep Bargeld on them and why small bakeries, Kioske, and restaurants may still wave a card away. Ask “Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?” before you assume.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-DE 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸At any German Kasse (checkout) when the cashier asks “Bar oder mit Karte?”
- ▸In small German Bäckereien, Kioske, and Imbiss stands that are often cash-only
- ▸When splitting a restaurant bill: “Getrennt oder zusammen?”
- ▸In German debates about privacy, Datenschutz, and going cashless
- ▸At discount chains like Aldi and Lidl, which added card readers only fairly recently