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German Phrase

Ich zahle mit meiner Karte.

/ɪç ˈtsaːlə mɪt ˈmaɪ̯nɐ ˈkaʁtə/
Meaning"I pay with my card."
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Meaning

Literally ‘I pay with my card.’ The sentence is used when you want to tell a cashier or service staff that you will settle the bill using a debit or credit card rather than cash.

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When to use

Use this phrase at shops, restaurants, ticket counters, or any place where you need to indicate your preferred method of payment. It works both in everyday situations and more formal contexts such as hotels or business meetings.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchzahlemitmeinerKarte

1

Ich (pronoun)

First‑person singular nominative pronoun, always used as the subject of a sentence.

2

zahle (verb)

Present‑tense 1st‑person singular of zahlen ‘to pay’. Regular verb with stem ‘zahl‑’ and ending ‘‑e’.

3

mit (preposition)

Preposition that always governs the dative case; it means ‘with’.

4

meiner (possessive adjective)

Dative feminine singular form of ‘mein’. It agrees with the noun ‘Karte’ which is feminine.

5

Karte (noun)

Feminine noun meaning ‘card’. In this context it refers to a payment card (debit or credit).

🗨In Conversation

A

Wie möchten Sie bezahlen?

How would you like to pay?

Ich zahle mit meiner Karte.

I’ll pay with my card.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich zahle mit mein Karte.

    ‘mit’ requires dative, so the possessive must be ‘meiner’, not nominative ‘mein’.

  • Ich zahle mit meiner Karten.

    ‘Karte’ stays singular; the dative singular is ‘Karte’, not ‘Karten’.

  • Ich zahlt mit meiner Karte.

    ‘zahlt’ is 3rd‑person singular; the speaker is ‘ich’, so it must be ‘zahle’.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich bezahle mit meiner Karte.

    I pay with my card.

  • Ich zahle bar.

    I’ll pay in cash.

  • Ich zahle mit meiner Kreditkarte.

    I’ll pay with my credit card.

  • Ich zahle mit meiner EC‑Karte.

    I’ll pay with my debit (EC) card.

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Cultural Tip

In Germany cash is still king, especially in smaller towns, but most larger retailers accept both EC‑Karten (debit) and Kreditkarten. When you simply say ‘Karte’, staff may ask for clarification – ‘Kredit‑ oder EC‑Karte?’ Also remember that the preposition ‘mit’ forces the dative case, so ‘meiner’ (not ‘mein’) is required.