At the bar do you pay before or after?
PA-ga — stress on first syllable. 'Prima o dopo?' — clear and interrogative.
Ask before ordering at a traditional Italian bar. Many Italian bars have a two-system approach: pay at the cashier first, then show the receipt at the counter. Getting this wrong creates confusion.
Traditional Italian bar procedure: 1) Go to the cashier ('alla cassa'), 2) Say your order, pay and get a receipt ('scontrino'), 3) Take the receipt to the bar counter and show it while repeating your order. Simpler bars just serve you and you pay when leaving. The first system is more common in busy city bars.
Si fa prima la cassa?
Do you go to the cashier first?
Confirms the pre-payment system used in many Italian bars.
Pago adesso o alla fine?
Do I pay now or at the end?
Direct question to clarify the payment system in an unfamiliar bar.
Ho lo scontrino.
I have the receipt.
Presenting the pre-paid receipt at the bar counter.
The Italian bar experience is distinct from anywhere else in Europe. It is almost always consumed standing at the bar ('al banco'), which costs less than sitting at a table. Italian espresso prices at the bar are among the cheapest in Europe — typically €1.00–1.50. This is by tradition and social consensus, not regulation.