Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): La camarera nos cobra después del postre.

Nos is an indirect object pronoun meaning us. With cobrar, the usual pattern is cobrar algo a alguien (to charge something to someone). In La camarera nos cobra (la cuenta), the direct object (e.g., la cuenta) is understood/omitted, and nos marks the people being charged.

Can I move nos after the verb?

Not with a single conjugated verb. With a finite verb, the pronoun goes before: nos cobra. You can attach it to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative:

Va a cobrarnos después del postre.
Está cobrándonos ahora.
Cóbranos, por favor.

Why is it después del postre and not después de el postre or just después de postre?

Spanish contracts de + el to del, so it must be después del. Also, when después de is followed by a noun, you normally need the article: después del postre. The bare de postre means “for dessert,” not “after dessert.”

Can I front the time phrase? For example, Después del postre, la camarera nos cobra?

Yes. Fronting adverbials like this is common and natural: Después del postre, la camarera nos cobra. A comma helps readability.

What’s the difference between cobrar and pagar?

Cobrar = the business/server charges or collects money: La camarera nos cobra.
Pagar = the customer pays: Pagamos después del postre. So the subject flips depending on who is doing what.

Is cobrar really used to ask for the bill in Spain?

Yes. In Spain it’s common to say to the server:

Tuteo: ¿Nos cobras, por favor?
Usted: ¿Nos cobra, por favor? Both mean “Could we pay?” or “Can you charge us?” Another safe option everywhere is La cuenta, por favor.

What exactly is the waitress charging—do I need to say it?

It’s usually implied (the bill/your order). You can make it explicit:

La camarera nos cobra la cuenta.
La camarera nos cobra 25 euros.
La camarera nos cobra el postre (means she charges us for the dessert, not “after dessert”).

How do I use both object pronouns if I name the thing being charged?

Put the indirect object pronoun first, then the direct object pronoun:

La camarera nos la cobra (la = la cuenta).
La camarera nos lo cobra (lo = el menú del día). Order: me/te/se/nos/os + lo/la/los/las.

Should this be future (cobrará) instead of present (cobra)?

Spanish often uses the present for scheduled or near-future actions and for habits: La camarera nos cobra después del postre = she will charge us/charges us after dessert. You could also say La camarera nos cobrará… or La camarera nos va a cobrar….

Is camarera the usual word in Spain? What about mesera?

In Spain, camarero/a is standard. Mesero/a is common in much of Latin America. You’ll be fully understood either way, but in Spain prefer camarera/camarero.

Could I say tras el postre or luego instead of después del postre?

Tras el postre is a bit more formal/literary but fine.
Después del postre is the neutral, most common choice.
Luego can mean “later/then,” and in Spain it sometimes implies “later on (not necessarily immediately).” For clarity about sequence, después is safer.
Al final means “at the end,” not specifically “after dessert.”

Why not después de postre?

Because después de + noun needs the article in this context: después del postre. Contrast with de postre = “for dessert” (e.g., ¿Qué hay de postre?).

How do I make it negative?

Place no before the pronoun and verb: La camarera no nos cobra después del postre (the waitress doesn’t charge us after dessert). Example with a specific item: La camarera no nos cobra el café.

Can I add a nosotros for emphasis?

Yes: La camarera nos cobra a nosotros después del postre (emphasizing “us” as opposed to others). Keep the pronoun nos; in Spanish this kind of “doubling” with indirect objects is normal and often required.

Is there any risk of confusion between “after dessert” and “for the dessert”?

Yes, the meaning changes with the preposition:

Nos cobra después del postre = charges us after dessert (time).
Nos cobra el postre = charges us for the dessert (object). The después de makes it temporal; without it, it’s about what she charges.

How do I say “after we have dessert” with a clause?

Use después de que + verb:

Future/unknown: Después de que tomemos el postre, la camarera nos cobra.
Past/known: Después de que tomamos el postre, la camarera nos cobró. In Spain, prefer después de que (rather than después que).

What’s the difference between traer la cuenta and cobrar?

Traer la cuenta = bring the bill: La camarera nos trae la cuenta.
Cobrar = collect payment/process the bill: La camarera nos cobra. Often the server does both, but they’re different steps.

Can cargar replace cobrar here?

Not in this sense. Cargar is used for putting a charge on something: Me lo cargaron a la tarjeta / a la habitación. To mean “ask for/collect payment from the customer,” use cobrar.