Friendlier way to express you paid for a person's drink/dinner and expect it to be paid back

In Dutch we have the word voorschieten. In English it translates — according to Google Translate — to "advance, lend, disburse". The Dutch word voorschieten is used in an informal setting between friends where you pay for that friend's dinner or drinks and expect to be paid back later.

Do you say in English "Mary loaned John money for the drinks"? or "Mary advanced money for the dinner"? or do you use another expression? Loaning sounds a bit heavy to me. It's like "A loan for a car".

A friend from New Zealand came up with "Mary spotted John money for the lunch", but I wonder if it's understood in the US.

Solution 1:

In first-person conversation, I would generally say something like "I'll cover this one, you can get the next" or "I've got this, you can owe me." Or, going the other way, "If you could take this, I'll pick up the next one."

As @Jim mentions in a comment, "fronting" is a good term too. "Bob fronted Mary a twenty so she could pick up the new release while it was on sale" would imply that Bob expects that $20 to be repaid.

Solution 2:

There are two possible interpretations of your question, and they're giving rise to two different kinds of answers which mean different things.

If by "pay back" you mean the person will return the specific amount of money to you in the near future, common words (at least in my experience, in US English) would be "fronting" the money or "spotting" the money. If I "front someone the money" or "spot a friend five dollars", or some such, that means that I expect the person to hand approximately that amount of money to me in the near future.

On the other hand, you might expect to be paid back in kind. Perhaps this week when we go out for beers I'll pay for yours, and then next week you'll pay for mine. Then phrases like "I'll cover this" or "I've got this one" are appropriate. If I say "I'll cover this round" and the next day you show up with a fistful of money to pay me back for those beers, I might well take offense; the phrase suggests that I expect to be paid back indirectly, by you covering a future round.

Solution 3:

A common expression in US is

This is my round.
or
I'll get this round.

The implication is that there are several rounds, and that someone else who is being treated will get the next round.

American Heritage defines round as

8) One drink for each person in a gathering or group: Let me buy the next round.

For meals or other purchases, a similar expression might be

This one is my treat.

The implication is the next one is yours.

Solution 4:

I have heard and occasionally used the term

Cadge me a pint

Which should really have been

May I cadge a pint?

But that's not how we spoke to one another.

The way we used it, it means something like your dutch words.

In other words, it's like saying

I'm a bit strapped for cash so could you buy me a pint on the understanding that the favor will be returned at some time.

P.S. I have since found it in the Idioms - By the Free Dictionary website.