Portuguese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 10 of 12
Money and everyday services
Dinheiro e serviços
Open a bank account in Portuguese: documents, fees and Pix, polite formal requests, big numbers and amounts, and when to use por and para.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Open a bank account and understand fees, cards and Pix
- Make formal requests: seria possível…?, a senhora poderia…?
- Choose between por (pelo, pela) and para
- Say big numbers and amounts: mil e duzentos reais, dez por cento
Listen
Adriana Moreira has just moved to Cuiabá for work. She opens an account with Rogério at a bank. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Rogério
Boa tarde. Em que posso ajudar a senhora?
Good afternoon. How can I help you?
Adriana
Boa tarde. Eu gostaria de abrir uma conta. Acabei de me mudar para Cuiabá, por causa do trabalho.
Good afternoon. I'd like to open an account. I've just moved to Cuiabá, for work.
Rogério
Seja bem-vinda. A senhora trouxe os documentos? Preciso de um documento com foto, do CPF e de um comprovante de residência.
Welcome. Did you bring your documents? I need photo ID, your CPF and proof of address.
Adriana
Trouxe o documento e o CPF. Mas, como acabei de chegar, ainda não tenho conta de luz no meu nome. Seria possível usar o contrato de aluguel?
I've brought my ID and my CPF. But as I've only just arrived, I don't have an electricity bill in my name yet. Would it be possible to use the rental contract?
Rogério
Pode, sim, o contrato serve. A senhora prefere uma conta com ou sem tarifa mensal?
Yes, it would, the contract is fine. Would you prefer an account with or without a monthly fee?
Adriana
Depende. Quanto é a tarifa?
It depends. How much is the fee?
Rogério
A conta básica não tem tarifa. A conta completa custa vinte e nove e noventa por mês e vem com cartão de crédito.
The basic account has no fee. The full account costs 29.90 a month and comes with a credit card.
Adriana
Prefiro a básica, obrigada. Mas será que a empresa pode depositar o meu salário nessa conta?
I prefer the basic one, thanks. But can the company pay my salary into this account?
Rogério
Pode, sim. E pelo aplicativo, com a sua senha, a senhora paga boletos e faz transferências.
Yes, it can. And with the app, using your password, you can pay bills and make transfers.
Adriana
Ótimo. Eu mando mil e duzentos reais para a minha mãe todo mês. Pago alguma coisa pelas transferências?
Great. I send one thousand two hundred reais to my mother every month. Do I pay anything for transfers?
Rogério
Pelo Pix, não. É de graça e o dinheiro cai na hora. Agora, a senhora poderia preencher este formulário e assinar aqui embaixo, por favor?
Not by Pix. It's free and the money arrives instantly. Now, could you fill in this form and sign down here, please?
Adriana
Claro. Muito obrigada pela paciência.
Of course. Thank you very much for your patience.
Understand
Por or para?
Both can mean “for”, but they look in different directions. (spoken ) points forward: to a destination, a purpose, a person who receives something, a deadline. looks at the cause or the way: a reason, an exchange, a means, a route, “per”. joins with the article: .
| () | () |
|---|---|
| reason: (because of work) | destination: (I moved to Cuiabá) |
| thanks and exchange: , | recipient: |
| means: (with the app), | purpose: |
| “per”: (a month), | deadline: (it's for tomorrow) |
| route: (go through the centre) | opinion: (to me, it's great) |
Formal requests
At a bank, a post office or any office, people make requests with the conditional or with (literally “will it be that…?”), which softens a question. The staff use / .
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| I'd like to open an account. | |
| Would it be possible to use the contract? | |
| Could you sign here? | |
| Do you think the company can pay it in? | |
| Would you do me a favour? |
Big numbers and amounts
Brazil writes a dot for thousands and a comma for decimals: R$ 1.250,00. never takes : , . Put after only when a round hundred or a number under 100 follows: , , but . Millions take before a noun: , . Percentages are : 10% = .
Prices are usually said without and : R$ 29,90 is .
- Mil e duzentos reais.One thousand two hundred reais (R$ 1.200).
- Mil duzentos e cinquenta reais.One thousand two hundred and fifty reais (R$ 1.250).
- A tarifa aumentou cinco por cento.The fee went up by five per cent.
More in the grammar: Numbers · Por and para · The conditional (futuro do pretérito)
New words
- abrir uma contato open an account
- acabar de…to have just done something · + infinitive: : I've just arrived
- o CPFBrazilian tax number · needed for almost everything: a bank account, a phone, a receipt
- o comprovante de residênciaproof of address · usually a recent bill: (electricity bill)
- Seria possível…?Would it be possible…? · a possible answer: : The contract will do.
- a tarifafee, charge; fare
- o cartão de crédito / de débitocredit / debit card
- a senhapassword, PIN
- o boletopayment slip (a bill with a barcode) · paid at a bank, a lottery shop or in an app
- a transferência(bank) transfer
- o PixBrazil's instant payment system · : to send money by Pix
- preencherto fill in (a form)
- o formulárioform
- assinarto sign · : signature; also subscription
Practise
1.Complete: “Eu mando dinheiro … a minha mãe todo mês.”
2.Complete with + article: “Thank you for your patience.”
Thank you very much for your patience.
3.Complete: “I've just moved to Cuiabá.”
I've just moved to Cuiabá.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Would it be possible to use the rental contract?
5.Match the Portuguese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.How do you say R$ 1.250?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Eu gostaria de abrir uma conta.
I'd like to open an account.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.