Spanish · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 10 of 12
Money and everyday services
El dinero y los servicios
Open a bank account in Spanish, ask politely in formal situations, choose between por and para, and say big numbers and amounts.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Open a bank account and deal with forms
- Make polite formal requests: quería, ¿sería posible…?
- Choose between por and para
- Say and understand big numbers and amounts of money
Listen
Patricia Molina has just moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for work. She goes into a bank to open an account. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Gonzalo
Buenos días. ¿En qué puedo ayudarla?
Good morning. How can I help you?
Patricia
Buenos días. Quería abrir una cuenta. Acabo de mudarme a Las Palmas por trabajo.
Good morning. I'd like to open an account. I've just moved to Las Palmas for work.
Gonzalo
Muy bien. ¿Me permite su DNI, por favor?
Very good. May I see your ID card, please?
Patricia
Aquí tiene. ¿La cuenta tiene alguna comisión?
Here you are. Are there any fees on the account?
Gonzalo
Si recibe su sueldo en esta cuenta, no paga nada. Si no, son cinco euros al mes.
If your salary is paid into this account, you don't pay anything. If not, it's five euros a month.
Patricia
Perfecto. Entonces lo recibiré aquí.
Perfect. Then I'll have it paid in here.
Gonzalo
Muy bien. Tiene que rellenar este formulario y firmar aquí, por favor.
Very good. You need to fill in this form and sign here, please.
Patricia
Ya está. Otra cosa: ¿sería posible hacer una transferencia a Italia? Tengo que enviar 1.250 euros para pagar un curso.
Done. Another thing: would it be possible to make a transfer to Italy? I have to send 1,250 euros to pay for a course.
Gonzalo
Sí, claro. Por internet es gratis, pero en la oficina cobramos tres euros por transferencia.
Yes, of course. Online it's free, but at the branch we charge three euros per transfer.
Patricia
Entonces la hago por internet esta tarde. ¿Y para cuándo tendré la tarjeta?
Then I'll do it online this afternoon. And when will I have the card?
Gonzalo
Se la enviamos por correo. La recibirá en unos cinco días.
We'll send it to you by post. You'll get it in about five days.
Patricia
Estupendo. Muchas gracias por todo.
Great. Thank you very much for everything.
Understand
Por or para?
and can both mean “for”, but they're used differently. As a rule of thumb, looks forward: to a purpose, a destination, a deadline or the person who receives something. looks back to a cause, or describes the way, the route or an exchange.
You already know many fixed expressions: , , …, .
| reason: (I've moved for work.) | purpose: (to pay for a course) |
| means: , , | destination: |
| exchange, per: | deadline: (By when?), |
| through, around: | recipient: |
| thanks: | opinion: (For me, it's better.) |
Polite requests in formal situations
In a bank, a post office or any formal situation, (A2) and the conditional (chapter 5) sound softer than the present: is more polite than . Staff often use ¿Me permite…? (May I…?) to ask for your documents.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| I'd like to open an account. | |
| Could you help me? | |
| ¿Sería posible…? | Would it be possible to…? |
| Would you mind saying that again? | |
| May I see your ID card? | |
| Where do I have to sign? |
Big numbers and amounts
(1,000) doesn't take and doesn't change: , . is a noun, so it takes before another noun: , .
Spanish writes a dot between thousands and a comma before decimals, the opposite of English: 1.250 € is , and 3,50 € is .
| Number | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1.000 | |
| 1.250 | |
| 2.000 | |
| 10.000 | |
| 100.000 | |
| 500.000 | |
| 1.000.000 | |
| 2.000.000 |
More in the grammar: Spanish numbers: from 0 to a million · Por and para · The conditional and if-clauses: haría, si tuviera · Verb phrases: acabar de, volver a, seguir + gerund
New words
- abrir una cuentato open an account · : bank account; also the bill
- acabar deto have just (done something) · + infinitive: , I've just arrived
- mudarseto move (house, to another place) · : I've moved to Las Palmas
- ¿Me permite…?May I (see / have)…? (polite) · from : to allow
- la comisiónfee, charge (bank); commission · feminine
- recibirto receive, to get
- el sueldosalary, wages · masculine
- rellenarto fill in (a form)
- el formularioform · masculine
- firmarto sign
- Ya está.Done. / That's it. / There you go.
- la transferenciabank transfer · feminine; : to make a transfer
- cobrarto charge; to be paid, to earn
- por correoby post · : post, mail; : by email
Practise
1.Complete: “Me he mudado a Las Palmas … trabajo.” (because of work)
2.Complete with or : “I have to send 1,250 euros to pay for a course.”
I have to send 1,250 euros to pay for a course.
3.Write 2,000 in words.
My salary is 2,000 euros a month.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Would it be possible to make a transfer?
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.How do you say €1,000,000?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Quería abrir una cuenta.
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.