How to Use Spanish at a Bank
Speaking a foreign language can be intimidating, especially when you're dealing with your money. Banks in the Spanish-speaking world are similar in setup and system to ours, so most of the things you will need to do will be understandable in context. But you don't want to make a mistake in communication that may cost you dollars--or euros or pesos, as the case may be.
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Instructions
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1
Greet people as you enter with a simple "¡Hola, buenas!" (OH-lah BWAY-nahs). This phrase will work at any time of day or night and shows that you're interested in the people around you.
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2
Ask where you should wait your turn, if it isn't immediately clear when you walk in. Ask, "¿Dónde espero?" (DOHN-day eh-SPAY-ro), which means "Where do I wait?"
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3
Explain to the teller what you need to do. Begin with the phrase "Me gustaría" (may goo-stah-REE-ah), which means "I would like to." Use this phrase to begin to talk about whatever transaction you need to do.
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Use these phrases to explain some of the possible transactions you would like to do, following the phrase "Me gustaría" from step 3: "abrir una cuenta corriente" (ah-BREER OO-nah KWAYN-tah koh-rree-EHN-tay), which means "open a checking account"; or "abrir una cuenta de ahorros" (ah-BREER OO-nah KWAYN-tah day ah-OH-rrohs), which means "open a savings account."
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5
Get money in a couple of ways. If you have an account with the bank, you can say "Me gustaría" with the phrase "sacar dinero" (sah-CAR dee-NAY-roh), which means "take out money"; "ingresar dinero" (een-gray-SAHR dee-NAY-roh), which means "deposit money"; and "cambiar este dinero" (cahm-bee-AHR EH-stay dee-NAY-roh), which means "exchange this money."
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Practice your numbers so that you can answer them when they ask you "¿Cuánto?" (KWAHN-toh), which means "How much?" Study and memorize these numbers up to twenty: 1, "uno" (OO-noh); 2, "dos" (dohs); 3, "tres" (trace); 4, "cuatro" (KWAH-tro); 5, "cinco" (SINK-oh); 6, "seis" (SAY-ees); 7, "siete" (see-AY-tay); 8, "ocho" (OH-choh); 9, "nueve" (noo-AY-vay); 10, "diez" (dee-ACE); 11, "once" (OWN-say); 12, "doce" (DOH-say); 13, "trece" (TRAY-say); 14, "catorce" (kah-TOR-say); 15, "quince" (KEEN-say); 16, "dieciseis" (dee-AY-see-SAY-ees); 17, "diecesiete" (dee-AY-see-see-AY-tay); 18, "dieciocho" (dee-AY-see-OH-cho); 19, "diecinueve" (dee-AY-see-noo-AY-vay); 20, "veinte" (VAY-een-tay).
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Memorize your tens and hundreds numbers as well: 30, "treinta" (TRAY-een-tah); 40, "cuarenta" (kwah-REHN-tah); 50, "cincuenta" (seen-KWEHN-tah); 60, "sesenta" (seh-SEHN-tah); 70, "setenta" (seh-TEN-tah); 80, "ochenta" (oh-CHEN-tah); 90, "noventa" (noh-VEHN-tah); 100, "cien" (see-EHN); 200, "doscientos" (do-see-EHN-tohs); 300, "trescientos" (tray-see-EHN-tohs); 400, "cuatrocientos" (kwah-troh-see-EHN-tohs); 500, "quinientos" (kee-nee-EHN-tohs); 600, "seiscientos" (say-see-EHN-tohs); 700, "setecientos" (say-tay-see-EHN-tohs); 800, "ochocientos" (oh-choh-see-EHN-tohs); 900, "novecientos" (noh-vay-see-EHN-tohs); 1,000, "mil" (meel).
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Tips & Warnings
This is rote memorization. Practice these numbers over and over until they come naturally to you.
Find a friend who speaks Spanish so that she can help you with pronunciation. Clear pronunciation is a plus when speaking a language different from your own.
