Useful English Expressions

At the bank

When we go to the bank in England, there are some special words and phrases that we need to understand and be ready to use. These ten phrases are the most important expressions that we use.

10 expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing: 

1. Cashier
2. Current account
3. High interest account
4. Balance
5. Cheque book
6. Debit card / Cash card
7. Hole-in-the-wall / Cashpoint
8. Overdraft / Overdrawn
9. In the red / In the black
10. Standing order

How To Use These Phrases In Your English: 

1. In 1. the cashier is the person who serves you in a bank. They are usually behind a glass screen for security. In the US they are called 'tellers'.
2. A bank account (2.) is the record of how much money that you keep in the bank. There are many different kinds of account. 'Current account' means that you can take the money quickly whenever you want.
3. In 3. a 'high interest account' is another record of money that you keep in the bank for a long time. Every month the bank pays you a little money (interest) for keeping a lot of money in the account.
4. The balance in 4 is how much money you have at one time in one account. You can ask 'I'd like to know the balance of my current account'.
5. You use a cheque book (5.) to take out money. You write how much money you want on a slip of paper (a cheque) with your signature, give it to the cashier, and she / he gives you the money.
6. A cash/debit card (6.) is another way to take out money. You put it in a machine, type some numbers and it gives you money.