01 · How you open the conversation
Quisiera abrir una cuenta.
I'd like to open an account.
Quisiera is the soft, formal opener banks expect — it's a request, not a demand, and it's all the register you need to start.
andbefluent.com/spanish/el-banco
El Banco
Open an account, exchange money, ask about fees, and report a lost card — out loud.
Banks expect formal Spanish, so lead with usted and the polite quisiera: Quisiera abrir una cuenta. State the transaction first, then the amount or detail. Before you change money, always ask the day's rate and whether there's a commission — ¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio hoy? and ¿Cobran comisión? (in Mexico you'll hear the casual ¿a cómo está el dólar?). And ask for a receipt every time: ¿Me puede dar un recibo?
Below: the phrases for opening an account, changing money, and handling a card the ATM won't give back — plus a way to rehearse the whole visit out loud first.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that actually get said at the teller window — and how to say them back.
01 · How you open the conversation
Quisiera abrir una cuenta.
I'd like to open an account.
Quisiera is the soft, formal opener banks expect — it's a request, not a demand, and it's all the register you need to start.
02 · What they'll ask for
¿Qué documentos necesito?
What documents do I need?
Ask this before they ask you. It signals you already expect paperwork, not that you're caught out by it.
03 · The exchange
Quisiera cambiar dólares a pesos.
I'd like to exchange dollars for pesos.
Swap dólares a pesos for whatever currency and destination you're carrying — the frame around it stays exactly the same.
04 · The two questions that protect your money
¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio hoy? ¿Cobran comisión?
What's the exchange rate today? Do you charge a commission?
Ask both, every time, before you hand over cash. Tellers quote the rate; they don't always volunteer the commission.
05 · Before you commit
¿Hay una cuota mensual?
Is there a monthly fee?
A completely normal question to ask before opening anything — nobody at the counter will think twice about it.
06 · Naming the transaction
Necesito retirar dinero.
I need to withdraw money.
Say the transaction type first, then the amount — that's the order tellers are trained to listen for.
07 · Get it in writing
¿Me puede dar un recibo?
Can you give me a receipt?
Ask this after anything involving money changing hands. It's routine, not distrustful.
08 · Check yourself
¿Cuál es mi saldo?
What's my balance?
Short, direct, and useful any time — you don't need a reason to ask.
09 · When it goes wrong
El cajero automático se tragó mi tarjeta.
The ATM swallowed my card.
It happens often enough that there's a set phrase for it — you're not building this sentence from scratch under pressure, you're just saying it.
10 · Stop the damage first
Necesito bloquear mi tarjeta.
I need to block my card.
Lead with this, then explain what happened. Getting the card blocked matters more than telling the story in order.
11 · The close
¿Tienen banca en línea?
Do you have online banking?
A good line to end an account opening on — it keeps you from having to walk back in next week for something you could ask now.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/el-bancoRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| money (slang) | la lana | la plata |
| savings account | la cuenta de ahorros | la caja de ahorro |
| the card doesn't work | no jala | no funca |
| what's the dollar at? | ¿a cómo está el dólar? | ¿cuánto está el blue? |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the El Banco pack, the final lesson sits you at the teller window of a quiet branch on a Tuesday morning — and Isabella plays the teller: polished, patient, strictly usted, reading every total back to you twice before she confirms it. You're opening a savings account as a foreigner and changing some money, and she needs your documents, your amounts, and your questions about the fees. Out loud. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and El Banco is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Lead politely: Quisiera abrir una cuenta (I'd like to open an account), then ask what you'll need — ¿Qué documentos necesito? Have your passport ready: Necesito mi pasaporte, ¿verdad? and ask ¿Cuánto es el depósito mínimo?
¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio hoy? (what's the rate today?), or casually in Mexico ¿a cómo está el dólar? Always follow with ¿Cobran comisión? before you commit to the exchange.
Usted, always. Banks expect the formal register, so pair it with quisiera and por favor. Informal language at the teller window sounds out of place.
El cajero automático se tragó mi tarjeta — the ATM swallowed my card. If you need it blocked: Necesito bloquear mi tarjeta, and to get a replacement: ¿Pueden emitir una tarjeta nueva?
Name the transaction first: Quisiera hacer un depósito (a deposit), Necesito retirar dinero (withdraw money), or ¿Puedo hacer una transferencia? (make a transfer). Then confirm it: ¿Me puede dar un recibo?