Money Talk
Handle the bank, question the fees, and explain your savings plan — out loud.
At the bank counter, stay formal: usted, with ¿Podría ayudarme…? and Necesito hacer…. Two questions protect your wallet everywhere: ¿Cuánto es la comisión? — what's the fee — and ¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio? — the exchange rate. Know the account split: la cuenta corriente is checking, la cuenta de ahorro earns interest. Then switch registers on the street, where nobody "makes a withdrawal" — they just sacan plata, and money itself is la lana in Mexico, la guita in Argentina.
Below: the transfer, savings and budgeting words, the slang locals actually use for money — learned with no flashcards, by saying them in real bank and money conversations.
Say this
Regional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| money (slang) | la lana | la guita |
| "send me a transfer" | mándalo por SPEI | tirame un Mercado Pago |
| saving up | estoy juntando | guardar la plata |
| "money is tight" | andar apretado | estoy corto de guita |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
No flashcards and no vocabulary lists — in the Money Talk lessons you say the words where money actually moves, and Olivia sits across the desk. She plays the bank clerk while you open la cuenta de ahorro: you ask about el interés, the minimum balance, and — before signing anything — ¿cuánto es la comisión? Then an international transfer: recipient, fee, how long it takes, and you confirm the details back once, out loud, the way the tellers expect.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Money Talk is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
La cuenta corriente is a checking account for everyday transactions; la cuenta de ahorro is a savings account that earns interest. In Mexico you'll also hear la cuenta de cheques for checking.
¿Cuánto es la comisión? — always, before any transfer or withdrawal. When the fee stings, the pan-Latin complaint is me clavaron la comisión — they nailed me with the fee.
La plata travels widest. Mexico says la lana, Argentina la guita, Puerto Rico los chavos, and cash in general is los billetes. Any bank card, anywhere: el plástico.
The bank's word is el retiro, but in real speech people sacan plata — sacar plata beats hacer un retiro everywhere in Latin America.
The noun is el ahorro; a goal is la meta financiera — or affectionately la metita. Colloquially, Mexicans saving up say estoy juntando, and Argentines guardar la plata.
