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.
The warm-up pack
The lines you actually say at a bank counter or to a friend about money — not a finance glossary.
01 · Ask about your own balance
¿Cuánta lana tengo en la cuenta?
How much money do I have in my account? (lana — Mexican slang for money)
Saldo is the bank-formal word. Lana is what you'd actually say checking your own balance with a friend around.
02 · The natural way to say withdrawal
Sacar plata.
To take out money.
Hacer un retiro is textbook. Sacar plata is what's actually said at the counter and the ATM alike.
03 · Send it the fast way
Mándalo por SPEI.
Send it via SPEI. (Mexico's instant transfer system — the default way money moves now)
Naming the actual system gets things moving faster than asking for a generic "transferencia" — it tells them exactly what you want.
04 · Call out a fee you didn't expect
Me clavaron la comisión.
They hit me with the fee.
This is the complaint, not the neutral report — say it when a charge caught you off guard and you want that understood.
05 · The two questions before you agree to anything
¿Cuánto es la comisión? ¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio?
How much is the fee? What's the exchange rate?
Ask both before you commit to a transfer — this pair alone prevents most of the surprise charges people run into.
06 · What "saving up" actually sounds like
Estoy juntando.
I'm saving up.
Ahorrando is correct and a little stiff. Juntando is what you'd say to a friend about a goal you're working toward.
07 · Being honest about tight money
Estoy corto de guita.
I'm short on cash. (Argentina — guita for money)
A casual, non-dramatic way to say things are tight right now — useful, not embarrassing, to say out loud.
08 · When it's more than "tight"
Estoy hasta el cuello de deudas.
I'm up to my neck in debt.
This is the vivid version, not the clinical one — it's how people actually describe being overwhelmed by what they owe.
09 · Say you're putting money into stocks
Meterle a la bolsa.
To put money into the stock market. (Mexico — meterle a for "getting into" something)
This casual verb frame works for any investment, not just stocks — you'll hear it about crypto and real estate too.
10 · Flag the risk out loud
Es un riesgo bárbaro.
It's a huge risk.
Bárbaro flips between "terrible" and "amazing" depending on tone — here it's doing the work of a serious warning.
11 · Ask for help, formally
¿Podría ayudarme?
Could you help me?
Usted form, not tú — this is exactly the register you want with bank staff, polite without being stiff.
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/money-talkRegional 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.
