Using The ATM

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another great lesson here with us at EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

And I’m Erica.

And today we’re gonna be getting money.

That’s right. We’re going to have a lesson about the ATM.

The ATM or…

Automatic Teller Machine.

Okay, that’s what it stands for, ATM.

Uhu.

So, we’re gonna be looking at the language that you’ll probably find in an ATM maybe in the United States or in an English speaking country.

That’s right. Um, but before we begin, why don’t we look at some vocabulary that we’ll hear in the dialogue? Voice: Vocabulary preview.

As we mentioned, the ATM or automatic teller machine is the machine where you get your money, right?

Exactly.

And also, well, some people or in different places they may call it the bank machine.

Yeah, or maybe the cash machine.

Uhu.

Uhu.

Or just a money machine or something. Alright…

So, ATM.

ATM. And now, let’s take a look at our next word.

Local authorities.

The local authorities.

The local authorities.

So, what are the local authorities?

Well, basically, it’s the police.

The police.

Uhu.

Why do you say local authorities?

Okay, well, authority is, uh, the person in charge, right?

Uhu.

The boss.

Uhu.

So, the local authorities are basically people who are the boss of this place.

In that area.

Yeah, so…

Okay.

The police.

The local authorities.

Uhu.

So, why don’t we start now with our dialogue? Why are we talking about local authorities and ATM machines?

I don’t know. We gotta listen to find out.

Alright, so, it’s not his day today. I think he was very, uh, unlucky and I… maybe he’s gonna be in trouble.

I know and he was on a date. This is probably one of the worst things that can happen to a guy when he’s on a date.

Alright, yeah, so, well, we saw some of, ah, language that was related to an ATM, money and banking.

Uhu.

So, why don’t we take a look at that now in “language takeaway”? Voice: Language takeaway.

Alright, so, the guy had to insert his card into the slot.

Okay, so, slot.

Slot.

Alright, slot. And that is an opening, right? Or a type of hole, maybe.

Yeah, it’s a hole that is usually long.

Long and… it’s like a rectangular hole.

Yeah, it.. a slot is never a circle.

Okay, so, for example, when you get mail…

Uhu.

The mailman will put into your mailbox through the slot.

That’s right.

Okay. Now, well… and now that he put his card into the slot, he had to input a six-digit PIN code.

Wanna just do both together? Digit and PIN code.

Yeah.

Okay, so, a six-digit PIN code.

Alright, now, we have two words here that are new. Digit.

Digit is basically a number between zero and nine.

Okay, so, any number between zero and nine is considered a digit.

Yes, so, one hundred (100) is made up of three digits.

Three digits, okay.

Uhu.

And what about PIN code? [NOTE: PIN is the acronym that stands for a personal identification number]

A PIN code is your secret number that you use to take money out.

Now, why wouldn’t we say password?

Password is usually letters.

Okay, and PIN code is numbers.

Exactly.

Alright. He had to input his six-digit PIN code and then, after that, he had to press the pound key.

Pound key.

Now, this is strange, a pound key, what is that?

Well, you know on a phone…

Uhu.

On the bottom right…

Aha.

There’s a key, um, th… or a button that looks like a number sign.

Number sign, so, kind of like two vertical lines and two horizontal lines.

Yeah, two lines going up and down, two lines going across.

Okay, so, that’s called the pound key.

Uhu.

Alright, what about the other one?

It’s called the star.

The star.

Star key.

The star key, alright. So, after the PIN code, after the pound key, now he’s ready to withdraw money.

Uhu. So, we heard withdrawal.

Okay, so, withdrawal is…

Is a noun; it’s the action of taking money out.

Okay a withdrawal.

A withdrawal.

Okay, and to withdraw.

To withdraw is just the verb.

To take out money, right?

Exactly.

So, we have the noun and the verb. The only difference is an –al at the end.

Yes, so withdrawal – noun, and withdraw – verb.

Okay, and, well, he wanted to withdraw money, but something happened with the ATM and it turned out that he was gonna transfer money. [NOTE: we have here the future in the past; please check this link and listen to this lesson for more information about this grammar topic]

Oh-oh.

Hehe. So, transfer.

Transfer.

Transfer.

When you transfer money, you take it from one place and put it in another.

Okay, and usually in banking when you transfer money, you don’t really see it, right?

Exactly.

It’s all electronic…

Uhu.

So, you just put it from one bank account to another, but you never actually see this money.

Exactly, so, transfer money.

Transfer.

And now, this one also has a verb and a noun, right?

Right, a transfer.

And to transfer.

Same word.

Uh, yep.

Easy. Alright, so, why don’t we listen to our dialogue for the second time? It’s gonna be slowed down a little bit and then we’ll come back and look at some phrases. DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME (slow)

Okay, so, that was a little easier to understand, um…

Uhu.

But, Marco, there’re some interesting phrases here, some instructions that you commonly, um, read or hear when you’re using a bank machine.

So, why don’t we take a look at these phrases in “fluency builder”? Voice: Fluency builder.

Well, the bank machine told this guy to insert your card.

Insert your card.

Insert your card.

So, this verb - to insert.

Uhu.

To place inside.

Exactly, so, what else can we insert?

Well, for example, commonly you insert a disc.

Yeah, in your computer.

In your computer, right?

Yeah, or maybe insert a CD into your CD-player.

Or DVD into your DVD-player.

Yep.

Alright, so, to insert something - to put inside.

Yes.

So, he had to insert his card into the slot.

And then the bank machine asked him to select an option.

Select an option.

Select an option.

Now, this is a very common, ah, phrase that you will… not only see in ATMs, but basically everywhere, right?

Like in… computers or the Internet or many… many things where you’re dealing with machines.

Uhu. So, it’s a… it’s an order that says “well, select one of these choices that you have”.

Make a choice.

Make a choice.

Yeah.

Select an option. Alright, so… two simple phrases, but very useful and also very high frequency, right?

Yeah, and you know what? When you use phrases like these two, it sounds quite professional, doesn’t it?

Yeah, a… a little bit formal.

Uhu.

Okay. So, why don’t we listen to our dialogue for the last time and then we’ll come back and talk a little bit more.

Alright, Erica, so, what about you? Have you ever had any problems with the ATM?

I’ve had more problems than I can count.

Hehe. What happened?

Well, I think in the last two years I’ve probably lost about seven bank cards in an ATM.

Really?

Yeah.

You forget it…

Yes.

In the slot.

Yeah, I leave it in the slot and then walk away from the bank machine and… no bank cards.

Well, I think now the ATMs, because this is the common problem…

Yeah.

Um, now they have like a little alarm that when you take out your money and everything, it just starts beeping and beeping until you take out your card.

Yes and I like the bank machines that actually give you your card first…

Uhu.

And then give you your money.

Ah.

Cause if they give me my money first, that’s all I want, right?

Hehe.

So, I run away with my money and leave my card in the bank machine.

Hehe. Right, I think that’s a good idea. I’ve… I’ve never seen that before, though.

In Switzerland they have them like that.

In Switzerland.

Yeah.

Or what about the ATMs that you only have to swipe your card? [NOTE: in this context swipe means to pass your card through a special machine/device that “reads” the information encoded in a magnetic strip of the card]

Oh, yeah, I’ve done that as well and also ruined a bank card with that.

Hehe.

I swiped it too many times, put in a wrong PIN code and…

It blocked your card.

Yeah, terrible.

Hehe. Well, what about you guys? I su… I’m sure everyone has some experience or some inconvenience with ATM machines. So, why don’t you come to our website and tell us all about it?

You can also find lots more resources on our website, uh, to help your learn English, so check it out and until next time…

Good bye!

Bye!