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

E: And I’m Erica.

M: And today we’re gonna be getting money.

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

M: The ATM or…

E: Automatic Teller Machine.

M: Okay, that’s what it stands for, ATM.

E: Uhu.

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

E: 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.

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

E: Exactly.

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

E: Yeah, or maybe the cash machine.

M: Uhu.

E: Uhu.

M: Or just a money machine or something. Alright…

E: So, ATM.

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

E: Local authorities.

M: The local authorities.

E: The local authorities.

M: So, what are the local authorities?

E: Well, basically, it’s the police.

M: The police.

E: Uhu.

M: Why do you say local authorities?

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

M: Uhu.

E: The boss.

M: Uhu.

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

M: In that area.

E: Yeah, so…

M: Okay.

E: The police.

M: The local authorities.

E: Uhu.

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

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

DIALOGUE, FIRST TIME

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

E: 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.

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

E: Uhu.

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

Voice: Language takeaway.

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

M: Okay, so, slot.

E: Slot.

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

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

M: Long and… it’s like a rectangular hole.

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

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

E: Uhu.

M: The mailman will put into your mailbox through the slot.

E: That’s right.

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

E: Wanna just do both together? Digit and PIN code.

M: Yeah.

E: Okay, so, a six-digit PIN code.

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

E: Digit is basically a number between zero and nine.

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

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

M: Three digits, okay.

E: Uhu.

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

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

M: Now, why wouldn’t we say password?

E: Password is usually letters.

M: Okay, and PIN code is numbers.

E: Exactly.

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

E: Pound key.

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

E: Well, you know on a phone…

M: Uhu.

E: On the bottom right…

M: Aha.

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

M: Number sing, so, kind of like two vertical lines and two horizontal lines.

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

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

E: Uhu.

M: Alright, what about the other one?

E: It’s called the star.

M: The star.

E: Star key.

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

E: Uhu. So, we heard withdrawal.

M: Okay, so, withdrawal is…

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

M: Okay a withdrawal.

E: A withdrawal.

M: Okay, and to withdraw.

E: To withdraw is just the verb.

M: To take out money, right?

E: Exactly.

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

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

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

E: Oh-oh.

M: Hehe. So, transfer.

E: Transfer.

M: Transfer.

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

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

E: Exactly.

M: It’s all electronic…

E: Uhu.

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

E: Exactly, so, transfer money.

M: Transfer.

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

M: Right, a transfer.

E: And to transfer.

M: Same word.

E: Uh, yep.

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

DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME (slow pace)

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

M: Uhu.

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

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

Voice: Fluency builder.

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

M: Insert your card.

E: Insert your card.

M: So, this verb - to insert.

E: Uhu.

M: To place inside.

E: Exactly, so, what else can we insert?

M: Well, for example, commonly you insert a disc.

E: Yeah, in your computer.

M: In your computer, right?

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

M: Or DVD into your DVD-player.

E: Yep.

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

E: Yes.

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

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

M: Select an option.

E: Select an option.

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

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

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

E: Make a choice.

M: Make a choice.

E: Yeah.

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

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

M: Yeah, a… a little bit formal.

E: Uhu.

M: 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.

DIALOGUE, THIRD TIME

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

E: I’ve had more problems than I can count.

M: Hehe. What happened?

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

M: Really?

E: Yeah.

M: You forget it…

E: Yes.

M: In the slot.

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

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

E: Yeah.

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

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

M: Uhu.

E: And then give you your money.

M: Ah.

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

M: Hehe.

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

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

E: In Switzerland they have them like that.

M: In Switzerland.

E: Yeah.

M: Or what about the ATMs that you only have to swipe your card? [Comment: 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]

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

M: Hehe.

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

M: It blocked your card.

E: Yeah, terrible.

M: 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?

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

M: Good bye!

E: Bye!

A: Stupid girl, making me spend so much money,now I have to get it from the ATM...
B: Hello, welcome to Universal Bank. Please insert your card into the slot.
A: I know where to put my card! Stupid machine,talking to me like I’m an idiot...
B: Please input your 6 digit PIN code followed by the pound key. Thank you. Please select an option.Thank you. You have selected withdrawal.
A: Yeah, yeah, I know what I selected. Just gimme my money!
B: Please type the amount you would like to with draw. Thank you, you want to transfer 10000 USD to the World Wildlife Foundation. If this is correctplease press 1.
A: No, no! Stupid machine, what are you doing! No!
B: Confirmed. Thank you for using our bank! Please remove your card from the slot. Goodbye!
C: Danger, danger! The exits have been sealed and the doors will remain locked in until the local authorities arrive. Thank you for using our bank.Have a nice day.
A: No!