English, baby!

Checking Account

Date: May 30 2003

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Sounds good

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Many of my friends from other countries who are studying in the U.S. have written to me and asked questions about opening a checking account. In this lesson, I called the bank to find out what a person needs to bring to the bank if s/he wants to open a new account. Listen in to my conversation with the banker to learn what you need to know.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

John

Banker

Telephone Operator: Thank you for choosing US Bank. This is Carla, how can I help you?

John: Yes, I’d like to set up a checking account. Do I have to do that there?

Telephone Operator: Well, let me actually give it to our banker. I think you can maybe do it on the phone, I’m not sure. Just a second.

Banker: Thank you for holding, this is Andrew.

John: Yeah, I had a couple of questions about setting up a checking account.

Banker: OK.

John: Um, if I come in there today, what kind of information will I need to bring?

Banker: Um, we’ll need the address verification, employment verification, um, and, uh, identification.

John: Okay. And what if I’m not a U.S. citizen?

Banker: That’s fine. Do you have, uh, a social security number or a tax I.D. number?

John: I’m a student here.

Banker: OK.

John: That’ll be fine?

Banker: Um, we’ll need a tax I.D. number or a social security number and, um, if you have a state I.D. card or a driver’s license, um, we take Mexican consulate I.D., we take, um, passports.

John: OK.

Banker: We take a lot of different, um, I.D.’s that you can use. Um, and for address verification all you need is uh, a copy of, uh, uh, a phone bill or like a utility bill or, uh, credit card bill… something like that to verify your address. And then, um, for your, to verify your employment you could just bring a student I.D. card.

John: OK.

Banker: Yeah, which school do you go to?

John: Uh, P.S.U.

Banker: Okay, yeah just… Yeah, just bring a P.S.U. I.D. card.

John: Okay. Alright, well, I’ll come up there later this afternoon then.

Banker: Sounds good.

John: Okay, thank you.

Banker: Thanks for calling.

John: Bye.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

My conversation was a little confusing, wasn’t it? The banker gave me a lot of information to think about. The banker didn’t know the answers to some of the questions I asked about opening an account for foreign students. You can tell by the tone of his voice, and the way that he says, “uh,” often. Can you hear it?
Hopefully this will be a very useful lesson for you to listen to and study. Even if you’re not interested in opening a checking account, the conversation is a great example of REAL English.
Good luck!
- John