Using The ATM

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

Erica: And I’m Erica.

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

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

Marco: The ATM or…

Erica: Automatic Teller Machine.

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

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: 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.

Erica: 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.

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

Erica: Exactly.

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

Erica: Yeah, or maybe the cash machine.

Marco: Uhu.

Erica: Uhu.

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

Erica: So, ATM.

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

Erica: Local authorities.

Marco: The local authorities.

Erica: The local authorities.

Marco: So, what are the local authorities?

Erica: Well, basically, it’s the police.

Marco: The police.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: Why do you say local authorities?

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

Marco: Uhu.

Erica: The boss.

Marco: Uhu.

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

Marco: In that area.

Erica: Yeah, so…

Marco: Okay.

Erica: The police.

Marco: The local authorities.

Erica: Uhu.

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

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

Dialogue (First Time): [Dialogue content not provided in the source transcript]

【对话（第一遍）：源文本中未提供具体对话内容】

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

Erica: 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.

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

Erica: Uhu.

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

Voice: Language takeaway.

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

Marco: Okay, so, slot.

Erica: Slot.

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

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

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

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

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

Erica: Uhu.

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

Erica: That’s right.

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

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

Marco: Yeah.

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

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

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

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

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

Marco: Three digits, okay.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: And what about PIN code?

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

Marco: Now, why wouldn’t we say password?

Erica: Password is usually letters.

Marco: Okay, and PIN code is numbers.

Erica: Exactly.

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

Erica: Pound key.

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

Erica: Well, you know on a phone…

Marco: Uhu.

Erica: On the bottom right…

Marco: Aha.

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

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

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

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

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: Alright, what about the other one?

Erica: It’s called the star.

Marco: The star.

Erica: Star key.

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

Erica: Uhu. So, we heard withdrawal.

Marco: Okay, so, withdrawal is…

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

Marco: Okay a withdrawal.

Erica: A withdrawal.

Marco: Okay, and to withdraw.

Erica: To withdraw is just the verb.

Marco: To take out money, right?

Erica: Exactly.

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

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

Marco: Okay, and, well, he wanted to withdraw money, but something happened with the ATM and it turned out that he was gonna transfer money.

Erica: Oh-oh.

Marco: Hehe. So, transfer.

Erica: Transfer.

Marco: Transfer.

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

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

Erica: Exactly.

Marco: It’s all electronic…

Erica: Uhu.

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

Erica: Exactly, so, transfer money.

Marco: Transfer.

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

Marco: Right, a transfer.

Erica: And to transfer.

Marco: Same word.

Erica: Uh, yep.

Marco: 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): [Dialogue content not provided in the source transcript]

【对话（第二遍 - 慢速）：源文本中未提供具体对话内容】

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

Marco: Uhu.

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

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

Voice: Fluency builder.

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

Marco: Insert your card.

Erica: Insert your card.

Marco: So, this verb - to insert.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: To place inside.

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

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

Erica: Yeah, in your computer.

Marco: In your computer, right?

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

Marco: Or DVD into your DVD-player.

Erica: Yep.

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

Erica: Yes.

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

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

Marco: Select an option.

Erica: Select an option.

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

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

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

Erica: Make a choice.

Marco: Make a choice.

Erica: Yeah.

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

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

Marco: Yeah, a… a little bit formal.

Erica: Uhu.

Marco: 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): [Dialogue content not provided in the source transcript]

【对话（第三遍）：源文本中未提供具体对话内容】

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

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

Marco: Hehe. What happened?

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

Marco: Really?

Erica: Yeah.

Marco: You forget it…

Erica: Yes.

Marco: In the slot.

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

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

Erica: Yeah.

Marco: 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.

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

Marco: Uhu.

Erica: And then give you your money.

Marco: Ah.

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

Marco: Hehe.

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

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

Erica: In Switzerland they have them like that.

Marco: In Switzerland.

Erica: Yeah.

Marco: Or what about the ATMs that you only have to swipe your card?

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

Marco: Hehe.

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

Marco: It blocked your card.

Erica: Yeah, terrible.

Marco: 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?

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

Marco: Good bye!

Erica: Bye!