Today's words · 🏦 At the bank
Banking in German: 10 words you'll need on day one
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After a flat, the next thing you need in Germany is a bank account.
Rent, salary, phone contract — everything wants a German account. Then the bank clerk starts talking fast about IBAN this and PIN that.
Here are ten words you'll definitely hear at the bank. With them you can open an account, take cash out of a machine and send money to a friend on your own. 🏦
📋 The ten words at a glance
- die Bank — bank; bench
- das Konto — (bank) account
- eröffnen — to open (an account, a shop); to inaugurate
- das Bargeld — cash
- der Geldautomat — cash machine, ATM
- abheben — to withdraw (money); to take off (plane)
- die EC-Karte — debit card, bank card
- die PIN — PIN
- überweisen — to transfer (money)
- die IBAN — IBAN (international bank account number)
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Bank
[BUNK]bank; bench(Pl. die Banken (bench: die Bänke))
📌 Ich gehe heute zur Bank.
→ I'm going to the bank today.
💡 It once meant ‘bench’ — money changers sat at benches to count coins 🪑
⚠ Two plurals: Banken = banks, Bänke = benches.
das Konto
[KON-toh](bank) account(Pl. die Konten)
📌 Ich möchte ein Konto eröffnen.
→ I'd like to open an account.
💡 Think ac-COUNT: a place where your money is counted 🧮
⚠ The plural is die Konten, not Kontos.
eröffnen
[air-ERF-nen]to open (an account, a shop); to inaugurate(eröffnet – hat eröffnet)
📌 Online kann man schnell ein Konto eröffnen.
→ You can open an account quickly online.
💡 öffnen (open) + er- = open something new 🎉 Accounts, shops, exhibitions — all eröffnen.
Bonus The opposite: ein Konto kündigen = to close an account
das Bargeld
[BAR-gelt]cash((no pl.))
📌 Hast du Bargeld dabei?
→ Do you have any cash on you?
💡 bar (bare) + Geld (money) = bare money in your hand 💶
Bonus Zahlen Sie bar oder mit Karte? = Cash or card?
der Geldautomat
[GELT-ow-toh-maht]cash machine, ATM(Pl. die Geldautomaten · Swiss: der Bancomat · Austrian: der Bankomat)
📌 Gibt es hier in der Nähe einen Geldautomaten?
→ Is there a cash machine near here?
💡 Geld (money) + Automat (machine) = money machine 🏧 Just stick them together.
Bonus People often just say der Automat.
abheben
[AP-hay-ben]to withdraw (money); to take off (plane)(hebt ab – hat abgehoben)
📌 Ich muss noch Geld abheben.
→ I still need to get some money out.
💡 ab (off) + heben (lift, like heave) = lift money off your account ✈️ Planes abheben too — they take off!
⚠ Separable: Ich hebe Geld ab. Perfect: hat abgehoben.
die EC-Karte
[AY-tsay-kar-tuh]debit card, bank card(Pl. die EC-Karten · Austrian: die Bankomat-Karte)
📌 Kann ich hier mit EC-Karte bezahlen?
→ Can I pay by debit card here?
💡 Say the letters the German way: ‘ay-tsay’ 💳 The card everyone pulls out at the supermarket.
Bonus Also called Girocard or Debitkarte.
die PIN
[PIN]PIN(Pl. die PINs)
📌 Bitte geben Sie Ihre PIN ein.
→ Please enter your PIN.
💡 Same as English, but feminine because die Nummer is 🔢
Bonus to enter your PIN = die PIN eingeben
überweisen
[ue-ber-VY-zen]to transfer (money)(überweist – hat überwiesen)
📌 Ich überweise dir das Geld morgen.
→ I'll transfer the money to you tomorrow.
💡 über (across) + weisen (point) = point your money across to someone else 💸
⚠ Inseparable, so no ge-: Ich habe das Geld überwiesen.
die IBAN
[EE-bahn]IBAN (international bank account number)(Pl. die IBANs)
📌 Können Sie mir Ihre IBAN geben?
→ Could you give me your IBAN?
💡 Read it like the name Ivan with a b 🙋 Feminine, because die Nummer.
Bonus A German IBAN starts with DE.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Germany still has a soft spot for cash. Card payment is far more common than it used to be, but at small bakeries or a local Kneipe you may still see a sign saying ‘Nur Bargeld’ (cash only).
Rent and bills are usually paid by bank transfer (Überweisung) or direct debit (Lastschrift). That's why almost every tenancy or work form has a box for your IBAN.
When you need cash, try to use your own bank's machines or those of a partner bank. Other machines often charge a fee. 💶
✅ Quick quiz
Q. At the cash machine, your friend wants to say ‘I need to get some money out.’ Which sentence fits?
- ① Ich muss Geld überweisen.
- ② Ich muss Geld abheben.
- ③ Ich muss ein Konto eröffnen.
Show the answer
② Ich muss Geld abheben.
Geld abheben means to withdraw money, exactly what you do at a cash machine.
Say ‘Ich möchte ein Konto eröffnen.’ out loud three times, as if you're standing at the counter. 💳
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 📮 Post & parcels