A2 · Elementary · Errands · 146 words · ~2 min read

🏦 Opening a Bank Account

Language focus: Present Simple · forms & requirements

Before you read

Banking English is built from a small set of fixed collocations — you open an account, fill in a form, pay in cash, check a balance. The verbs are not interchangeable, and learning the right pairing is more useful here than any grammar rule.

Sofia has just moved to the UK, and she needs a bank account. She visits a branch in the town centre and speaks to an adviser.

“I’d like to open a current account, please,” she says. The adviser asks her to fill in a form and show some identification.

“We will set up your account today,” the adviser explains. “Your debit card will arrive in five working days.” Sofia pays in some cash to start.

“You can check your balance and transfer money using our app,” he adds. Sofia feels organised and very pleased with the easy process.

Sofia has already opened an account in her own country, so she knows what to expect. This process is much simpler than she feared.

Her card arrived on the fourth day. She has set up two direct payments, and she has not had to visit the branch again.

Key vocabulary (8 words)

accountnoun: An arrangement to keep your money at a bank.
branchnoun: One of the local offices of a bank.
advisernoun: A person whose job is to give helpful advice.
identificationnoun: A document that proves who you are.
debit cardnoun: A card that takes money directly from your account.
balancenoun: The amount of money in your account.
transferverb: To move money from one account to another.
withdrawverb: To take money out of your account.

Phrasal verbs in this story

fill in — To fill in a form means to write the needed information on it.
set up — To set up means to create or arrange something.
pay in — To pay in means to put money into a bank account.

The grammar in this story

Present simple for a standard process

“She visits a branch”, “The adviser asks her to fill in a form”, “Sofia pays in some cash.” This happens the same way for every customer, which is why the present simple fits. It also makes the story readable as a set of instructions you could follow yourself.

The verbs that go with account

You open an account and later close it. You pay in or withdraw money, you transfer it, and you check your balance. Using the wrong verb — make an account, control my balance — is understood but marks you immediately as a learner. These pairings are worth memorising as units.

ask someone to do something

“The adviser asks her to fill in a form.” The pattern is ask + person + to + base verb. English needs both the person and the to: he asked to fill in the form means something different, and he asked her fill in is wrong.

will for a service promise

“We will set up your account today.” “Your debit card will arrive in five working days.” Institutions use will for commitments and scheduled outcomes. Note working days — a fixed phrase meaning days excluding weekends and holidays.

Phrases you can reuse today

I’d like to open a current account.: The exact phrase to use at a UK bank.
Could you fill in this form, please?: Fill in a form; British English also allows fill out.
I want to pay in some cash.: Pay in = deposit.
How do I check my balance?: Check, not control or look.

Comprehension quiz

What does Sofia want to open?
- A bank account
- A shop
- A window
Show answer
A bank account
What does she show the adviser?
- Some identification
- A photograph
- A receipt
Show answer
Some identification
When will her debit card arrive?
- In an hour
- In five working days
- Next year
Show answer
In five working days
She ___ some cash to start.
- pays in
- runs out
- throws away
Show answer
pays in
How can she check her balance?
- Using the app
- By post only
- She cannot
Show answer
Using the app
“Fill in” a form means to…
- write the information on it
- tear it up
- post it
Show answer
write the information on it

Now use it yourself

Reading builds recognition; writing your own sentences is what turns it into something you can actually say. Three short tasks:

Write four sentences about what you do with your bank account, using the right verbs.
Describe the process of opening an account in your country, in the present simple.
What do you prefer: an app or a branch? Give one reason.