A ‣ Notes and coins

In the UK the currency [type of money used] is sterling [pounds]; in America it is the dollar; in much of Europe it’s the euro.

Notes e.g. ten pounds, twenty euros, a ten-pound note, a twenty-euro note

Coins (in the UK) e.g. fifty pence (usually spoken as fifty p), a pound, a fifty-pence piece, but a one-pound coin

B ‣ Managing your money

“I’ve had a bank account for a few years now, and I make sure my account is always in credit¹. I go to the cashpoint once a week, so I always have some cash² with me, and I check³ my account online once a week to see how much money I’ve got. ”

¹ having money in the account
² money in the form of notes and coins
³ look at the details of it

C ‣ Money problems

“When I went to university, I had to get a student loan¹ to pay my fees². That meant I had to be careful and make sure I didn’t waste money³, but by the time I finished my degree I owed⁴ a lot. One good thing is that I don’t have to pay it back until I get a job and I’m earning⁵ a reasonable amount⁶ of money. At the moment I’m saving up⁷ for a new laptop; the one I have is very slow and keeps going wrong. I’d love to have a car as well, but I can’t afford⁸ it. ”

¹money you borrow to pay for your studies
²money you pay to use something, or for a service, e.g. a lawyer’s fee
³use it badly
⁴had to pay back a lot of money to the bank
⁵receiving money for the work I do
⁶quite a lot; $ 1 million is a large amount
⁷keeping money to buy something in the future
⁸don’t have enough money to buy one

D ‣ Accommodation*

“This year I’m renting a flat with three friends of mine. We had to pay one month’s rent as a deposit¹, but it’s a nice place, quite good value for money², and the landlord isn’t charging³ us to use his garage. ”

* places where you live or stay
¹money you pay for something you are going to use, which is then returned to you when you have finished using it
²good for the amount of money you pay
³asking someone to pay an amount of money