Learn how to open a bank account using a formal conversation as an example
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Brandon: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ItalianPod101.com. This is Lower Intermediate Season 3 Lesson 10, Opening a Bank Account in Italy. I’m Brandon. |
| Ofelia: Ciao. I'm Ofelia. |
| Brandon: In this lesson, you’ll learn what to say to open a bank account. The conversation takes place in a bank. |
| Ofelia: It’s between Maria and a bank clerk. |
| Brandon: The speakers don't know each other, so they’ll be using formal Italian. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Let’s listen to the conversation |
| Maria: Vorrei aprire un conto corrente. |
| Cassiere: Benissimo. Ce ne sono di vari tipi, dipende dalle sue esigenze. |
| Maria: Sì, ho già scelto. Vorrei aprire un conto corrente online. |
| Cassiere: In questo caso, prima di tutto ho bisogno di un documento di identità e del codice fiscale. |
| Maria: Ecco. |
| Cassiere: Grazie. Poi è necessario che compili questi moduli. |
| Maria: Sarà attivo da oggi stesso? |
| Cassiere: Ci vuole qualche giorno e dopo che la richiesta è accettata, deve venire di nuovo di persona. |
| Maria: Di nuovo? Ma io lavoro! Era necessario che me lo dicesse prima! |
| Cassiere: Mi dispiace, ma è la prassi. |
| Brandon: Listen to the conversation with an English translation |
| Maria: Vorrei aprire un conto corrente. |
| Maria: I would like to open a bank account. |
| Cassiere: Benissimo. Ce ne sono di vari tipi, dipende dalle sue esigenze. |
| Clerk: Very well. There are many types, it depends on your needs. |
| Maria: Sì, ho già scelto. Vorrei aprire un conto corrente online. |
| Maria: Yes, I have already chosen. I would like to open an online bank account. |
| Cassiere: In questo caso, prima di tutto ho bisogno di un documento di identità e del codice fiscale. |
| Clerk: In this case, first of all, I need an ID and and the fiscal code (social security number). |
| Maria: Ecco. |
| Maria: Here they are. |
| Cassiere: Grazie. Poi è necessario che compili questi moduli. |
| Clerk: Thank you. Then it is necessary that you fill out these forms. |
| Maria: Sarà attivo da oggi stesso? |
| Maria: Will it be active starting today? |
| Cassiere: Ci vuole qualche giorno e dopo che la richiesta è accettata, deve venire di nuovo di persona. |
| Clerk: It takes a few days and after the request is accepted, you have to come in person again. |
| Maria: Di nuovo? Ma io lavoro! Era necessario che me lo dicesse prima! |
| Maria: Again? But I work! You should have told me before. |
| Cassiere: Mi dispiace, ma è la prassi. |
| Clerk: I'm sorry, but it's the normal procedure. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Brandon: As you may know, the first modern Western bank was founded in Italy, in Genoa. This means Italian banks are tied to a strong and old tradition. |
| Ofelia: In Italy, there are many banks and they are often small, compared to other ones. |
| Brandon: On the one hand they are considered "dead weight" by analysts, but on the other hand their relatively inflexible system has preserved the national economy and avoided big fluctuations. What else can you tell us about Italian banks? |
| Ofelia: Well, since I’ve lived abroad, I know for sure that Italian banks are more expensive than the average. There are too many fees for every operation you do - even if you are only handling a simple bank account. |
| Brandon: And if you ask them for something more delicate, such as a loan, you will need to be very patient, not only because they need to have enough grants, but also to go through all the bureaucracy. |
| Ofelia: That’s right - it’s a bit of a headache. |
| Brandon: So keep that in mind, listeners! Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Brandon: Let’s take a look at some of the vocabulary used in this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Ofelia: conto corrente [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: account |
| Ofelia: conto corrente [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: conto corrente [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: documento [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: document |
| Ofelia: documento [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: documento [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: identità [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: identity |
| Ofelia: identità [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: identità [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: codice fiscale [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: social security number, fiscal code |
| Ofelia: codice fiscale [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: codice fiscale [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: compilare [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: to fill in, to complete |
| Ofelia: compilare [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: compilare [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: modulo [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: form |
| Ofelia: modulo [slow speed] |
| Ofelia: modulo [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: richiesta [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: request |
| Ofelia: richiesta [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: richiesta [natural native speed] |
| Next we have.. |
| Ofelia: prassi [natural native speed] |
| Brandon: normal procedure |
| Ofelia: prassi [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: prassi [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Brandon: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Ofelia: codice fiscale |
| Brandon: which means "Fiscal code or the Italian equivalent of the U.S.’s Social Security Number” |
| Ofelia: This phrase is made of a noun which is codice, meaning "code" and an adjective which is fiscale, meaning "fiscal". |
| Brandon:You use this phrase exclusively to refer to this code that every person in Italy is given by the Tax Authority. |
| Ofelia: It can refer to both the code of numbers and the real card, similar to a credit card. This code is also related to the sanitary system. |
| Brandon: Can you give us an example? |
| Ofelia: Sure, for example, Non mi hanno ancora mandato il codice fiscale. |
| Branodn: meaning "They haven't sent me the fiscal code yet." |
| Brandon: Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Ofelia: Next we have.. prassi |
| Brandon: Which on its own means "normal procedure" |
| Ofelia: This is a feminine noun and it refers to what should be concretely done, according to certain rules. |
| Brandon: This word is more specific to fields where theory and practice are bound by rules, such as the fields of medicine or law. |
| Ofelia: In everyday life, this word is often used to talk about offices’ bureaucracy, like in the dialogue. |
| Brandon: Okay, and when should we avoid this expression? |
| Ofelia: You can't use this word for talking about everyday actions, where there aren’t strict rules for doing something. |
| Brandon: Can you give us an example of the correct usage? |
| Ofelia: Sure, For example, Hai seguito la prassi? |
| Brandon: Which means "Did you follow the normal procedure?" Okay, now on to the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Brandon: In this lesson, you will learn how to use another impersonal expression. We will focus on the construction of a clause with a verb in the subjunctive mood. |
| Ofelia: The specific clauses we will be looking at for this lesson are E' necessario che |
| Brandon: meaning "It's necessary that" |
| Ofelia: And Era necessario che |
| Brandon: which is the same expression but in the past tense, and it means "It was necessary that." These expressions are very useful to talk about duties and something that should be done in general, as a rule, or just following good common sense. |
| Ofelia: Like many other verbs that express a personal opinion like credere meaning “to believe”, or pensare meaning “to think”, è necessario usually requires the congiuntivo, or “subjunctive”, in the subordinate clause. |
| Brandon: To choose the right tense in the subordinate clause, you have to look at the tense of the main clause, and decide what the time relation is between the two. In other words, you have to choose whether the verb of the main clause is in the present or future tense. Ofelia, can you give us some examples with the present tense in the main clause? |
| Ofelia: Sure, E' necessario che lo studio sia luminoso. |
| Brandon: "It is necessary that the studio is bright.” And what about an example with the past tesne? |
| Ofelia:Sure, Era necessario che tagliassi le verdure prima. |
| Brandon: “It was necessary that you cut the vegetables before.” In both cases, the actions of both the main clause and the secondary one happen at the same time, either in the present or in the past. Be careful to match tenses and mood correctly. For more information, please check the lesson notes. |
| Ofelia: The impersonal expression è necessario can also be followed by an infinitive without the conjunction che. |
| Brandon: Can you give us an example? |
| Ofelia: E' necessario tagliare le verdure prima di iniziare. |
| Brandon: "It is necessary to cut the vegetables before starting.” Listeners, for more examples, don’t forget to check the Lesson Notes! |
Outro |
| Brandon: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone. See you next time! |
| Ofelia: A presto. |
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