“I'd like to change two hundred dollars into yen, please.”
A2 · Elementary9 minPhrases
When you need this
You've landed in Tokyo with dollars in your wallet, and the small restaurant near your hotel only takes cash. You go to a bank or an exchange counter. The conversation is short and full of numbers, so the words around the numbers matter: rate, fee, bills, receipt.
The exchange rate is how much of one currency you get for another. Rates change every day, and every counter sets its own. The numbers in this lesson are examples, not today's rates. Always ask two things: the rate, and the fee. A good rate with a big fee can cost more than an average rate with no fee.
Phrases
the standard request
how much foreign money you get for one of yours
the short version at the counter
asks if they charge for the exchange
a fee taken as a percent of the money
asks for the final amount before you agree
asks for low-value notes; British speakers say notes
metal money; useful for buses and machines
most counters ask for ID
asks for a paper record
a cash machine; your home bank may charge a fee
asks if they'll buy your leftover money
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.