French Currency Exchange Vocabulary and Essential Terms

Useful French phases and questions to help with banking and currency exchange.

Exchange money – changer de l’argent

I want to withdraw some money please: Je veux retirer de l’argent s’il vous plaît

What’s my balance? Quelle est la position de mon compte?

What is the current exchange rate? Quel est le taux de change actuel?

When will I receive my bank card and pin number? Quand est-ce que je recevrai ma carte bancaire et mon code personnel?

To make a transfer from one account to another: faire un virement d’un compte sur un autre

To pay a sum of money into an account: verser une somme à un compte

To save money: faire des économies

An A-Z glossary of all the essential words and vocabulary you might come across when exchanging French currency.

Acheteur – the buyer
Acompte – deposit or downpayment.
Acquérir – to buy (e.g. a property or land) or become the owner of
Amortissement – repayment schedule
Approvisionner  (un compte) – to credit (an account)
Argent Liquide – cash
Une banque – a bank
Banque de Consignation – the bank into which you transfer the notaire’s fees.
un bureau de change – currency exchange
Une carte de crédit – credit card
Compromis de Vente – a legally binding contract that sets out terms of a property sale agreement
un compte bancaire – a bank account
Courtier (en bourse) – Broker (stock broker)
la crise financière – financial crisis
Dépenser – to spend
Déposer d’argent – to deposit money
Dépôt de garantie — The security deposit paid after signing the Compromis de Vente, typically 10%
Entrer en récession – to go into a recession
les devises/la monnaie étrangère – currency
les frais – fees
Frais de Notaire – notaire fees on the sale of a French property
Frais de tenue de compte – bank account fees
Immobilière – estate agent
Liquide -cash
le marché boursier – stock market
Mensualité – Monthly payment or repayment
la monnaie – money (coins), or currency
Montant de votre mensualité – monthly payment amounts
Notaire – the public officer legally responsible for conveyancing in France
Prélèvement automatique – Automatic direct debit authorised and signed for by account holder
Prêt Immobilier – mortgage
Prêteur – lender
le ralentissement économique – economic slowdown
Relevé de compte – Bank/account statement
Retirer (de l’argent) – withdraw (money/funds)
les services financiers – financial services
Signer – sign
le Taux (d’intérêt) – (Interest) rate
Taux de Change – exchange rate
Titulaire – Account holder
l’unité monétaire – the unit of currency (e.g. the Euro)
Versement – Paying a sum of money into an account
Virement (bancaire) – a (bank) transfer
Virer – to transfer

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