Chapter 14

Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land

In This Chapter

Understanding French currency

Changing money and cashing checks

Using an ATM and credit cards

Money, l’argent (lahr-zhahN), makes the world go ’round, they say, and you need money to go ’round the world. If you have the

opportunity — and pleasure — of traveling to a French-speaking country, you need to know what the currency is and how to complete numerous monetary transactions, like exchanging currency, cashing traveler’s checks, using bank machines, and more. In this chapter, we give you the information and phrases you need to express your needs clearly through several kinds of money transactions.

Getting Current with Currency

Unified Europe — the block of countries that are part of the European Union — has made it easier to cross the borders within the EU without the hassle of going through border check points. Furthermore, many countries within the EU have a common currency, the euro (€), which has been legal currency since January 1, 1999. As of January 1, 2011, 17 out of 27 European Union countries, including France, use the euro. Here is a list of French-speaking regions and countries around the world that use the euro:

In Europe: France, Monaco, Belgium, Luxemburg, Corsica

In the Americas: French Guiana, St. Pierre, and Miquelon

In the Caribbean: Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Barthélemy, and St. Martin

In the Indian Ocean: Mayotte and La Réunion

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Of course, not all French-speaking countries are part of the European Union, nor do they all use euros. If you travel to any of these countries, you’ll want to know the currency used there. The following sections tell you what you need to know.

Getting familiar with euros and cents

The euro, like all other monetary units, comes in the form of coins and bills in several denominations. There are seven different denominations of euro notes, or bills, and each has a distinct color and size. These notes are the same for all countries in the Euro zone, that is, the 17 countries that have adopted the euro. The coins, however, have a common front side, but the designs on the back of the coins are specific to each country. The following sections have the details. For more information, go to http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/euro.

Getting the bills straight

There are seven different denominations of the euro: €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. Unlike U.S. dollar bills, which all have the same size and color, the euro bills increase in size with the denomination and are very colorful. The notes, which are the same for all countries in the Euro zone, denote European symbols such as European architecture, a map of Europe, the name “Euro”

in Greek and Latin, the 12 stars of the European flag, and so on. The front features windows and gateways, and the back depicts European bridges. Figure 14-1 shows the front and back of a euro bill.

Figure 14-1:

All euros are the same from country to country. (Not actual size.)

Looking at the coins

Euro coins come in denominations ranging from 1 centime (sahN-teem) (cent) to 50 centimes (sahN-teem) (cents): There are also €1 and €2 coins. There are eight coins in all: € 0.01, € 0.02, € 0.05, € 0.10, € 0.20, € 0.50, €1, and € 2.

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The coins have a common front side, but the backside of the coins differs by country, and they can be used interchangeably throughout the various countries that use the euro. The French coins include these three symbols (see Figure 14-2):

La Marianne (lah mah-ree-ahn), representing the French Republic of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité (lee-behr-tey, ey-gah-lee-tey, frah-tehr-nee- tey) (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity), is on €0.01, €0.02, and €0.05 cent coins.

La Semeuse (lah seh-muhz) (the Sower), a theme carried over from the French Franc, is on €0.10, €0.20, and €0.50 cent coins.

L’Arbre (lahr-bruh) (the Tree) surrounded by a hexagon is on €1 and €2 coins. The tree symbolizes life, continuity, and growth, and the hexagon symbolizes France, which is also called l’Hexagone (leh-ksah-gohn) (the Hexagon) because of its six-sided shape.

Figure 14-2:

From left: La Marianne, la Semeuse, and l’Arbre.

The coins vary in size, but, just like U.S. coins, they don’t necessarily grow in proportion to the denomination.

When you do your banking or shopping, keep in mind that the French separate euros and centimes with a comma, not with a period. For example, 100,00 in French euros is written in English as 100.00.

Beyond Europe and the euro: Currency in other French-speaking countries

As mentioned previously, not all French-speaking countries use the euro. Table 14-1 lists the currencies of several countries where French is either the official language or one of the official languages. (French is also spoken in many more places, such as many regions of Africa, although it is not the official language; this list doesn’t include those countries):

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Table 14-1 Currency in Other Countries Where French Is Spoken

* CFP stands for Cour de Franc Pacifique, translated as the Pacific Franc.

Going to the Bank

When you travel to another country, one of the first places you probably need to go is to la banque (lah bahNk) (the bank), where you can exchange currency, cash a traveler’s check, or change large bills into smaller denominations. The following vocabulary terms can help you navigate your way to the right people and areas of a bank and request what you need:

la caisse (lah kehs) (cash register)

le caissier/la caissière (luh key-syey/lah key-syehr) (teller)

le client/la cliente (luh klee-yahN/lah klee-yahNt) (customer)

le guichet de change (luh gee-sheh duh shahNzh) (cashier’s window)

en argent liquide (ahN nahr-zahN lee-keed) (in cash)

le reçu (luh ruh-sew) (receipt)

la signature (lah see-nyah-tewr) (signature)

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Banking hours, heures d’ouverture et de fermeture (uhr dooh-vehr-tewr ey duh fehr-muh-tewr), can range between 8h (wee-tuhr) (8:00 a.m.) and 10h (dee-zuhr) (10:00 a.m.), and 14h (kah-tohrz uhr) (2:00 p.m.) and 17h (dee-seht uhr) (5:00 p.m.); refer to Chapter 4 for telling time in French. Some banks close during lunch break, which can last up to two hours.

Getting — and requesting — assistance

When you enter a bank, someone there may ask you how he or she can help you. You may hear one of these phrases, both of which mean Can I help you?

Vous désirez? (vooh dey-zee-rey?)

Je peux vous aider? (zhuh puh vooh-zey-dey?)

Instead of waiting to be offered help, you can also just walk up to an employee and state what you want. Start your request with Je voudrais . . .

(zhuh vooh-dreh. . . ) (I would like . . .) and then add the specifics, for example, changer des dollars en euros (shahN-zhey dey doh-lahr ahN uh-roh) (to change dollars into euros) or encaisser un chèque (ahN-key-sey uhN shehk) (to cash a check).

To say I need something in French, you express it as I have need of something.

You pick the appropriate form of the verb avoir (ah-vwahr) (to have) — head to Chapter 2 for the conjugation of avoir — add besoin de (buh-zwaN duh) (need of), and then follow it with whatever you need. All together, it looks like this: J’ai besoin de. . . . (zhey buh-zwaN duh. . . .) (I need. . . .) + a noun or a verb in the infinitive form. Here are some examples:

J’ai besoin d’une pièce d’identité. (zhey buh-zwaN dewn pyehs dee-dahN-tee-tey.) (I need identification.)

Christine a besoin d’argent. (krees-teen ah buh-zwaN dahr-zhahN.) (Christine needs money.)

Avez-vous besoin de changer des dollars? (ah-vey-vooh buh-zwaN duh shahN-zhey dey doh-lahr?) (Do you need to change dollars?)

Exchanging money

Because the majority member states of the European Union use the euro as the shared currency, you have only one exchange rate to deal with for most European countries. Wonderful, right? And perfect for travelers. When you have une devise (étrangère) (ewn duh-veez [ey-trahN-zhehr]) (foreign

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currency), you can go to any of the following three convenient places to exchange money at a reasonable rate:

les banques (ley bahNk) (banks). Especially in smaller towns, banks are often the most convenient place to exchange currency because small towns are less likely to have a specific currency exchange office. Banks charge an additional fee (which may vary from bank to bank) to exchange currency.

un bureau de change (uhN bew-roh duh shahNzh) (a currency exchange office). These businesses are everywhere in big cities. However, check the rates and commissions first because they can vary greatly. A bank is often a good alternative when no currency exchange office is available.

la poste (lah pohst) (the post office). In France, you can change money in many post offices. They open at 8:00 a.m. (8h) and close at around 7:00 p.m. (19h). If you happen to walk into a post office that doesn’t offer currency exchange, the postal clerks can direct you to the nearest place that does offer this service.

Other places, such as hotel lobbies, may exchange currency, but their rates are usually less favorable. Likewise, although you may have to change a few dollars at the money exchange counter of the airport upon your arrival, you can usually get a better deal if you wait until you are in town to change money at a bank.

As a general guide, the U.S. dollar is worth less than the euro and slightly more than the Canadian dollar. To find more precise, current exchange rates go to www.finance.yahoo.com. Alternatively, you can simply ask for the current exchange rate with this question: Quel est votre taux de change? (kehl eh vohh-truh toh duh shahNzh?) (What is your exchange rate?). Here are some other phrases that may come in handy:

Est-ce qu’on peut changer de l’argent ici? (ehs-kohN puh shahN-zhey duh lahr-zhahN ee-see?) (Can one exchange money here?)

Je voudrais changer des dollars américains pour. . . . (zhuh vooh-dreh shahN-zhey dey doh-lahr ah-mey-ree-kaN poohr. . . .) (I would like to change U.S. dollars for. . . .)

Quels sont vos frais de change? (kehl sohN voh freh duh shahNzh?) (How much do you charge to change money?)

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Talkin’ the Talk

Martin, a Canadian tourist, walks into a money exchange office in

Nice to exchange his Canadian dollars into euros. (Track 15)

L’employée: Bonjour, monsieur, vous désirez? bohN-zhoohr, muh-syuh, vooh dey-zee-rey?

Hello, sir, what can I do for you?

Martin: Bonjour, madame. Je voudrais changer cent dollars canadiens.

bohN-zhoohr, mah-dahm. zhuh vooh-dreh shahNzhey sahN doh-lahr cah-nah-dyaN.

Hello, ma’am. I would like to change one hundred Canadian dollars.

L’employée: Très bien, monsieur. Un moment, s’il vous plaît. . . .

Bon, ça fait 75 euros. . . . Voilà, et votre reçu. treh byaN, muh-syuh. uhN moh-mahN, seel vooh

pleh. . . . bohN, sah feh swah-sahN kaNz uh-roh. . . .

vwah-lah, ey vohh-truh ruh-sew.

Very well, sir. One moment, please. . . . Well, it’s 75 euros. . . . Here you are, and your receipt.

Martin: Merci, et au revoir. mehr-see, ey ohr-vwahr.

Thank you, and good-bye.

L’employée: Au revoir, monsieur. ohr-vwahr, muh-syuh.

Good-bye, sir.

Cashing checks and checking your cash

Cashing un chèque de voyage (uhN shehk duh voh-yahzh) (a traveler’s check) is another task you can take care of in la banque. When you go to cash your checks, you can say Je voudrais encaisser. . . . (zhuh vooh-dreh ahN-key-sey. . . .) (I would like to cash. . . .). You’ll be asked to provide une pièce d’identité (ewn pyehs dee-dahN-tee-tey) (an I.D.) and votre signature (vohh-truh see-nyah-tewr) (your signature).

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You can save yourself a lot of trouble by getting these checks in your destination’s local currency. Cashing local checks is gratuit (grah-twee) (free of charge). If it isn’t, go to another bank. If your traveler’s checks aren’t in the local currency, you have to pay a fee to get them exchanged into local money. Another benefit is that many stores accept local checks just as they would cash.

As convenient as it may be to have your traveler’s checks made in the local currency, traveler’s checks in U.S. dollars may be useful as a back-up source in the event that your plans change, you decide to stretch your visit to another country, or if U.S. dollars just make you feel better in a security blanket sort of way.

Making change

Large bills can be inconvenient. Pulling out a very large bill to pay for a very inexpensive item can make you feel conspicuous. In addition, some businesses may not accept bills over a certain amount, and you may be asked Avez-vous de la (petite) monnaie? (ah-vey-vooh duh lah [puh-teet] moh-neh?) (Do you have [small] change?). The same question in Quebec is

Avez-vous du p’tit change? (ah-vey-vooh dew ptee shahNzh?). Plus, having a variety of small bills makes it a little easier to keep track of how much you’re spending and how much change you should get back, which is particularly helpful when you’re still learning to count out a new and unfamiliar currency. So when you want to get some change, you can use these phrases:

J’ai besoin de monnaie. (zhey buh-zwaN duh moh-neh.) (I need change [coins].)

Je voudrais faire du change. (zhuh vooh-dreh fehr dew shahNzh.) (I would like to get some change.) — Quebec

Je voudrais faire de la monnaie. (zhuh vooh-dreh fehr duh lah moh-neh.) (I would like to get some change.) — France

Be careful not to accidentally translate the English word money to monnaie. Although money and monnaie look and sound so much alike, the word French word for money is actually argent (ahr-zhahN).

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Talkin’ the Talk

Susan is in a bank, wanting to cash her traveler’s checks. She speaks to la caissière (lah key-syehr) (the teller).

Susan: Bonjour, mademoiselle. Je voudrais encaisser mes chèques de voyage.

bohN-zhoohr, mahd-mwah-zehl. zhuh vooh-dreh ahN-key-sey mey shehk duh voh-yahzh.

Hello, miss. I would like to cash my traveler’s checks.

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