Money & Personal Finance
Money & Personal Finance — 20 high-frequency words, with pronunciation, collocations, false friends and four interactive exercises.
📌 Lesson contents
🎯 Lesson aim
Twenty words for talking about prices, savings and spending 💶. You will learn the trickiest pair in English: lend (give to someone for a while) and borrow (take from someone for a while). They are opposites, and many learners mix them up. 🚀
🗂️ Word Bank
Tap 🔊 to hear the British pronunciation. The IPA transcription is under each word.
📖 Words in context
The first salary · tap a highlighted word to hear it.
When Luca got his first income, he promised himself he would save up for a scooter. In practice, he began to spend everything before the 20th of the month.
His expenses were simple: rent, food and the phone bill. But he also had a habit of buying overpriced clothes online, and once he had to borrow money from his sister. She agreed to lend it to him, but reminded him every day about the sixty euros he still owes.
So he made a budget. He opened a second account, decided to withdraw a fixed amount in cash every Monday, and stopped using his card. He did not take out a loan — the interest was far too high, and he refused to start his adult life in debt. Six months later he could afford the scooter. "It's old," he says, "but it's worth every euro."
🔗 Collocations & chunks
Words are learned in pairs, not alone: memorise the whole chunk.
| Chunk / collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| make ends meet | to have just enough money to live | It's hard to make ends meet. |
| be short of money | to not have enough money | I'm a bit short of money this week. |
| pay something back | to return money you owe | I'll pay you back on Friday. |
| live within your means | to spend no more than you earn | Try to live within your means. |
| a good value for money | a fair price for what you get | That restaurant is good value for money. |
| cut down on spending | to spend less | We need to cut down on spending. |
⚠️ Tricky Words and Traps
| English word | Real meaning ✅ | Common trap ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| expenses | money spent on costs | It doesn’t mean “experiences” → that is experiences |
| comfortable | having enough money to live well | “Be comfortable” can mean “live without money worries” |
| rent | money you pay regularly to use a home | It isn’t money you earn from a property → that is income / return |
| preventive | approximate cost given in advance | A price offered before a job starts is a quote / an estimate |
🎚️ Register: when to use them
| Expression | Register | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| It cost a fortune! | informal | with friends, for emphasis |
| It's quite expensive. | neutral | always suitable |
| It's beyond my budget at the moment. | cortese | to refuse without embarrassment |
| The expenditure exceeds the allocated funds. | formal / financial | reports, written texts, exams |
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| Can you borrow me 10 euros? | Can you lend me 10 euros? |
| I have spent 3 hours of money. | I spent 30 euros. / I spent 3 hours. |
| This shoes are too much expensive. | These shoes are too expensive. |
| I must pay the account. | I must pay the bill. |
🎮 Vocabulary gym
Four ways to practise the same 20 words. Your progress is saved on this device.
Tap the card to flip it.
Tap an English word, then its meaning. Eight pairs per round.
Complete the ten sentences with the right word. The short hint is your clue.
- We can't a new car this year.💡 We don’t have enough money for a new car this year.
- I'm trying to for a trip.💡 I’m trying to keep some money for a trip.
- I too much on coffee.💡 I pay too much money for coffee.
- Don't your money on that.💡 Don’t throw your money away on that.
- Could you me ten euros?💡 Could you give me ten euros now? I’ll pay you back.
- Can I your charger?💡 Can I use your charger for a while and then give it back?
- I still him twenty euros.💡 I still have to pay him twenty euros.
- The electricity has doubled.💡 The amount we must pay for electricity has doubled.
- My monthly are quite high.💡 The money I spend each month is quite high.
- Their household is stable.💡 The money the family receives is steady.