Money-Related Expressions

Learn about expressions related to money

Lesson Transcript

Hi, everybody! Welcome to Top Words, my name is Alisha. And today we're going to talk about 14 money-related expressions.

Okay, let's get on with the video!

1. I need to save some money.

Okay, this money expression is used when you know that you don't have quite enough money for something. You want to express that you don't want to spend very much money and maybe you have a goal in mind.

For example, I need to save some money to buy a new computer.

Okay, let's go on to the next one.

Next is…

2. I'm broke.

Okay, this “broke” means having no money, so this expression means “I have no money” but it's a much more casual, kind of rough way to express this. We typically don't say this in polite situations; we use this in casual situations, like when we're talking with our friends.

For example, I lost my job and now I'm broke.

Make sure that you don't use “broken” in this sentence, that doesn't mean the same thing.

I lost my job and I'm broke.

Okay, next expression is…

3. I don't have any cash.

Okay, you can use this expression when, maybe, you're out with your friends, you want to pay for something at a restaurant or cafe, maybe, and everybody has cash, meaning physical bills or maybe coins, and if you don't have any, you can say this - I don't have any cash.

For example, Oh no! I don't have any cash, can you help me out?

This “can you help me out” means “can you give me a little bit of cash,” with the idea being in the future, I'll pay you back.

Okay, next expression,

4. I just got paid.

You can use this expression when you receive your payment for the month from your job or maybe for the week, whatever it is for your payment schedule. When you receive your payment and you want to express that, usually happily, you can say, I just got paid!

For example, I just got paid! I'm going to save a lot this month.

Okay, next is…

5. How much do I owe you.

This is a question you can use when you know you need to give someone some money for something, but you don't know exactly the amount, you can say, how much do I owe you?

For example, thanks for getting me a coffee, how much do I owe you?

Which means, how much was that coffee? I want to give you the amount that I owe you.

Okay, let's go to the next one.

6. I owe you.

Okay, this is very similar to the previous one but the difference here is when you say “I owe you,” it's like you're just saying, I'll pay you back in the future or I need to give you something in return, but I'm not specifically asking how much I owe you.

For example, thanks for buying lunch today, I owe you.

So you might use this expression to mean something kind of like, for example, I'll buy lunch next time, or I'll get a coffee for us next time; some idea, some way of showing the other person that you recognize you need to give them something in return.

Okay, next expression…

7. It's payday.

All right, payday refers to the day upon which you receive your payment. So usually we say “it's payday” in a very excited way.

For example, finally, it's payday! Let's go out for dinner!

Please note that we typically don't use “payday” in polite or formal situations, we typically use “payday” when we're talking to our friends or our family members.

Okay, next is…

8. Salary.

Okay, salary refers to one type of payment. When you receive a salary, it means you receive the same amount of money every month. This is different from other types of payment plans.

So, for example, you could say something like, the salary for this position is negotiable. That means the amount of money that you receive every month or every year in this job is negotiable.

So a salary is an expected amount that you'll receive every month, every pay period.

Next is…

9. Hourly wage.

An hourly wage refers to a payment system where you receive money per hour of work. So this is very common with part-time jobs, for example, if you have a ten-dollar hourly wage, that means you receive ten dollars for every hour of work.

For example, he found a part-time job with a good hourly wage.

So keep in mind, an hourly wage is different from a salary, which is the same amount each month.

Okay, let's go to the next expression.

10. Gig.

Okay, gig is a different type of working or a different type of receiving payment. With gig work, you do a job and you receive payment for that job only, so it's not necessarily about an hourly wage or a salary, but rather you get some money after you complete work; we often refer to these as gigs.

For example, it's hard to find gigs as a freelancer.

Gig work might be very common among people who do freelance work, meaning they are independent workers.

Okay, let's go to the next expression.

11. Paycheck.

A paycheck refers to the amount you receive on payday. So it doesn't mean a physical check always, it just means the amount that you get in your bank account or maybe the amount you receive from your employer. So a paycheck refers to your payment.

For example, I'm going to get my first paycheck next week.

So paycheck generally is something that we talk about with a very positive expression.

Okay, on to the next one. Next is…

12. Direct deposit.

A direct deposit is an arrangement you can make with your bank and your employer. In this case, when you have a direct deposit for your paycheck, that means the money from your employer automatically goes to your bank account, you don't have to do any paperwork or make any other arrangements to receive your money.

For example, he set up a direct deposit for his paycheck.

So this is a very very common thing to do and it helps make sure you get paid on time.

Next is…

13. To return something.

Okay, so when you need to get your money back in exchange for a product you purchased, you return that product. We use this a lot when we're doing like clothes shopping or maybe home shopping.

For example, I need to return this sweater.

This means I need to take this sweater back to the place where I bought it and get my money back.

So “return” is a much easier way to say that, to return something.

Okay, next is…

14. Time is money.

“Time is money” is a very common expression that refers to money being a result of how much time and effort you put into something. So we all have the same amount of time, how do we use that time to ensure we get enough money or as much money as we want.

For example, people often say time is money, use your time efficiently.

This is a very common expression, so I hope that it's one you can think about too.