8.3: Cultural and language notes - Shopping in a department store

0:00Live Language Spanish, Episode 83, Cultural and Language Notes. Now I'm going to give you a few cultural and language notes that are going to help you understand the conversation you just listened to and the exercises in this unit. Number one, numero uno. Puede apagar con tar heta? Means, can I pay with a credit or debit card? The word tar heta covers both credit and debit cards in this scenario. You don't need to be more specific. Number two, numero dos, me gusta? Means, I like. You can hear that a lot in Spanish. Me gusta. Number three, numero tres. If a salesperson asks for your nip, N-I-P, when you're trying to pay for something with your debit card, that means your pin number. That's usually a four or five digit number you need to enter in order for your debit card to be processed. Number four, numero cuatro.

1:00Credit cards and debit cards are widely used in Latin America. American Express is the only exception to the rule, as many places don't take that due to the high fee. Visa and master cards are taken almost everywhere. Every department store in a mall will take it. The only place you might have trouble using your credit card are in small mom and pop corner shops or in a local market. Even there, you might be surprised. Number five, numero cinco. Mals and department stores are ubiquitous in most of Latin America. People coming from the US, Canada and Europe will find them almost identical to what they're used to back home. Number six, numero seis. Para usted means for you. They're using the formal tense. In some parts of Latin America, they may be more informal and say para ti. That also means for you. Number seven, numero siete. Pague en la caja, por favor.

2:00This means please pay at the cash register or please pay at the cash year.