cobrar un cheque
/kobɾaɾ un t͡ʃeke/from spelling rules
To cash a check in Spanish is cobrar un cheque.
This phrase is used specifically for the transaction of turning a check into liquid currency. It should not be used for the broader concept of depositing a check, for which you would use depositar un cheque.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb cobrar literally means 'to collect' or 'to charge', which explains why it is used for the act of receiving the value of a check.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are referring to a specific, known check rather than the general action, you change the indefinite article 'un' to the definite article 'el' to say cobrar el cheque.
How do you pronounce it?
/kobɾaɾ un tʃeke/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word cheque is a doublet of jaque, the word used for 'check' in chess. Both words share a common ancestor in the Medieval Latin scaccus.
- The verb cobrar is used for both cashing a check and charging a customer for a service. This means the same word describes both receiving money and requesting it.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the act of cobrar can apply to any form of payment retrieval, such as collecting a debt from a friend or receiving a salary.
Examples in context
- Quiero cobrar un cheque.I want to cash a check.Tatoeba #437036 by lukaszpp, translation #437035 by lukaszpp
- Necesito cobrar un cheque de mi trabajo, ¿me recomiendas algún banco cercano?I need to cash a check from my job, do you recommend any nearby banks?
- Disculpe, ¿podría indicarme dónde puedo hacer efectivo este cheque, por favor?Excuse me, could you please tell me where I can cash this check?
- Hola, soy extranjero y necesito saber cómo cobrar un cheque aquí en Colombia. ¿Alguien me puede ayudar?Hi, I am a foreigner, and I need to know how to cash a check here in Colombia. Can anyone help me?
- Necesito cobrar un cheque ahora mismo.I need to cash a check right now.
- ¿Dónde puedo cobrar un cheque?Where can I cash a check?
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are talking in a café near a bank.
- MateoTengo que cobrar un cheque hoy, Lucía.I have to cash a check today, Lucía.
- LucíaEl banco está abierto hasta las cuatro, Mateo.The bank is open until four, Mateo.
- Mateo¿Crees que sea rápido cobrar un cheque allí?Do you think it will be fast to cash a check there?
- LucíaNormalmente no hay mucha gente a esta hora.Normally there aren't many people at this hour.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cheque, cobrar, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
