Today's
WOTD is: "cuenta" = bill/ cheque
1.
In Spanish, “cuenta” is a feminine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is
bill,
as in:
- La cuenta, por favor (the bill/ cheque please);
2. The noun “cuenta”
is also used often to refer to an account, for example a bank
account, as in:
- ¿Es usted el titular de la cuenta? (are you the account holder?);
3. The noun “cuenta”
is also used often to refer to an arithmetic sum or calculation, as
in:
- Cuentas de multiplicar con dos cifras (double digit multiplication calculations);
4. The noun “cuenta”
is also often used to refer to a counting bead, as in:
- Las cuentas del ábaco (the abacus' beads);
5. A related word is the
action word/ verb “contar”. This verb is often used in
different contexts as follows:
- Meaning to count, as in:
- Hay que contar hasta diez, ¿no? (a count to ten is needed, isn't it);
- Meaning to tell/ to narrate/ to relate, as in:
- De pequeño, siempre me contaban un cuento* antes de dormir (as a child, I was always told a story/ tale before going to sleep);
- Followed by “con”, meaning to have, as in:
- El apartamento cuenta con tres dormitorios (the apartment has three bedrooms);
- Contamos con fondos suficientes para el viaje (we have sufficient funds for the trip);
- Followed by “con”, meaning to count on, as in:
- No cuentes con Pedro (don't count on Pedro);
*NB Please note that the word “cuento”
is very similar to “cuenta”,
but has a very different meaning (tale/
story
-fiction) -see more on the word "cuento"
6.
Some expressions in Spanish with the word “cuenta”
are:
- A cuenta (as a down payment/ as a deposit);
- Hay que dejar 100€ a cuenta (a down payment/ deposit of 100 Euros is required)
- A cuenta de (on account of);
- Se quedaron con mis cosas a cuenta de lo que les debía (they kept my things on account of what I owed them);
- A fin de cuentas (after all/ at the end of the day/ all said and done);
- Abono a cuenta (payment on account);
- Efectuamos un abono a cuenta (we made a payment on account);
- Abono en cuenta (deposit/ account credit transaction);
- Gracias a ese abono en cuenta tenemos saldo positivo (thanks to that deposit we have a positive balance);
- Abrir una cuenta (to open an account);
- Abrir una cuenta bancaria (to open a bank account);
- Ajustar cuentas (to settle a score/ to exact revenge or vengeance);
- Ajustar las cuentas (to settle a score/ to exact revenge or vengeance);
- Ajuste de cuentas (the settling of a score/ exacting of revenge or vengeance);
- Anotación en cuenta (an account ledger entry);
- Cada uno por su cuenta (each one to his/ her own);
- Cenaron juntos, pero cada uno pagó por su cuenta (they dined together, but each one paid his/ her own bill);
- Caer en la cuenta (to realise/ to become aware);
- Aacabo de caer en la cuenta (I have just realised/ the penny has just dropped);
- Cerrar la cuenta (to close the account -clearing the balance);
- Cuenta atrás (count down);
- Cuenta bancaria (a bank account);
- Cuenta corriente (a current account);
- Cuenta de ahorros (a savings account);
- Cuenta de correo electrónico (an e-mail account);
- Cuenta de crédito (a credit account);
- Cuenta la leyenda que (according to legend);
- Cuenta la leyenda que había una vez un bosque encantado (according to legend, once upon a time there was an enchanted forest);
- Cuenta personal (personal account);
- Dar alguien buena cuenta de algo (to make short work of something);
- Nos pusieron la cena y dimos buena cuenta de ella (they served us dinner and we made short work of it);
- Dar cuenta de algo (to give an account of something);
- Darse cuenta de (to realise/ to become aware);
- No me dí cuenta de que me habían robado (I did not realise that I had been robbed);
- Echar cuentas (to do the sums/ to weigh up pros and cons);
- En resumidas cuentas (to summarise/ in short/ in summary);
- En resumidas cuentas, tenemos que irnos a casa (to summarise, we must go home);
- Gerente de cuenta (account manager);
- Hacer las cuentas (to do the sums/ sort out the finances);
- La cuenta de la vieja (colloquially, a calculation/ analysis of a situation in a very simplistic way);
- Eres un ingenuo, eso es la cuenta de la vieja (you are very naïve, that is much more complex);
- La intención es lo que cuenta (it is the thought that matters/ counts);
- Las cuentas del Gran Capitán (an exorbitant account of expenditure);
- Esa hoja de gastos se parece a las cuentas del Gran Capitán (that expenses report includes exorbitant and incredible items of expenditure);
- Habida cuenta de algo (having considered something/ given something/ on account of something);
- Habida cuenta de la urgencia, salimos de inmediato (on account of the urgency, we left immediately);
- Llevar la cuenta (to keep track/ to keep account);
- Llevo la cuenta de la compra (I am keeping track of the shopping);
- Mas de la cuenta (a rate higher than/ above what it should be);
- El problema es que gastamos más de la cuenta (the problem is that we spend money at a rate higher than what it should be);
- Menos de la cuenta (a rate lower than/ below what it should be);
- El problema es que ganamos menos de la cuenta (the problem is that we earn money at a rate lower than what it should be);
- No querer cuentas con alguien (to want nothing to do with someone);
- No quiero cuentas contigo (I want nothing to do with you);
- No salirle a alguien la cuenta (to get things wrong);
- Número de cuenta (account number);
- Número de cuenta bancaria (bank account number);
- Pago a cuenta (payment on account);
- Pasar la cuenta (to give the bill);
- Cuando puedas pásame la cuenta (when you are ready, give me the bill);
- Perder la cuenta (to lose count/ to forget);
- Por mi* cuenta (on my own/ by myself -not counting on anybody else);
- Esto lo hago por mi cuenta (I do this on my own -without counting on anybody else);
- Por mi* cuenta y riesgo (on my own/ by myself -emphasising that that I am not counting on anybody else);
- Esto lo hago por mi cuenta y riesgo (I do this on my own -without counting on anybody else);
- Rendir cuentas (to account for one's expenditure/ one's actions);
- En algún momento tendrás que rendir cuentas (you will have to account for your actions at some point);
- Tener en cuenta (to keep in mind/ to bear in mind);
- Ten en cuenta que mañana tienes que trabajar (bear in mind that tomorrow you have to work);
- Tomar en cuenta (to keep in mind/ to bear in mind);
- Toma en cuenta que mañana tienes que trabajar (bear in mind that tomorrow you have to work);
- Trabajador por cuenta ajena (an employed worker/ employee);
- Trabajar por cuenta ajena (to work for an employer);
- Trabajador por cuenta propia (a self-employed worker);
- Trabajar por cuenta propia (to work as self-employed);
*NB
Replace the posessive “mi” with “tu”, “su”,
“nuestra” or “vuestra” to alter the meaning
accordingly.
Love-Spanish.com
loves the word "cuenta" in the YouTube clip: LaOreja de Van Gogh - Cuentame como te ha ido
*NB
'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “cuenta”
in the link to hear the word pronounced.
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