cheque
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cheque
A written means of payment with which you instruct your bank to pay a certain amount of money from your own account to a specific person or company. Used less often today than in the past.
Er bezahlte die Rechnung für das Auto mit einem Scheck über 10.000 Euro.
He paid the bill for the car with a cheque for 10,000 euros.
'Der Scheck' means only the means of payment (cheque). It is not the same as the English verb 'to check' ('prüfen', 'kontrollieren' — to check/inspect) or the noun 'check' in other contexts (e.g. the bill in a restaurant).
Können Sie bitte die Rechnung kontrollieren?
Could you please check the bill?
Certain verbs are used with 'Scheck': You 'stellt einen Scheck aus' (write/issue a cheque), 'löst einen Scheck ein' (cash a cheque/get the money at the bank), or 'bezahlt mit Scheck' (pay by cheque).
Sie müssen den Scheck persönlich bei Ihrer Bank einlösen.
You have to cash the cheque in person at your bank.
To indicate the amount of money on a cheque, German uses the preposition 'über' followed by the accusative. For example: 'ein Scheck über 500 Euro' (a cheque for 500 euros).
Er erhielt einen Scheck über eine hohe Summe.
He received a cheque for a large sum.
Payment by cheque is very uncommon in Germany and many other European countries today. In everyday life, bank transfers, card payments, or cash are used almost exclusively.
Mein Großvater bezahlt manchmal noch mit Scheck, aber das ist selten geworden.
My grandfather still sometimes pays by cheque, but that has become rare.
change / switch
Wechsel and Scheck both refer to written instructions for a payment. Wechsel is an outdated financial instrument with a specified payment date, while a Scheck instructs the bank to pay out money from the account holder's own account. For present-day bank payments, Scheck is therefore more suitable.
Der Kunde wies seine Bank mit einem Scheck zur Auszahlung des Geldes an.
The customer instructed their bank to pay out the money with a cheque.
Der Kaufmann stellte früher einen Wechsel mit einem festen Zahlungstermin aus.
In the past, the merchant issued a bill of exchange with a fixed payment date.
