Check the bill and ask the provider to explain an unfamiliar amount.

The idea

Use cargo for a charge, desglose for an itemized breakdown and contador for a meter. Ask ¿cómo se ha calculado? to find out how an amount was calculated.

Examples

  • En mi factura de luz aparece un cargo que no reconozco.There is a charge on my electricity bill that I do not recognize.
  • ¿Podrían explicarme cómo se ha calculado este importe?Could you explain how this amount was calculated?
  • La lectura del contador no coincide con la que anotamos ayer.The meter reading does not match the one we wrote down yesterday.
  • Mi compañera de piso pidió un desglose del consumo de agua.My flatmate asked for an itemized breakdown of the water usage.
  • Si se trata de un error, les agradecería que corrigieran la factura.If it is an error, I would appreciate it if you corrected the bill.
  • El comercio solicitó por escrito la tarifa aplicada durante el último trimestre.The business requested the rate applied during the last quarter in writing.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not confuse desglose, a breakdown, with descuento, a discount. The first explains the charges; the second reduces a price.

Try it yourself

  1. To request bill details, choose the itemization, not a discount.

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    desglose

    Desglose requests the individual charges, rather than a price reduction.

  2. Ask how the amount was calculated; choose the correct participle.

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    calculado

    Calculado stays unchanged after se ha in this construction.

  3. Request a correction politely; choose the correct verb form.

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    revisaran

    Revisaran follows agradecería que to express a polite request.

Use it today

Imagine a gas bill with an unfamiliar fee. Ask for the calculation and a written breakdown.