Free guide · Level A1
Shopping at the market and the supermarket in Spain: phrases for asking for quantities and paying
Shopping in Spain is easier if you know a few customs. In a small shop you ask whose turn it is and you ask for quantities with set phrases. In the supermarket you hardly speak until you reach the checkout. These phrases are enough to get you started.
Asking whose turn it is and asking for quantities
¿Quién es el último?Who's last? When you arrive at a busy shop
Quería un kilo de naranjas.I'd like a kilo of oranges. The polite way to ask
Póngame medio kilo de tomates.Give me half a kilo of tomatoes. Another very common formula
Cien gramos de jamón, por favor.A hundred grams of ham, please. It also works without a verb
Watch out for thisIn English you say «I'd like a kilo of oranges». In Spanish the polite form is «quería» (a past form used as a polite request) or «póngame». They are set phrases: copy them as they are.
At the supermarket
Perdone, ¿dónde está el aceite?Excuse me, where is the oil? To ask where a specific product is
¿Hay leche sin lactosa?Is there lactose-free milk? To find out whether it exists, with «hay»
¿Tiene tarjeta de cliente?Do you have a customer card? They ask if you have the supermarket's card
¿Con tarjeta o en efectivo?By card or in cash? They ask how you'll pay
Watch out for thisAsk «¿dónde está el aceite?» when you're looking for a specific product, and «¿hay leche sin lactosa?» when you want to know whether it exists.
Understanding the price
Son veintitrés euros con cuarenta.That's twenty-three euros forty. The total: euros «con» cents
¿A cuánto está el kilo de naranjas?How much is a kilo of oranges? For things sold by weight
Está a dos euros el kilo.It's two euros a kilo. How they answer