Shopping

Your Spanish teacher probably taught you to say “¿Cuánto cuesta?” to ask how much something costs. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the question and Spaniards will understand what you’re asking, it’s not how we typically ask. Let’s take a look at some of the most common words and phrases used when shopping.

  • Supermercado – Supermarket or grocery store.
  • El Corte Inglés – A large upscale department store sort of like a high-priced Target. You’ll find pretty much everything there but it’s expensive.
  • Carnicería, pescadería, panadería – Butcher shop, fish market, bakery
  • Rebajas – This is the Spanish word for “sale” like “Target is having a sale today.”
  • ¿Qué precio tiene (esto, la/esta camiseta, etc.)? – In Spain, we usually ask what the price of something is, i.e. “What’s the price of this shirt?”
  • Los probadores - These are the dressing rooms.
  • La caja – The checkout counter
  • Suelto – Change. For whatever reason, a lot of business often seem to be short on small bills and coins. So, if you buy something that costs 5.10€ and give the cashier a 10€ bill, the cashier may ask you if you have “suelto.” What she’s asking is if you have the 10 cents so that she can simply give you a 5€ bill rather than 4.90€ in change.
  • Tarjeta – Credit card
  • ¿Se puede pagar con tarjeta? – A lot of businesses don’t take credit cards. When in doubt, ask.
  • DNI – This is the official ID card in Spain. Whenever you pay for anything with a credit card, you need to show an accepted form of identification. If the cashier asks you for your DNI, just show her your passport.
  • La cola – The line (for the checkout counter, dressing rooms, etc.)
  • ¿Quién es el último? – Space is often limited in small businesses making it impossible to form a coherent line. If you see people waiting but there doesn’t appear to be a line, simply ask “Who’s the last in line?”
  • Número / Coger número – Some businesses, especially butcher shops and fish markets, use numbered tickets to make sure that customers are served in order. If you see that they’re using the numbered ticket system but can’t find the ticket dispenser, you can ask “¿Dónde se coge el número?” When they call your number, raise your hand and assertively say “Yo.”
  • ¿Las frutas hay que pesarlas? – In some grocery stores, the customers are required to weigh their fruit and vegetables themselves and print the bar-code sticker themselves. Other grocery stores may offer scales simply for the convenience of customers but have the cashier or a produce clerk do the “official” weighing. If you’re not sure if you need to weight the produce, ask a clerk or cashier.
  • Un kilo – Spain uses the metric system, of course. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to get a rough estimate of the equivalent in pounds. Simply multiply by two. (A kilo is not not exactly two pounds, but it’s pretty close).
    • Un kilo = 2 pounds
    • Medio kilo = 1 pound
    • Cuarto kilo = half a pound
  • Carne picada – As an American, you’d think that “carne picada” would be ground beef, right? But in Spain, carne picada almost always means ground pork. If you want ground beef, you need to specify by saying “carne picada de…”
  • Ternera – Beef
  • ¿Me das medio kilo de ternera? – Could I get half a pound of beef? [lit. "Will you give me...?"]
  • ¿Me picas un kilo de ternera? – If you go to the butcher shop and they don’t have ground beef (often they won’t) but they do have beef (and they usually will), you can ask them to grind it for you.
  • ¿A cuánto sale el kilo de ternera? – How much is it for a kilo of beef?
  • El kilo sale a 8 euros. – “It’s 8 euros a kilo.”
  • ¿Me lo cortas en trozos? – Could you chop it up for me?