Shopping is one of the few activities that everyone seems to enjoy. When we visit a new place for the first time, we always want to check out the local shops and go shopping to get everything we need or bring a souvenir home to our loved ones. This is especially true if we are visiting a foreign country, so it’s important you know how to go shopping in Spanish.
When you visit the shops and make your purchases, you can do it with confidence, just as a native would. However, to achieve a successful shopping day, we need to master the necessary phrases and vocabulary to mix with the natives of the country. This post will teach you the keywords and vocabulary in Spanish. Ready to go shopping in Spanish? Let’s get started.
Finding the Right Shop: Inside the Stores
When visiting Spanish-speaking countries, you’ll need essential supplies, food, hygiene products, souvenirs, and other odds and ends.
So, what types of stores are you looking for? You will find a massive selection of stores in Spanish-speaking countries. Some of them are where you may find anything from groceries to household equipment, all in one spot. So you’ll need to know what you’re going to buy, what kinds of stores you’re looking for, and where they’re located.
Types of stores
Tipos de tiendas
When looking for a store you already have in mind, you can always look for the signs inside a mall or simply ask:
Excuse me, do you know where I can find a…? – Disculpe, ¿sabe dónde puedo encontrar…?
| Boutique | Un boutique |
| Market | Un mercado |
| Supermarket | Un supermercado |
| Greengrocers | Una frutería / Una verdulería |
| Butcher market | Un mercado de carnes |
| Grocery store | Una tienda de comestibles |
| Hardware store | Una ferretería |
| Mall | Un centro comercial |
| Travel agency | Una agencia de viajes |
| Café | Una cafetería |
| Butcher’s shop | Una carnicería |
| Liquor store | Una licorería |
| Bakery | Una panadería |
| Cake shop, Pastry shop, Confectioner’s shop | Una repostería |
| Fish stand | Una pescadería |
| Hair salon | Una peluquería |
| Pharmacy | Una farmacia |
| Flower shop | Una florería |
| Gas station | Una gasolinera (in Latin America, gas stations are good places to go for bathrooms, ATMs, and more) |
| Jewelry store | Una joyería |
| Toy store | Una juguetería |
| Book store | Una librería (don’t confuse it with the word “library,” that is “biblioteca”) |
| Clothing store | Una tienda de ropa |
| Sports store | Una tienda de deportes |
| Music store | Una tienda de música |
| Shoe store | Una zapatería |
Signs: Schedule and location
Letreros: Horario y ubicación
So, you’ve already found the store or mall you were looking for, and now you see a whole new world of phrases around the stores and shops about open hours and locations. Well, don’t worry! Take a look at this helpful list of vocabulary about shopping in Spanish to get around with confidence:
| Open | Abierto |
| Closed | Cerrado |
| Push | Empuje |
| Pull | Hale |
| Entrance | La entrada |
| Exit | La salida |
| Business hours | El horario de atención |
| Basement | La planta sótano |
| Ground floor | La planta baja |
| First floor | La primera planta |
| Second floor | La segunda planta |
| Third floor | La tercera planta |
| Opening hours | El horario de atención |
| Fitting Room | El probador |
| Manager | El / La gerente |
| Stand | El puesto |
| Aisles | Los pasillos |
Where to buy
Dónde comprar
Sometimes we have an idea of what we’re looking for, but we don’t know where to buy it. So, here’s a good list of phrases and vocabulary you can use to ask around about the good stores and specific items:
| Where can I buy a…? | ¿Dónde puedo comprar un/una…? |
| Do you know a place where they make / do / perform…? | ¿Conoce un lugar donde realizan…? |
| Do you know where they sell…? | ¿Conoce un lugar donde venden…? |
| Do you know of a … around here? | ¿Conoce algún … por aquí cerca? |
| Where is the closest / cheapest / coolest clothing store? | ¿Dónde queda la tienda de ropa más cercana / económica / chévere? |
| Which one do you recommend to me? | ¿Cuál me recomienda? |
Asking What You’re Looking for
Once you’ve found your store, you’re ready to start shopping in Spanish to find the items you’re looking for. Let’s learn vocabulary for the most common ones.
If you’re looking for specific articles of clothing beyond what we include in this post, we recommend checking out our detailed post on clothes in Spanish. Likewise, if you’re shopping at the supermarket you might be interested in our specific post on food in Spanish.
Items
Los artículos
| Kitchenware | Artículos de cocina |
| Office supplies | Artículos de oficina |
| Cosmetics | Cosméticos |
| Personal hygiene products | Productos de higiene personal |
| Clothing and shoes | Ropa y zapatos |
| Toys | Juguetes |
| China and glassware | Porcelana y cristalería |
| Jewelry | Joyería, Joyas |
| Lingerie / Underwear | Lencería / Ropa interior |
| Appliances | Electrodomésticos |
| Electronics | Artículos electrónicos |
| Groceries | Comestibles |
| Vegetables | Vegetales, Verduras |
| Fruits | Frutas |
| Dairy products | Productos lácteos |
| Gardening items | Artículos para jardinería |
| Babies | Bebés |
| Tools | Herramientas |
| Pet items | Artículos para mascotas |
| Furniture | Muebles |
Quality
La calidad
“Las tres B” is our three Bs mantra for shopping in Spanish. When buying something, we’re looking for Bueno, Bonito y Barato (good, nice, and cheap). Here are some words you’ll need to talk about the quality of an item:
| Cheap | Barato/a |
| Pretty | Bonito/a |
| Affordable | Económico/a |
| Elegant | Elegante |
| Ugly | Feo/a |
| Luxury | Lujoso/a |
Material
El material
You might have a few more questions before deciding on your purchase.
So, before you even start discussing prices, here are some useful phrases for shopping in Spanish to pin down what you’re buying:
- What material is it made of? – ¿De qué material es?
- What type of fabric is this? – ¿Qué tipo de tela es?
- I love the patterns on that table, the carved wood looks awesome. I think we should buy it. – Me encantan los grabados de esa mesa, la madera tallada se ve impresionante. Creo que deberíamos comprarla.
- There are many kinds of fitted sheets for the home, would you like to see them? – Hay muchos tipos de sábanas ajustables para el hogar, ¿te gustaría verlas?
| Organic | Orgánico/a |
| Handmade | Hecho a mano |
| Homemade | Casero/a |
| Carved | Tallado/a |
| Fitted | Ajustable |
| Sewn | Cosido/a |
| Knitted | Tejido/a |
| Ceramic | Cerámico/a |
| Porcelain | Porcelana |
| Fiber | Fibra |
| Cotton | Algodón |
| Leather | Cuero |
| Flannel | Franela |
| Wool | Lana |
| Lycra | Licra |
| Velvet | Terciopelo |
| Made in… | Hecho en… |
Ready for Shopping
So, have you already found that specific shirt you were looking for? In the right color and material from your favorite store? Awesome! Time to try it on and see how it fits!
Size
La talla
Check the tag and look for these:
| Small size (S) | Talla pequeña (P) |
| Medium size (M) | Talla mediana (M) |
| Large size (L) | Talla grande (G) |
| Extra large size (XL) | Talla extra grande (XG) |
| One size fits all | Talla única |
Another helpful tip when shopping in Spanish is to use an online chart to help you translate your sizes before you start shopping. Knowing the length of your feet in centimeters will be useful in many Spanish-speaking countries since this is how many shoes are sized.
All right! Now let’s head to the fitting rooms (probadores).
Try it on!
¡Pruébatelo!
We all know sizing can be tricky when we are trying new brands, so you’ll have to grab your items and try them on! Here are some useful phrases you can learn to talk to the salespeople and find the perfect items!
| Please, can you help me? | Por favor, ¿me puede ayudar? |
| Where are the fitting rooms? | ¿Dónde están los probadores? |
| Can I try this on? | ¿Puedo probarme esto? |
| Do you have this in … size? | ¿Tiene este en talla…? |
| It fits me well. | Me queda bien. |
| It doesn’t fit me. | No me queda. |
| It’s too big on me. | Me queda muy grande. |
| It’s too tight here. | Me queda ajustado aquí. |
| My shoe size is… | Mi talla de zapatos es… |
| Do you have this one in another color? | ¿Tiene este en otro color? |
| It’s sold out. | Está agotado/a. |
| Are you going to take it? | ¿Se lo lleva? |
| I’ll think about it. | Lo voy a pensar. |
| I’m not sure. | No estoy segura. / No estoy seguro. |
| I’m going to keep looking. | Voy a seguir buscando. |
| I’m just looking, thanks. | Solo estoy mirando, gracias. |
| I would like one of those, please | Quisiera uno de esos, por favor. |
| Thank you very much, sir / ma’am | Muchas gracias, señor/a |
| I want this / that | Quiero este / ese |
| I don’t like this one so much. | Este/a no me gusta tanto |
| I really like / love this one! | ¡Me encanta este/a! |
| Where can I find…? | ¿Dónde puedo encontrar…? |
| En el pasillo… | In aisle number… |
| I’ll take it! | ¡Me lo llevo! |
- Welcome! May I help you? Are you looking for anything in particular? – ¡Bienvenido(a)! ¿Puedo ayudarle? ¿Busca algo en especial?
- No, thank you. I’m just looking. – No, gracias. Solo estoy mirando.
Paying a Fair Price
After finding everything we want and need, it is time to go and pay to carry away our purchases.
Let’s talk about money, and some see useful Spanish shopping phrases for completing the payment process in the best possible way in stores or markets.
Money
El dinero
| Money | El dinero |
| Cash | El efectivo |
| Bills | Los billetes |
| Coins | Las modenas |
| Currency | La moneda |
| Exchange rate | La tasa de cambio |
| Change | El cambio |
| Credit card | Una tarjeta de crédito |
| Debit card | Una tarjeta de débito |
| Wire transfer | Una transferencia bancaria |
| Point of sale | El punto de venta |
| Dollars | Los dólares |
| Euros | Los euros |
| Pesos | Los pesos |
Checkout phrases
Frases útiles de pago
| How much is this one? | ¿Cuánto cuesta este? |
| Do you take credit cards? | ¿Acepta tarjeta? |
| Cash only | Sólo efectivo |
| I don’t have change | No tengo cambio |
| Do you have a smaller bill? | ¿No tiene un billete más pequeño? |
| Do you have change for…? | ¿No tiene cambio para…? |
| Can you give me change for a $… bill? | ¿Me puede cambiar un billete de $…? |
| What is the exchange rate? | ¿Cuál es la tasa de cambio? |
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| How much (in dollars)? How much (in pesos)? How much (in euros)? | ¿Cuántos dólares? ¿Cuántos pesos? ¿Cuántos euros? |
| Does it have a discount? | ¿Tiene descuento? |
| On sale | En oferta |
| Where is the cash register? | ¿Dónde está la caja registradora? |
| Would you like a bag? | ¿Desea una bolsa?, ¿Quiere una bolsa? |
| No bag, please. | Sin bolsa, por favor |
| Yes, I need a bag, please | Sí, necesito una bolsa, por favor |
Bargaining in Spanish
Negociando en español
After asking the clerk or the salesperson in a shop or a market for their price (how much? – ¿Cuánto cuesta?), we can try to negotiate the price so we don’t have to pay more than necessary and keep our budget. Thus, if we can get an offer, it will be better for us and our wallets.
So, let’s see how to become the best bargain person when shopping in Spanish. For example, we are in an open-air market and ask the salesperson the price of a beautiful carpet. The question to approach the salesperson would be:
- How much are you asking for…? – ¿Cuánto pide por…?
The answer from the salesperson would be:
- Give me $… – Deme $…
Time to make a move with the counteroffer, then we can use one of these phrases according to the dynamic of the situation:
- It’s too expensive! – ¡Es demasiado caro!
- I’ll give you $… – Le doy $…
- I have $… – Tengo $…
- I don’t have more money. – No tengo más dinero.
- It’s all I have. – Es lo único que tengo.
Also, there exists the possibility to get a better price if you buy more than one item. If we want to use this option, we can ask:
- And what if I take…? – ¿Y si me llevo…?
- What price would you give me? – ¿En cuánto me los deja?
After giving the salesperson our offer, depending on whether he accepts it or not, we will be able to take out our beautiful carpet with us.
Conclusion
Well, that covers it! Now you know how to go shopping in Spanish. With all the topics covered here, now you have enough tools for going shopping as a native speaker and having fun during your trip, all at the same time.
¡Hasta la próxima entrega!
