Shopping Vocabulary In Spanish: 27+Must-Know Words And Phrases

Traveling and learning about new cultures is one of the perks of speaking another language. When we visit a new place, we want to see the surroundings, taste new food, and something that excites some people more than others—shopping!

Whether you’re someone who likes to walk around luxury stores and high fashion streets or someone who enjoys a good discount, in both cases, it’s necessary to know the shopping vocabulary in Spanish that will help you succeed. So, if you want to know the words and phrases that will help you go from store to store in Spanish-speaking countries shopping like a pro, you have come to the right place.

Shopping Vocabulary In Spanish

Now let’s look at some vocabulary you might need for shopping in Spanish. We will share basic words, phrases, and grammar notes to help you communicate successfully.

Clothes

Now that you know how to name the different types of clothes in Spanish, you need to add the colors; otherwise, you will stay halfway when requesting an item you want. In this article, we will cover just the basic colors because, in a previous post, we shared a guide that covers the colors in Spanish in much more detail. 

Colors

Now that we know the vocabulary let’s check grammar and build sentences.

Grammar

When I talk about grammar, some people give me a side-eye. They think of boring rules that take the fun out of learning, but that’s not the case. On the contrary, grammar is an indispensable tool for structuring our communication. If we approach grammar as a communication tool, learning Spanish or any other language will be much more fun than we could ever imagine.

Definite and Indefinite Articles

As we have seen before, in Spanish, nouns have a gender, which can be either masculine or feminine. In addition, you may have noticed that Spanish nouns are usually paired with small pieces of words called articles. These are classified into two types: definite and indefinite.

A definite article modifies a noun and indicates that the noun is known in the mentioned context. At the same time, an indefinite article precedes nouns that have not been presented before, so they cannot be identified. In English, we have one definite article, “the,” and two indefinite articles, “a” and “an.” However, in Spanish, we have four of each article.

Masculine forms

Definite articles:       El   (singular)     Los (plural)

Indefinite articles:     Un (singular)     Unos (plural)                           

Feminine forms  

Definite articles:       La  (singular)    Las (plural)

Indefinite articles:   Una (singular)   Unas (plural)    

Examples: 

The blue blouse → La blusa azul 

The black coat → El abrigo negro 

A yellow skirt → Una falda amarilla 

A green shoe →  Un  zapato verde 

Verb ~Gustar

In English, this verb means “to like.” It could be to “like something” or “like doing something.” This verb has the peculiarity that it goes along with the indirect object pronouns. 

Examples: 

I like black clothes.→  Me gusta la ropa negra. 

You like the brown cap. → Te gusta la gorra marrón. 

We like to go shopping. →  Nos gusta ir de compras.  

 They like colorful shoes.→Les gusta los zapatos coloridos.

Verb ~ Querer

This verb translates as “to want.” We use it to express the desire to obtain or possess something.

Let’s conjugate it!

Examples: 

I want that red dress.→ Yo quiero ese vestido rojo.

She wants a new pair of sandals.→ Ella quiere un nuevo par de sandalias.  

They want blue hats. → Ellos quieren sombreros azules. 

Useful Phrases For Shopping In Spanish

Now let’s see the following dialogue. It’s a “conversation” between a salesperson (A) and a customer (B).

In the store | En la tienda

A.Bienvenida a la tienda. (Welcome to the store.)

B.Buenas tardes, me gustaría saber si tienen camisetas? (Good afternoon, I would like to know if you have T-shirts? )

A. Sí, puede encontrarlas al fondo del pasillo a la izquierda. (Yes, you can find them down the hall to the left.)

B. ¿Cuánto cuesta la camiseta gris?  (How much is the gray T-shirt?) 

A. Esta camiseta cuesta 25 dólares? (This T-shirt costs 25 dollars.)

B. Me la llevo. (I’ll take it.)

Now, it’s time to practice. You can use this dialogue as a base and exchange some words with the vocabulary we’ve seen. At first, all this might seem too much to learn, but if you study and practice consistently, you’ll be shopping around  Spain and Latin America like a pro in no time.

Enjoy Shopping In Spanish With Ling

Are you ready to go shopping in Spanish? Boost your vocabulary with Ling app. It has engaging grammar exercises, which will help you practice what you’ve learned. You can also visit our Spanish blog, where you can find new weekly articles that will help you increase your knowledge of the Spanish language. The ling-app and Spanish blogs are the perfect combinations.

And you know what the best part is? You can download the Ling app for free.

Go to the App Store or Play Store and speak Spanish like a native!

¡Hasta la próxima semana!