A2 — Shops and Shopping: Theory
Level A2
Real-life shopping
Useful phrases
Goal
Talk confidently about places to shop, people who work there, prices and sales, and use simple phrases to buy, return and try on things in English.
Places for shopping
- shop / store – a place that sells things. In British English we usually say
shop, in American English store.
There’s a small clothes shop near my house. - department store – a very big shop with different sections (clothes, sports, electronics, perfume, etc.).
- supermarket – a large shop for food and everyday products.
- shopping centre / mall – a building with many different shops and cafés inside one place.
- market – an area with many small stalls or tables where people sell fruit, vegetables, clothes, flowers, etc.
People in shops
- cashier – the person who takes your money when you pay.
- customer – the person who buys something.
- sales assistant – a person who helps customers find the right size, colour or product.
- cash register / till – the machine the cashier uses to count money and keep it safe.
The customer gives the money to the cashier, who puts it in the cash register.
Prices, sales & money words
- price – how much something costs. The price is €29.99.
- sale – a period when prices are lower than normal. There is a big winter sale.
- discount – money off the normal price (10%, 20%, etc.).
- receipt – a small paper that shows what you bought and how much you paid.
- refund – money you get back when you return something to a shop.
Keep your receipt – you usually need it if you want to get a refund.
Trying on & buying clothes
- purchase – a more formal verb for “buy”. You can purchase tickets online.
- try on – put on clothes to check the size or style.
- fitting room – a small room where you try on clothes.
- pay in cash – pay with notes and coins.
- pay by card – pay with a bank card.
- sold out – there are no items left to buy.
- window shopping – look at things in shop windows without buying anything.
Example: I tried the jacket on in the fitting room, but my size was sold out.
Useful language in shops
| Shop assistant / cashier | Customer |
|---|---|
|
Can I help you? Are you paying by card or in cash? That’s £10, please. Here is your receipt. |
Do you have this in size M? Can I try this on? I’ll take this one. Can I pay by card? |
Tip: practise full “shopping sentences”, not only single words: I’d like to return this and get a refund, Do you have this T-shirt in a larger size?
Exercises:
Shops and Shopping
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
There is a little corner
near my house where I buy bread and milk.
Correct: shop — a small place to buy things (BrE).
2
In American English people usually say
, not ‘shop’.
Correct: store (US) — the US word for ‘shop’.
3
In the big
you can buy clothes, toys and home things on different floors.
Correct: department store — one big store with many sections.
4
We do our big weekly food shopping at the
near our house.
Correct: supermarket — one large food shop.
5
Let’s go to the
; there are clothes shops, shoe shops and cafés all in one place.
Correct: shopping centre / mall — many shops in one building.
6
On Saturday there is a big
in the square where people sell fruit and vegetables.
Correct: market — many small sellers, often outside.
7
The
scans your items and takes your money at the end.
Correct: cashier — takes the payment at the till.
8
When I buy food, I am a
in the supermarket.
Correct: customer — the person who buys things.
9
The
in the clothes shop helped me find my size.
Correct: sales assistant — shop worker who helps customers.
10
The cashier puts the money in the
after you pay.
Correct: cash register / till — the machine for money.
11
The
of this T-shirt is $15, it’s on the label.
Correct: price — the cost of an item.
12
Many shops have a big
in January and clothes are much cheaper.
Correct: sale — a time with lower prices.
13
With this card you get a 10%
on all books.
Correct: discount — part of the price you don’t pay.
14
Please keep your
; you need it if you want to return the shoes.
Correct: receipt — a list of what you bought and paid.
15
The coat was broken, so I asked for a
and they gave me my money back.
Correct: refund — money returned to you.
16
This laptop was my most expensive
last year.
Correct: purchase — an item that you bought.
17
I’d like to
these jeans before I buy them.
Correct: try on — put clothes on to test them.
18
The sales assistant showed me the
so I could change and look in the mirror.
Correct: fitting room — room to try on clothes.
19
We didn’t buy anything; we just went
in the city centre.
Correct: window shopping — only looking, not buying.
20
I don’t like using my card; I prefer to
whenever I can.
Correct: pay in cash — use notes and coins.
21
I don’t have any coins; can I
for the ticket?
Correct: pay by card — pay using a bank card.
22
The concert tickets are
; there aren’t any tickets left.
Correct: sold out — everything is gone, nothing left to buy.
Shops and Shopping
Match the sentences with the words
⏱ 0:00
• Moves: 0
• Matched: 0/0
• Pack: 1/3