Whether you're browsing a local market in Mexico City, shopping at a mall in Madrid, or purchasing groceries in Buenos Aires, knowing shopping vocabulary in Spanish is essential for travelers and learners alike. Today, we'll explore the words and phrases you need to navigate any shopping experience with confidence.
Let's start by learning the names of different types of stores you might visit while shopping in Spanish-speaking countries.
The word tienda is the general term for "store" or "shop" in Spanish. You'll hear this everywhere!
Me encuentro en la increíble tienda de Lego aquí en Barcelona,
I'm at the amazing Lego store here in Barcelona,
Caption 5, Víctor en España La tienda Lego de Barcelona
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When you need to buy groceries and household items, head to el supermercado.
¿sabe si hay algún supermercado cercano abierto todavía?"
Do you know if there's any supermarket nearby still open?"
Caption 26, Aprendiendo con Silvia Horas, fechas y períodos de tiempo - Part 4
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In Latin America, you'll often hear centro comercial for shopping mall/center. In Spain, many people also use el centro comercial or simply las tiendas.
y la segunda en el centro comercial Larios en el centro de Málaga.
and the second one in the Larios shopping center in downtown Málaga.
Caption 59, Adriana Mi historia con el café
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Traditional markets remain popular throughout Latin America and Spain for fresh produce, meats, and local goods.
Y muy atentos, porque hoy os he traído hasta El Rastro, el mercado callejero más grande de todo Madrid.
And [be] very attentive because today, I've brought you to El Rastro, the biggest street market in all of Madrid.
Captions 3-4, Con Marta por Madrid El Rastro
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For high-end fashion and specialty items, you might visit una boutique.
Morgan, vamos a la boutique de mi amiga Mousy.
Morgan, we're going to my friend, Mousy' boutique.
Caption 1, Muñeca Brava 7 El poema - Part 4
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Now that you know where to shop, let's learn the key verbs you'll need during your shopping experience.
This is the most essential shopping verb. Comprar means "to buy" or "to purchase."
y voy a comprar al mercado,
and I'm going to buy at the market,
Caption 42, Cataluña y su gente Cristina de Reus
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The opposite of comprar is vender, which means "to sell."
y luego tú puedes vender, eh...
and then you can sell, um...
Caption 47, Isabel y Paula contigo Vida cultural en Madrid - Part 2
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When you're searching for a specific item, use the verb buscar.
Buscar, significa tratar de encontrar algo o a alguien.
"Buscar" [to look for] means to try to find something or someone.
Caption 29, Lecciones con Carolina Mirar, ver, y buscar
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Shopping for clothes? You'll want to probarse (try on) items before buying them.
Si gusta, puede probarse cualquier modelito, ¿ah?
If you want, you can try on any design, huh?
Caption 37, Otavalo Zapatos andinos
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When you're ready to complete your purchase, you'll need to pagar.
Vas a tener que pagar más dinero.
You're going to have to pay more money.
Caption 10, Fermín Frases y expresiones - Part 2
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To ask how much something costs, you'll use the verb costar.
pues, te va a costar más o menos.
well, it's going to cost you more or less.
Caption 14, Isabel y Paula contigo Transporte público en Madrid - Part 3
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When you decide to purchase something, you can say Me lo llevo (I'll take it).
Si viene un... extravagante a quererse llevar este, ¿en cuánto también estaría? Este es veinticinco.
If an... extravagant person comes and wants to take this one, how much would it cost too? This one is twenty-five.
Captions 27-29, Otavalo Totora - Part 2
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Being able to ask questions and communicate with shop assistants makes shopping much easier. Here are some essential phrases:
📌 This is probably the most important question you'll ask while shopping!
¿Cuánto cuesta esta cartera?"
How much does this purse cost?"
Caption 33, Ana Carolina Salir de compras
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Use this phrase to ask if a store has a particular item.
¿Tiene esta camisa en azul?
Do you have this shirt in blue?
When a salesperson approaches and you're just browsing, this phrase is useful:
Estoy mirando, gracias
I'm just looking, thank you
Need help finding something in the store? Ask ¿Dónde está...?
"¿Podría usted indicarme dónde está la plaza?"
"Could you [formal] tell me where the plaza is?"
Caption 45, Raquel Las direcciones
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A polite way to get assistance from store staff.
Disculpe, ¿me puede ayudar a encontrar una chaqueta?
Exceuse me, can you help me find a jacket?
When shopping for clothes, staff might ask you ¿Qué talla usa? The most common sizes are pequeña/chica (small), mediana (medium), grande (large), and extra grande (extra large).
Yo también; voy a preguntar si hay otra talla,
Me too; I'm going to ask if there is another size,
Caption 68, Cleer y Carolina De compras
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📌 It's also very common to refer to sizes by their letters: S (ese), M (eme), L (ele), and XL (equis ele).
Essential when shopping for clothes or shoes and the first size doesn't fit!
Before trying on clothes, you'll need to find el probador (the fitting room).
El siguiente paso es probarte el vestido en el probador.
The next step is to try on the dress in the fitting room.
Caption 31, Raquel Haciendo compras
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Always polite to ask permission before heading to the fitting room.
When it's time to pay, you'll need to know these terms:
The amount something costs is el precio.
He comprado dos por el precio de uno. -Mm...
I've bought two for the price of one. -Mm...
Caption 11, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 7: La gemela - Part 3
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Head to la caja when you're ready to pay.
Desde que José administra la tienda, siempre falta dinero en la caja
Since Jose has been managing the store, money is always missing in the cash register,
Captions 42-43, Carlos explica Los cinco sentidos - Part 4
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The person who processes your payment is el cajero (male) or la cajera (female). Interestingly, cajero is also the term used for an ATM machine, which is called el cajero automático:
¡Oh! ¿Dónde está el cajero automático?
Oh! Where's the ATM?
Caption 36, Natalia de Ecuador Palabras de uso básico
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If you're paying with cash, you're paying en efectivo.
Una pregunta: ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta de crédito o sólo en efectivo?
One question: Can I pay with a credit card or just in cash?
Caption 41, Cleer y Lida Conversación telefónica - Part 2
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Most stores accept credit and debit cards, which are collectively called tarjetas.
La tarjeta de crédito en sí misma no es mala;
The credit card in itself is not bad;
Caption 8, Cuentas claras Sobreviviendo enero - Part 3
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Always keep your receipt, or el recibo, in case you need to return something.
Pasa un chiflón y se me lleva la, la lotería, se me lleva el recibo.
A gust of wind passes by and takes the, the lottery ticket from me, it takes the receipt from me.
Captions 30-31, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 2 - Part 14
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Everyone loves a discount! Look for signs that say descuento or rebaja.
Es muy importante que consigamos el descuento.
It's very important that we get the discount.
Caption 50, Negocios Problemas laborales - Part 1
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Especially popular in Spain, las rebajas are seasonal sales events.
no hay aglomeraciones de gente en las tiendas, en las rebajas.
there are no crowds of people in the stores, at the sales.
Captions 40-41, Soledad Vacaciones de verano
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Here are some common phrases you'll hear or use while shopping:
When something is discounted, it's en oferta.
Ese atún me va a costar uno veinticinco porque está en oferta.
That tuna is going to cost me one twenty-five because it's on sale.
Caption 37, María Fernanda Economía durante el COVID-19
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Use this when trying on clothes to indicate if something fits properly.
¿Me queda bien? Sí, ¿no? -Guapo, guapo, muy bien se ve.
Does it look good on me? It does, right? -Handsome, handsome, it looks very good.
Caption 52, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 6
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If the price is too high, you can say Es muy caro.
¡Es muy caro!
It's very expensive!
Caption 87, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 2: Sam va de compras - Part 6
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When you find a great deal, it's una ganga!
Una ganga es un objeto que lo venden regalado. Bueno, regalado no, pero que es muy barato.
A bargain is an object that's sold as a giveaway. Well, maybe not a giveaway, but it's very cheap.
Captions 59-60, Con Marta por Madrid El Rastro
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Always good to confirm before you start shopping!
¿Aceptan tarjeta?
Do you accept cards?
Caption 62, Natalia de Ecuador Ordenar en un restaurante
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Let's put this vocabulary into context with some practical examples you might encounter:
¿Tiene esta camisa en talla mediana?
Do you have this shirt in size medium?
¿Cuánto cuestan estos zapatos?
How much do these shoes cost?
¿Dónde están las frutas y verduras?
Where are the fruits and vegetables?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay with a card?
Necesito devolver esto, por favor.
I need to return this, please.
Congratulations! You now have the essential vocabulary and phrases to navigate shopping in Spanish with confidence. From asking for prices to finding the right size, these words and expressions will help you shop like a local in any Spanish-speaking country. Practice using these terms during your next shopping trip, and remember that every purchase is an opportunity to improve your Spanish!
What shopping experiences have you had in Spanish-speaking countries? Share your stories with us, and don't forget to send us your questions and suggestions!
In the course of your Spanish studies, you may have noticed certain patterns that make "predicting" words you may never have even heard before possible in many cases. The focus of today's lesson is one such group of words.
Due to their shared roots in the Latin language, many English words that end with the suffix -ation are cognates (words in different languages that share similar meanings, spellings, and pronunciations) along with their Spanish equivalents that end in a very similar suffix: -ación. Let's look at several, very common examples that you may have heard:
Justo el día de hoy le ha dado un mensaje a la nación
Just today he's given a message to the nation
Caption 23, Yabla en Lima El Centro - Part 2
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y tenía mucha imaginación.
and he had a lot of imagination.
Caption 9, El Aula Azul Adivina personajes históricos - Part 2
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Ehm... ¿Tiene alguna recomendación como de pollo o de pescado?
Um... Do you have any recommendation, like, for chicken or fish?
Captions 32-33, Cata y Cleer En el restaurante
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y, por suerte, casi siempre hay mucha participación.
and, luckily, there is almost always a lot of participation.
Caption 78, Viajando con Fermín Asociación ProDunas Marbella
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What can we notice about these words? First off, most of them share virtually identical spellings in English and Spanish but for the replacement of the English suffix -ation with the Spanish -ación. The only minor exception in these examples is the inclusion of a double consonant (m) in the English word "recommendation" that does not appear in la recomendación (this is due to an English spelling rule that we won't delve into in this lesson).
Another noteworthy feature of this class of -ation/-ación cognates (and, in fact, all words that end in -ación in Spanish) is that these nouns' gender in Spanish is feminine.
That said, what if we were at a party, and we wanted to talk about more complex concepts such as "industrialization," "globalization," or "commercialization," and we weren't familiar with the correct Spanish terms? We might try to substitute the Spanish suffix -ación for -ation, just to see what we came up with:
tenemos la... lógicamente, la industrialización,
we have the... logically, industrialization,
Caption 51, Los médicos explican Entrevista con el Doctor Suarez
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Y no te quiero hablar de la globalización
And I don't want to talk about globalization
Caption 47, Yago 6 Mentiras - Part 6
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Es una ruta a nivel turístico bastante joven que está en pleno proceso de comercialización.
It's a rather young route at the touristic level that is in the middle of the process of commercialization.
Captions 30-31, Europa Abierta Taller de escenografía en Olivares
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It worked! You will note that, once again, the spellings and meanings of these terms in Spanish and English are virtually identical except for the slight difference in their suffixes and the addition of the double "m" in "commercialization," again due to English spelling norms. That said, we suggest applying this formula to English words ending in -ation to make an educated guess about their Spanish translations since chances are you'll be right!
Of course, as with all things in life, no formula is perfect, and there are always exceptions. Let's take a look at couple of them:
En los meses de verano, su población llega a multiplicarse por cuatro.
In the summer months, its population gets multiplied by four.
Caption 14, Fuengirola Mercado
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Although our formula would take us to the not-quite-correct word populación, we'd venture to guess that a native Spanish speaker would understand perfectly well what you meant by "En los meses de verano, su populación [sic] llega a multiplicarse por cuatro" and just might gently edify you as to the correct term. Let's look at another example:
porque justo salir del aeropuerto ya te encuentras con la estación de autobús.
because just leaving from the airport you come across the bus station right away.
Caption 28, Blanca Cómo moverse en Barcelona
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In this case, the word estación is extremely similar to the English word "station" except for the suffix and the "e" at the beginning, which is due, this time, to a Spanish norm whereby almost all words with an "s" and a consonant at the beginning are preceded by an "e." And again, we're pretty sure that were you to inquire about the whereabouts of la stación de tren, someone would still direct you to the train station!
Although there are some words that end in -ation in English whose translations are even less similar than the aforementioned examples (e.g. translation/traducción, explanation/explicación, etc.), we still suggest that our formula is a great place to start because, even if you aren't perfectly correct in your attempt to morph an -ation word in English into an -ación word in Spanish, chances are you'll be understood and/or corrected, which is how we learn. And, in many, many cases, as we've shown you... you'll be correct!
That's all for today. Have you noticed any other patterns that have helped you to make educated guesses about words in Spanish? Let us know with your suggestions and comments.
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