Shopping - Clothes
A few guys like to shop. As for the girls, most of them enjoy shopping. Shopping can consist of
grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or present shopping. I'm sure there are other types as well,
but I will limit this lesson to these three types of shopping.
Shopping for clothes
'Window Shopping' is a terminology used when you do not plan on buying anything. Basically,
you are only looking. The term 'window shopping' was created because a lot of stores have
mannequins on display in the window with clothes on them. So walking by the store and looking
at the clothing through the window is a way to see what they have. This is called 'window
shopping.'
Mannequins are the fake life size figures that are used to put and display clothes. Most
department stores show clothing with the mannequins.
Here are some common statements and questions most commonly used in a clothing store.
"Where is the dressing room?"
"I can't find my size here. Can you check if you have this in a size 4?"
"Do you have this in different colors?"
"Where are your jeans located?"
"Where is the red sweater on display in the window?"
"How much is this skirt?"
"Are you going to have a sale soon?"
"Where is the matching shirt for this skirt?"
"When are you going to get more sizes?"
"I'm looking for a belt that will go with these pants."
"Do you provide alteration here?"
"How much will it cost to get alternation done on these pants?"
"These pants are too long for me. Where can I get them altered?"
"How long does it take?"
"When do you start selling summer clothing?"
"When will you be getting your summer line?"
Some answers you might here from workers
"The dressing room is in the right back corner."
"The dressing room is right over there."
"All our jeans are located in the back wall."
"We usually get a shipment every Thursday, so I would check back then."
"We have alteration here."
"It costs seven dollars."
"It takes one day. You can pick them up tomorrow if you drop it off now."
"We'll have our summer line on display in April."
Shopping - Grocery
Grocery shopping is a common thing that is done at least on a weekly basis. I'll cover some
general sentences that are commonly used.
Before shopping
"I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?"
"I'm going to QFC. Do you want to go?"
"Did you create a grocery list?"
"I'm going to Safeway tonight. Let me know if you need anything by 5:30."
"Let's go to the grocery store together."
Many large grocery stores have coupons they distribute through the newspaper. You cut them
out and save money on items that are shown in the coupon.
"I have a bunch of coupons I got from the newspaper."
"There were a lot of coupons, but I didn't need any of them."
"There are no coupons for anything I ever buy."
During grocery shopping
"Where is your bread section?"
"Where can I find milk?"
"Where are your beers?"
"Do you sell alcohol here?"
"I'm looking for pickles. Can you help me find them?"
"Do you have a bakery section?"
"I'm looking for cough medicine. Where is your medicine area?"
Shopping - Presents
Shopping for presents
Almost everyone needs to buy a present. Let's look at some sentences that you will need.
It's common to ask a birthday person what they want.
"What do you want for your birthday?"
"Do you need anything?"
Or, you can ask a friend of a birthday person.
"What do you think John wants for his birthday?"
"What do you think I should get for John?"
"What are you getting John for his birthday?"
Buying something for a girlfriend or boyfriend is a little different. If you don't have any ideas,
then you can ask a sales person. Let's say you want to buy your girlfriend a piece of jewelry.
"I want to buy my girlfriend a birthday present. Do you have any suggestions?"
Or if you want to buy a boyfriend a tie or a shirt, you can go to a place like Banana Republic and
ask them.
"I'm shopping for my boyfriend's birthday. Can you help me pick out something?"
Shopping - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation,
become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the
audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause
between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be able to
speak as fast as a native.
< tr>
1
Listen All | Person A | Person B
A: "Welcome. Can I help you with anything?"
B: "Hi. I'm shopping for my boyfriend's birthday. Do you have any suggestions?"
A: "Let's see. How about a nice shirt and tie? You can't go wrong there."
B: "Well. He doesn't wear ties that often."
A: "We have some nice pants. You can also get him a belt with it."
B: "That sounds good. Which one do you recommend?"
A: "These slacks are very popular. He can wear them to dress up a little or on a normal casual
day."
B: "I like them. Do you have matching belts?"
A: "Yes. Right over here."
B: "How much are they?"
A: "The pants are on sale for $40, and the belt is $25."
B: "What is your return policy just in case he doesn't like them?"
A: "Just save the receipt and we will gladly return or exchange them for you."
B: "That sounds great. I'll take them."
2
Listen All | Person A | Person B
A: "Hey Jackie. What are you doing?"
B: "Nothing much. I'm just relaxing today. Why? What's going on?"
A: "I was thinking about heading to the mall. Do you want to go?"
B: "Are they having a sale?"
A: "Yeah. Both Bon and Nordstrom's is having there annual sale. It's a great time to buy some
clothes you've been holding out on."
B: "That sounds great. Where should we meet?"
A: "I'll meet you in front of Nordstrom's in 30 minutes."
B: "Sounds good. See you there."
A: "What do you think about these shoes?"
B: "They're cute. But do you think you'll wear them much?"
A: "No. Not really."
B: "This sweater is so pretty. I love the low neck design."
A: "I bet it's expensive."
B: "It's on sale for $80. What do you think? Should I try them on?"
A: "For 80 bucks it looks great. Go try it on."
3
Listen All | Person A | Person B
A "Where is your dressing room?"
B: "Right over there."
Person A comes out of the dressing room
B: "How did you like the sweater?"
A: "I loved it. I'll take it."
B: "Great. I can ring you up over here. It comes to $87.04."
A: "Here you go?"
B: "Do you have a credit card with us?"
A: "No I don't."
B: "If you open up a card, you can save 10% on all your purchases today."
A: "Not today. Thanks though."
B: "No problem. We always have this offer, so when ever you decide to, just let us know."
A: "Sure."
B: "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
A: "Yeah. I was looking at some of your pants, but they are all a bit too long. Do you have
alteration services here?"
B: "Yes. It cost $7, and it takes one day."
A: "Great. Thanks for your help."
B: "Thank you, and have a great day."