Shopping in Spanish: asking the price, sizes, bargaining and paying, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Buying something is the first conversation most learners have with a stranger, and it goes the same way everywhere: you ask, they answer with a number said too fast, you decide, you pay. Below: the phrases for a market stall, a clothes shop, a supermarket and a shop counter, the numbers and money words you have to catch, and where bargaining is expected and where it is an insult, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
Walking in
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hello, good morning | Hola, buenos días. | Say it. In Spain, walking in without it is noticed |
| I’m just looking | Solo estoy mirando. / Solo miro, gracias. | The answer to ¿le ayudo? |
| Can I help you? (what you’ll hear) | ¿Le ayudo? / ¿Qué desea? / ¿Qué buscaba? / ¿Qué se le ofrece? (Mexico) / ¿En qué le puedo colaborar? (Colombia) | |
| I’m looking for | Estoy buscando… / Busco… | |
| Do you have…? | ¿Tiene…? / ¿Tienen…? | |
| Do you sell…? | ¿Venden…? | |
| Where can I find…? | ¿Dónde puedo encontrar…? | |
| Can you show me…? | ¿Me enseña…? (Spain) / ¿Me muestra…? (Latin America) | |
| That one | Ese. / Esa. / Aquel. (further away) | |
| This one | Este. / Esta. |
¿Qué se le ofrece?, what can be offered to you, is the Mexican shop greeting. ¿En qué le puedo colaborar?, how can I help you, is the Colombian one; colaborar is the Colombian verb for helping in any exchange. Spain’s ¿qué desea? sounds formal and is normal.
The price
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? / ¿Cuánto vale? / ¿Cuánto es? | Cuesta everywhere; vale common in Spain and Colombia; es for a total |
| How much is this? | ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? | |
| How much are these? | ¿Cuánto cuestan? | |
| How much per kilo? | ¿A cuánto el kilo? / ¿A cómo el kilo? (Mexico, Colombia) | At a market |
| Is that the price? | ¿Ese es el precio? | |
| It’s expensive | Es caro. / Está caro. | Está for the price today, es for the thing |
| It’s cheap | Es barato. / Está barato. | |
| Too expensive | Es demasiado caro. / Está muy caro. | |
| Do you have something cheaper? | ¿Tiene algo más barato? | |
| Is there a discount? | ¿Hay descuento? / ¿Tiene descuento? | |
| On sale | en oferta / en rebajas (Spain, the sales season) / en promoción | |
| Is tax included? | ¿Incluye el IVA? | Prices in shops include it; on invoices in Mexico they may not |
| What’s the price in dollars? | ¿Cuánto es en dólares? | Mexico, at the border and in tourist towns |
¿A cómo? for “at what price” is heard in Mexico and Colombia at markets and is the natural form there: ¿a cómo el kilo de tomate? In Spain people say ¿a cuánto?
Bargaining
Where it is expected and where it is not.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markets and craft stalls | Yes, gently; ten to twenty percent | No | Yes at craft markets, little at food markets | Yes at craft fairs (ferias), not at shops |
| Shops with price tags | No | No | No | No, but a cash discount is normal to ask for |
| Taxis without a meter | Yes, agree before | Metered, no | Agree before, yes | Metered, no |
| Street sellers | Yes | No | Yes | Yes at fairs |
The phrases, for where it fits:
| You want to say | Spanish |
|---|---|
| What’s your best price? | ¿Cuál es su mejor precio? / ¿Cuánto es lo menos? (Mexico) |
| Can you give me a discount? | ¿Me hace un descuento? / ¿Me lo deja más barato? |
| If I take two? | ¿Y si me llevo dos? |
| I’ll give you … | Le doy… |
| That’s too much for me | Es mucho para mí. |
| I’ll think about it | Lo voy a pensar. |
| Ok, I’ll take it | Bueno, me lo llevo. |
| Is that the last price? | ¿Es el último precio? |
In Mexico ¿cuánto es lo menos?, what is the least, is the market opener. In Colombia the seller may offer la ñapa, a little extra thrown in, before a discount; accept it. In Argentina, ask ¿hay descuento en efectivo? in almost any shop; cash prices are often ten percent lower, and asking is expected. In Spain, do not bargain in a shop; at a flea market (un mercadillo, or el Rastro in Madrid) a small negotiation is fine.
Clothes and shoes
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Can I try it on? | ¿Me lo puedo probar? | |
| Where are the changing rooms? | ¿Dónde están los probadores? | |
| What size? (what you’ll hear) | ¿Qué talla? (Spain, Mexico, Colombia) / ¿Qué talle? (Argentina) | |
| Shoe size | el número | ¿Qué número calza? |
| Small, medium, large | chica, mediana, grande (Mexico) / pequeña, mediana, grande (Spain) / S, M, L, said as ese, eme, ele | |
| Do you have it in another size? | ¿Lo tiene en otra talla? / …en otro talle? | |
| In another colour? | ¿Lo tiene en otro color? | |
| Bigger, smaller | más grande, más pequeño / más chico (Mexico, Argentina) | |
| It’s too tight | Me queda apretado. / Me queda chico. | |
| It’s too loose | Me queda grande. / Me queda flojo. | |
| It fits well | Me queda bien. | |
| It suits you | Te queda bien. / Le queda bien. | |
| I’ll take it | Me lo llevo. / Me la llevo. | Gender of the item |
| I’ll leave it | Lo dejo. / No, gracias. |
Quedar is the verb for fit, and it is worth learning as a pattern: me queda grande, it is big on me; te queda bien, it looks good on you. Sizes: in Spain, Mexico and Colombia people say talla for clothes; in Argentina, talle. Shoe sizes are número everywhere, and the numbers differ from the ones you know: European sizes in Spain and Argentina, and a Mexican scale that runs lower (a European 40 is roughly a Mexican 26).
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| a T-shirt | una camiseta (Spain, Colombia) / una playera (Mexico) / una remera (Argentina) | |
| a jacket | una chaqueta (Spain, Colombia) / una chamarra (Mexico) / una campera (Argentina) | |
| a sweater | un jersey (Spain) / un suéter (Mexico) / un saco (Colombia) / un pulóver (Argentina) | Un buzo in Colombia and Argentina is a sweatshirt |
| trousers | los pantalones / un pantalón | Singular is common: un pantalón |
| jeans | unos vaqueros (Spain) / unos jeans / un pantalón de mezclilla (Mexico) | |
| a skirt | una falda / una pollera (Argentina) | |
| shoes | los zapatos | |
| trainers | las zapatillas (Spain, Argentina) / los tenis (Mexico, Colombia) | In Mexico zapatillas are women’s dress shoes |
| socks | los calcetines (Spain, Mexico) / las medias (Colombia, Argentina) | In Spain medias are tights |
| a bag | un bolso (Spain) / una bolsa (Mexico, the bag from the shop) / un bolso or una cartera (Argentina, Colombia, a handbag) | |
| sunglasses | las gafas de sol (Spain, Colombia) / los lentes de sol (Mexico, Argentina) / los anteojos (Argentina) |
At the supermarket and the market
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A kilo of | un kilo de | |
| Half a kilo | medio kilo | |
| 250 grams | doscientos cincuenta gramos / un cuarto (a quarter kilo) | |
| A dozen | una docena | |
| A bag | una bolsa | |
| Do you have a bag? | ¿Tiene bolsa? | Bags are charged for in Spain, Colombia and Argentina; in Mexico City and much of Mexico single-use plastic bags are banned, so bring one |
| Ripe, for today | maduro, para hoy | |
| Green, for later | verde | |
| Can I have a taste? | ¿Puedo probar? | Markets, yes |
| That’s enough | Así está bien. / Ya. | When they are weighing |
| A little more | Un poco más. | |
| Fresh | fresco | |
| Where is the checkout? | ¿Dónde está la caja? | |
| The queue | la fila (Latin America) / la cola (Spain) | Hacer fila / hacer cola |
| Who’s last? | ¿Quién es el último? | Spain, at a counter without a ticket system; you join behind that person |
In Spanish supermarkets and butchers, people ask ¿quién es el último? and remember who answered. It is the queue. In Mexico and Colombia you take a place in the line; in Argentina too, with ¿quién es el último? at the bakery.
The names of everyday food change a lot between the four countries; the tables are in the regional posts (avocado is aguacate in three countries and palta in Argentina; peach is durazno in three and melocotón in Spain).
Paying and the receipt
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Card or cash? (what you’ll hear) | ¿Tarjeta o efectivo? | |
| By card | Con tarjeta. | |
| In cash | En efectivo. | |
| Do you have change? | ¿Tiene cambio? | |
| Do you have smaller notes? (what you’ll hear) | ¿No tiene más chico? / ¿No tiene suelto? (Spain) | |
| The receipt | el ticket (Spain, Argentina) / el recibo / la nota (Mexico) | |
| Do you need a bag? (what you’ll hear) | ¿Bolsa? / ¿Necesita bolsa? | |
| Can I return it? | ¿Lo puedo devolver? / ¿Se puede cambiar? | |
| I’d like to exchange this | Quiero cambiar esto. | |
| It doesn’t work | No funciona. | |
| I have the receipt | Tengo el ticket. / Tengo el recibo. | |
| The guarantee | la garantía |
In Argentina the cashier asks ¿en cuotas?, in instalments, for almost anything over a small sum; en un pago, in one payment, is the answer if you want to pay once. At Mexican tills the cashier asks ¿requiere factura?, a tax invoice; no, gracias. At some Colombian chains the cashier asks for your cédula, ID number, for the receipt; no tengo is a fine answer for a visitor.
Money words
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The currency | el peso (MXN) | el euro | el peso (COP) | el peso (ARS) |
| Slang for money | la lana, la feria (change) | la pasta | la plata | la plata, la guita |
| Coins | las monedas | las monedas | las monedas | las monedas |
| Notes | los billetes | los billetes | los billetes | los billetes |
| A thousand | mil | mil | mil or una luca | mil or una luca |
| Prices said as | ciento cincuenta pesos | doce con cincuenta (12.50) | quince mil | dos mil quinientos |
Two traps. Colombian and Argentine prices are in the thousands; quince alone at a Bogotá market means fifteen thousand pesos, and luca is the word for a thousand in both countries. Spanish prices with cents are said with con: tres con veinte, three twenty.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Hola, buenos días. Solo estoy mirando, gracias. Hello. I’m just looking, thanks.
- ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? How much is this?
- ¿A cómo el kilo de mango? How much per kilo of mango? (Mexico, Colombia)
- ¿Me lo puedo probar? ¿Dónde están los probadores? Can I try it on? Where are the changing rooms?
- ¿Lo tiene en otra talla? Me queda chico. Do you have it in another size? It’s small on me.
- ¿Cuánto es lo menos? What’s your best price? (Mexico, at a market)
- ¿Hay descuento en efectivo? Is there a cash discount? (Argentina)
- Me lo llevo. ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? I’ll take it. Can I pay by card?
- ¿Quién es el último? Who’s last? (Spain, in a queue)
- ¿Lo puedo devolver si no me queda bien? Can I return it if it doesn’t fit?
Questions people ask
Cuesta, vale or es? ¿Cuánto cuesta? for an item, everywhere. ¿Cuánto vale? is the same and common in Spain and Colombia. ¿Cuánto es? is for the total when you pay.
Is bargaining rude in Spain? In shops, yes; at flea markets, a little is fine. Prices are marked and fixed.
Is bargaining expected in Mexico? At markets and craft stalls, yes, and the seller sets the first price with that in mind. In shops with tags, no.
What is a “tianguis”? A street market in Mexico, usually one day a week. Un mercado is the permanent covered market.
What does “¿le ayudo?” mean? “Can I help you?” Solo miro, gracias is the answer if you want to be left alone.
How do I say “I’ll take it”? Me lo llevo (or me la llevo for a feminine noun). It means you are buying it.
What is “la ñapa”? In Colombia, the little extra a market seller adds after weighing: one more mango, a handful of herbs. Say gracias.
Practise these words
costar, precio, caro, barato, talla, probar, quedar, llevar, descuento, efectivo, tarjeta, bolsa, fila. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.