De compras

gustar-verbs

«Costar» (to cost) is a stem-changing verb: the stressed «o» in the stem changes to «ue» whenever it is stressed, so «yo cuesto», «tú cuestas», «él/ella cuesta». In this phrase, «cuesta» is the third-person singular form because the T-shirt (the subject) is doing the costing. The «nosotros» and «vosotros» forms keep the plain «o» — «costamos», «costáis» — because the stress falls on the ending, not the stem.

comparatives

In Spanish, you form a comparative by placing «más» directly before the adjective: «más grande» means 'bigger' or 'larger'. There is no separate word like English '-er'; you simply add «más» before any adjective. Here, «una talla más grande» literally builds the idea of 'a more-large size', which is the standard everyday way to ask for a larger clothing size.

reflexive-verbs

'Probarse' is a reflexive verb meaning 'to try something on.' When it appears as an infinitive after another verb like 'poder,' the reflexive pronoun and the object pronoun are attached directly to the end of the infinitive, giving you 'probár-me-lo' — 'me' shows who is trying it on (you, the speaker), and 'lo' replaces the item of clothing. The written accent on 'probár' is added to keep the original stress when the extra syllables are attached.

ser-vs-estar

Spanish has two verbs meaning 'to be': «ser» and «estar». For location of people and objects, Spanish always uses «estar», never «ser». Here, «están» (from «estar») tells you where the fitting rooms are physically located — a classic location use. Think of it as: if you can point to where something is, use «estar».

object-pronouns

Spanish often uses two object pronouns together before the verb. Here «me» is the indirect object (showing who benefits — you, the buyer) and «lo» is the direct object (the thing being taken). They always appear in the fixed order indirect + direct, so it is always «me lo» and never «lo me». The verb is «llevarse», a reflexive verb meaning 'to take something away with you', and in this shopping context «me lo llevo» is the standard, natural way to tell a shopkeeper you have decided to buy something.

question-formation

In everyday Spanish, shoppers often use the third-person plural «aceptan» (literally 'they accept') to address staff impersonally — you are asking about the establishment's policy rather than singling out one person. This 'impersonal they' construction is very natural and avoids having to choose between «tú» and «usted». In English we solve the same problem differently, usually saying 'Do you accept cards?' or 'Do they take cards?'

ser-vs-estar

In Spanish, 'estar' (not 'ser') is used with a gerund to describe an action happening right now — this is called the present progressive. Here, 'estoy mirando' means 'I am (currently) looking', emphasising that the looking is in progress at this moment. Think of 'estar + gerund' as the Spanish equivalent of English '-ing' forms when describing what you are doing right now.

question-formation

In Spanish, yes/no questions are formed by raising your intonation — no extra word like 'do' is needed. Here, «¿Tienen este modelo...?» uses the same word order as a statement; the question marks and spoken intonation do all the work. Notice that «tienen» (third-person plural) is used to address shop staff politely, the same way English uses 'you' for a single person behind the counter.

question-formation

The phrase «en oferta» is a fixed prepositional expression meaning 'on sale' — you always use «en» here, not «a» or «de». The word «¿verdad?» tacked onto the end works like English 'right?' or 'isn't it?' — it turns a statement into a tag question without changing the word order of the main clause at all. This is one of the easiest tag questions in Spanish because «¿verdad?» works after almost any statement, regardless of tense or subject.

courtesy-formulas

In Spanish, polite requests to strangers or shopkeepers use the 'usted' form, so «hace» (third person singular) is used instead of «haces». The phrase «hacer un descuento» is the standard Spanish way to express giving a discount — you do not say «dar un descuento» in this context. The indirect object pronoun «me» placed before the verb tells the listener who receives the discount, making the request both natural and polite.

comparatives

In Spanish, «demasiado» placed directly before an adjective means 'too' in the sense of 'excessively' — so «demasiado caro» means 'too expensive', not just 'very expensive'. Notice that «demasiado» does not change form here because it is acting as an adverb modifying the adjective «caro», not as an adjective itself. If it were describing a noun instead, it would agree in gender and number, for example «demasiadas cosas» ('too many things').

question-formation

In Spanish, «cuál» is used instead of «qué» when asking for a specific item from a set of possibilities — here, one particular price among possible options. «Qué» would be used before a noun to ask about the nature or definition of something (for example, '¿Qué es el precio?' would sound like asking 'What is the concept of price?'). So when you want to ask 'which one is it?' or 'what is it?' in a concrete, identifying sense, «cuál» is the right choice.

courtesy-formulas

This phrase uses a real-life bargaining formula built on a 'si' + present-tense condition: 'si me llevo dos' (if I take two). Notice that both verbs stay in the simple present — Spanish does not use a future or subjunctive here for this type of everyday 'if' clause. The verb 'dejar' is used colloquially to mean 'to give someone a price', so '¿me deja mejor precio?' is the polite, natural way to ask a seller for a discount, equivalent to 'can you do a better price for me?'

courtesy-formulas

In Spanish, a polite request to a stranger or shopkeeper uses the usted form of the verb — so «da» here is the third-person singular present of «dar», not a command. Adding «me» before the verb tells the listener who receives the bag, making the sentence feel natural and complete. This pattern — «me da + thing + por favor» — is the everyday go-to formula at shop counters across the Spanish-speaking world.

question-formation

In Spanish, questions about time use the fixed opener «a qué hora», meaning 'at what time'. The preposition «a» is always required before time expressions, so you cannot drop it the way English drops 'at' in casual speech. Here «cierran» is third-person plural, which in this context works as a polite 'you close' — addressing the staff of a shop as a group rather than one individual, a very natural choice in everyday Spanish.

prepositions

In Spanish, cash is expressed with the fixed phrase «en efectivo», using the preposition «en» where English uses 'in' or 'with'. Think of «en» here as indicating the form or method of payment — it answers the question 'how are you paying?' The whole expression «en efectivo» works as a set phrase, so you always use it as a unit without changing the article or the preposition.

courtesy-formulas

In Spanish, using the imperfect tense of «querer» — «quería» — softens a request and makes it sound polite and tentative, much like saying 'I would like' in English instead of 'I want'. This is a very common courtesy strategy in shops, offices, and service situations across all Spanish-speaking regions. Using the present tense «quiero devolver esto» ('I want to return this') is grammatically correct but can sound more abrupt, so native speakers often prefer «quería» when approaching staff.

courtesy-formulas

The phrase uses «¿Me da...?» — literally 'does he/she give me?' — as a polite request. Addressing someone as if speaking in the third person (usted form) is the standard courteous way to ask for something from a stranger or shop assistant in Spanish. «El tique» is the everyday word for a printed receipt or till slip; you will also see it spelled «tíquet», but both are widely understood and accepted across the Spanish-speaking world.

gustar-verbs

'Quedar bien' works just like 'gustar': the clothing is the grammatical subject, and the person wearing it is expressed with an indirect object pronoun. So 'no me queda bien' literally means 'it does not stay well on me' — the garment (it) is doing the action, and 'me' tells us who is affected. If you were talking about two items, you would say 'no me quedan bien' because the verb matches the plural subject.

ser-vs-estar

Spanish uses «estar» — not «ser» — to ask about the location of something. Here, «¿Dónde está la caja?» uses «está» because you are asking where the checkout physically is. «La caja» literally means 'box', but in a shop context it naturally refers to the checkout counter or cash register — a very common everyday meaning every Spanish speaker understands.

tener-expressions

In Spanish, «tener» (to have) is used to express what something includes or comes with, just as English uses 'have' or 'come with'. Here, «esto tiene garantía» literally means 'this has warranty', which is the natural way to ask if a product includes a guarantee. Notice that no article is needed before «garantía» in this context — dropping the article makes it sound more like a general feature rather than a specific one.

reflexive-verbs

In Spanish, 'to afford something' is expressed with the reflexive verb «permitirse», literally meaning 'to allow oneself' something. Here, «no me lo puedo permitir» uses the reflexive pronoun «me» (myself) together with the direct object pronoun «lo» (it), placed before the conjugated verb «puedo». Notice that both pronouns stack in front of «puedo»: the reflexive «me» always comes first, then the object pronoun «lo».

hay-existential

'Hay' comes from the verb 'haber' and is used to say that something exists or is available — it covers both 'there is' and 'there are' in a single form. In this phrase, 'hay' stays the same even though 'rebajas' is plural, because 'hay' never changes to agree with the noun. To turn it into a question, Spanish simply adds question marks around the same word order — no extra word like 'are' is needed, making '¿Hay rebajas?' a very natural and easy structure to use.

idioms

'Cerrar el trato' is a fixed idiomatic expression meaning 'to close or seal a deal.' The verb «cerrar» (to close) is used here figuratively — you are not closing a door, but finalizing an agreement. Notice that «cerramos» is in the present tense but carries a future sense, as if saying 'and just like that, we have a deal.' This use of the present tense to express an immediate future outcome is very natural in colloquial Spanish bargaining situations.

ser-vs-estar

In Spanish, 'ser' is used with 'de' to describe what something is made of — this is a permanent, defining characteristic of an object. The pattern 'ser + de + material' works like saying 'it is of leather' or 'it is of wood'. You would never use 'estar' here, because the material something is made from is not a temporary state but an inherent quality.

idioms

«Volver» is a stem-changing verb where the «o» in the stem changes to «ue» whenever the stem is stressed. In «vuelvo», the stress falls on the stem, so it becomes «vuelv-», not «volv-». This o→ue change happens in all present-tense forms except nosotros and vosotros. Notice also that Spanish uses the simple present tense here — «vuelvo» — where English uses 'I'll come back', because in Spanish the present tense naturally covers near-future intentions.

object-pronouns

In this phrase two object pronouns appear together before the verb: «me» (indirect — for me) and «lo» (direct — it). Spanish always places the indirect pronoun first, so the order is always 'me lo', never 'lo me'. The phrase «para regalo» is a fixed expression meaning 'as a gift wrap'; notice that no article is used before «regalo», just as English drops the article in set phrases like 'gift-wrap'.

imperative

In Spanish, when you address someone formally as 'usted', the imperative is formed using the present subjunctive ending: «quedarse» becomes «quédese» (not «quédate», which is for 'tú'). The reflexive pronoun «se» is attached directly to the end of the verb, and a written accent is added to keep the original stress. So «Quédese con el cambio» is the polite, formal way to tell someone — like a taxi driver or waiter — to keep the change.