Spoken English: Supermarket

hi guys welcome back in this lesson we're looking at everyday English

phrases you may say or hear in a supermarket excuse me what my fine

toothpaste it's in aisle number three Thanks

oh and do you sell umbrellas here oh I'm sorry

we don't stock umbrellas

how much of the apples they're 2 pounds per kilo can I have 2 kilos please there

you are anything else no that's all does this contain gluten yes but we have

gluten-free items down by the organic section great where is the organic

section oh it's just here

do you have a loyalty card no this is my first time here would you like a bag no

I have my own how would you like to pay can I pay by contactless yes just put

your card down there Thanks and here's your receipt have a nice day

you too fantastic now let's look at some of those phrases in more detail firstly

to get somebody's attention you would use the phrase excuse me excuse me what

do I find toothpaste we do also sometimes say pardon me but it's much

less common the reason you normally need to speak to a shop assistant is because

you need to find something in the shop so you might use the phrase where can I

find the potatoes or where can I find shampoo you might use the phrase could

you tell me where the object is for example I might say could you tell me

where the toothpaste is or you might say could you tell me where the cheese

biscuits are bear in mind that if it is a plural object then you're going to use

are, so biscuits are and if it is a singular item like toothpaste then you

will use is - could you tell me where the toothpaste is you may even inquire if

they even stock the object you're looking for so you might say do you sell

umbrellas or do you have umbrellas do you sell deodorant do you have deodorant

where can I find toothpaste? It's on aisle number

three Thanks oh and do you sell umbrellas here oh I'm sorry

we don't stock umbrellas next a very important question the cost most

commonly we just simply say how much is this how much is that how much are these

how much are those another way to ask the same question is could you tell me

the price of this please could you tell me the price of this please

or what does this cost what does this cost the answer to this question will be

something along the lines of they are two pounds or it is two pounds if we're

talking specifically about individual items you might say there are two pounds

each each item is two pounds they are two pounds each sometimes certain items

are sold by the weight so for example mushrooms if they are not in a bag you

can pick as many mushrooms as you like they'll be sold by the weight so you

might pay two pounds per kilo two pounds per kilogram we also have the metric of

pounds in the UK so pounds represents money but pounds also represents a

weight in the UK a pound in weight is written like this and a pound in money

is written like this so don't be confused if someone says it's a pound

per pound they mean it costs one pound for one pound in weight of this item how

much of the apples

they're two pounds per kilo can I have two kilos please if you need to know

about a specific ingredient in a product then you could ask does this contain

milk does this contain nuts you could also ask do these have nuts in them do

these have nuts in them two of the more common phrases you will see in

supermarkets are gluten-free which means it does not contain gluten and

dairy-free meaning it does not contain dairy so you can ask is this dairy-free

is this gluten-free does this contain gluten yes but we have gluten-free items

down by the organic section great where is the organic section oh it's just here

once you've gathered together everything that you need from the shop your gluten

free pasta and your dairy free chocolates

your pound of apples you will then need to pay before you leave so you head to

the checkout and the cashier or the shopping assistant will be there to help

you pay they will ask you are you paying with cash or card are you paying with

money what are you paying with a debit card or a credit card a lot of credit

and debit cards these days are contactless which means for small

purchases under 30 pounds you can simply tap your card on the card reader you

don't have to sign anything and you don't have to put in a PIN number you

just tap very simple so the cashier might say would you like to pay with

contactless or I might ask is it contactless can I just tuck it how

would you like to pay can I pay by contactless yes just put your card down

there Thanks

another way to pay is with a check but this is much less common these days as

most people will pay with cash or card but if you were carrying around a

checkbook and you want to pay with a check then you will have to inquire

do you accept checks if you're paying with cash and you don't have the right

amount then it's important that you don't forget your change the change is

the money leftover from the sale so if I have a 15 pound item to buy and I give

the cashier a 20 pound note I will have five pounds change and it's important

that I don't forget my change because I'll probably need it to pay for parking

one more thing that you'll need when making a purchase is your receipt your

proof of purchase now receipt has the letter P in it but

this is a silent letter we say receipt receipt so don't forget your receipt

especially if you're buying an expensive item or an electrical item and here's

your receipt have a nice day you too so there are some common phrases that you

will probably hear or say when you are shopping in a supermarket now let's

finish off with some additional helpful folk ab you Larry before you start

shopping if you have a number of items to buy then you will need a basket to

help you carry those items a basket a basket alternatively if you have a lot

of items to buy then you might opt for a trolley a trolley I believe this is

called a cart in America a shopping cart but do let me know if you are American

down in the comment section below do you say cart

do you say trolley a word that you will often see around the supermarket is the

word stock something is either in stock or out of stock to be in stock means you

have the items in and if they are all sold there's no more

items left than that item is out of stock so for example if I have ordered

lots of apples but they haven't yet arrived the Apple shelf is empty then I

would say I'm out of stock but we have some coming in later today earlier you

heard me mention the word aisle aisle this sounds exactly like the contraction

aisle as in I will aisle and often in supermarkets in the UK they are numbered

so I might tell you that the item you are looking for is on aisle 12 next we

have the word checkout checkout now this can be a noun or a verb in the

supermarket is often used as a noun so I'm going to the checkout and you might

say I've left something at the checkout no but check out can be used as a verb

but more often that's when talking about hotels you check in and you check out

when you're at the checkout you'll be asked if you need a bag would you like a

bag they might say you may have your own bag

otherwise in the UK you'll have to pay a very small fee to have a plastic bag 5p

usually for a small bag 10 P for a big bag and maybe a little bit more for a

sturdy bag for life you will then pack your bag with your items and the cashier

may even ask would you like some help with the packing and finally most

supermarkets will have a loyalty card scheme so if you sign up to their scheme

you get a card and every time you shop you scan that card and in many

supermarkets the scheme involves collecting points which then allows you

to have money off future purchases so you will often be asked at the checkout

do you have a loyalty card if you say no they might say would you like one so

there you go lots of helpful phrases and words for you to use

at the supermarket if you know any additional words or phrases that you

think should be on this list please put it in the comment section below if

you're new here then I'd love you to hit that subscribe button and the Bell

notification button so you can join us in our next class. Until next time why

not put the kettle on and let's have a brew.