English for Shopping: Prices, Sizes and Returns

Level: A1–A2 (CEFR) · Author: eslworkout editorial team · Last updated: 2026-09-14

Shopping in English needs four small sets of phrases: asking about a price, asking for another size or colour, paying, and returning something. Four questions cover most of it — How much is this? Do you have this in a medium? Can I pay by card? and Can I return this? Learn those and the rest of the conversation falls into place, because shop assistants expect short questions and give short answers.

This guide sets out the phrases in the order a shopping trip happens, with the polite forms that make them sound natural, and a five-day practice routine at the end.

Asking about price

Prices are usually printed on the label, so the questions that matter are about value, offers and alternatives.

In a shop, asking for a discount is unusual and can sound abrupt, while at a market it is normal. Read the setting before you negotiate, and if the price is not right, a friendly Thanks, I'll leave it closes the exchange politely.

Sizes, colours and fit

Clothes shopping brings a short, predictable set of questions, and it helps to know your size in the local system before you go, since European, UK and US sizes differ.

• Do you have this in a medium? / Do you have this in a size 40?
• Do you have it in black?
• Can I try this on? / Where's the changing room?
• It's a bit tight. Do you have a larger size?
• This one is too loose. Could I try the smaller size?
• Do you have these in a different style?

After trying something on, use a short comment plus a question: It fits well, but I'd prefer a darker colour. Is this the only one you have? Assistants answer that happily because it tells them exactly what to bring. Prepositions do a lot of work here — in a size, with a collar, at the front — and the guide to prepositions of place covers the patterns that appear most often in shops.

Paying and the receipt

Payment phrases are short, and the assistant often asks the questions for you. Still, knowing your own versions matters when you need something specific.

The polite pattern throughout is Could I rather than I want, with please at the end. Where the assistant asks Card or cash?, one word and a smile is enough. The same request-confirm-thank shape appears in every service conversation, and the ordering food guide works through it in a setting where you speak more.

Returns and exchanges

Returns are the situation learners avoid and then need: something does not fit, does not work, or was bought twice. Two sentences cover the start.

Assistants will often reply with a question of their own: Would you like a refund or an exchange? or Do you have the receipt with you? Both are easy to answer in a few words. Return windows and rules are set by each shop, so check the policy printed on the receipt, and keep the packaging until you are sure you are keeping the item.

Online, the useful lines change slightly: I'd like to cancel my order. Can I track my parcel? I haven't received my refund yet. Delivery rules differ by country, and the everyday English for travel guide covers the delivery and address questions that come up on a trip.

Politeness that makes the phrases work

The grammar in shops is simple; the tone takes practice. Three habits carry most of it: start with Could or I'd like rather than I want, add please when you ask and thanks when you finish, and soften a complaint before making it — Sorry, I think there's a mistake on the receipt. A calm, specific request almost always gets solved; the same words delivered flatly can sound like an accusation.

It is also fine to say your English is limited: Sorry, my English isn't great. Could you say that more slowly? Staff in tourist areas hear this daily. A few phrasal verbs turn up constantly in shops — try on, take back, put aside, ring up — and the beginner phrasal verbs guide is worth a look if those cause trouble.

Reading the exchange

Shop talk has a rhythm. The assistant offers help: Can I help you? You accept — Yes, please, do you have this in a small? — or decline: I'm just looking, thanks. Most exchanges are three turns long, which is why short sentences work better than prepared speeches.

A simple One moment, please buys you time, and Thanks, I'll think about it ends things pleasantly if you decide against the purchase. The small talk phrases collection shows how friendly openers and polite exits connect to the questions used at a till.

A five-day practice routine

These phrases are learned by saying them, not by reading them. Ten minutes daily for a week is enough to make a shop visit routine.

If you would like a structured start, the A1 Day 1 Workout begins with the same everyday patterns, and speaking practice outside a shop is covered in the guide to practising English speaking alone. When you are ready for longer exchanges, the job interview guide shows how the same polite structures work in a much more demanding conversation.

Frequently asked questions