If you’re learning English, you’ll quickly discover that essential language skills include the ability to buy and order in English.
Whether you’re traveling in an English-speaking country or simply looking to improve your language proficiency, this guide will provide you with tips and key phrases to succeed in your everyday transactions.
Essential vocabulary
Before delving into the world of buying and ordering in English, familiarize yourself with this basic vocabulary:
- Buy: To acquire something by paying money for it.
- Order: To request something to be made, delivered, or provided, typically through a formal process.
- Store: A place where goods are kept for sale; it can also refer to keeping things in a designated space.
- Shop: A place where you can buy goods or services; it can also mean the act of looking around and buying things.
- Product: Something that is made or manufactured for sale; the result of a process.
- Price: The amount of money that must be paid to acquire something; the cost of a product or service.
- Cart: A wheeled vehicle, typically pushed by a person, used for transporting goods, or a virtual container on a website for holding selected items.
- Checkout: The process of finalizing a purchase, typically involving paying for the selected items.
- Size: The measurement or dimensions of something, often referring to how big or small it is.
- Color: The visual characteristic of an object that comes from the way it reflects or emits light; it can be described using terms like red, blue, green, etc.
Useful phrases for shopping in a store
When you enter a store, here are some phrases that might come in handy:
I’m looking for…
How much does this cost?
Do you have this in size…?
I would like to try this, please.
Where are the fitting rooms?
Are there any sales going on right now?
Ordering at a restaurant or café
When dining at a restaurant or grabbing a coffee, here are some phrases that might be useful:
- I would like to reserve a table for… people.
- What do you recommend?
- I’ll have…
- The bill, please.
- Can we see the menu, please?
- Do you have vegetarian dishes?
Online shopping
If you’re making online purchases, here are some phrases for navigating websites:
Add to cart.
Go to checkout.
Fill in the delivery information.
Choose the payment method.
Confirm the order.
Buying and ordering in English might seem intimidating at first, but with practice and by using the key phrases provided in this guide, you’ll be able to conduct transactions with confidence. Whether in stores, restaurants, or online, these language skills will certainly come in handy during your adventures in the English-speaking world. Happy shopping and bon appétit!
