Palabra Lexi · words by topic · Spanish
Spanish Words: Shopping — with Pronunciation and Memory Hooks
Level A0 · first words · 20 words
Price, discount, checkout, change, size and "how much is it?": everything you need at a store or a market to buy what you want at the right price.
Spanish is read almost exactly as it's written: stress falls on the second-to-last syllable when a word ends in a vowel, n or s, otherwise on the last one, and exceptions carry an accent mark (café, estación). Nouns are masculine (el) or feminine (la). Pronunciation below is spelled out in English, stressed syllable in capitals.
Shopping in Spanish: word list
| Spanish | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| comprar | kom-PRAR | to buy |
| vender | behn-DEHR | to sell |
| pagar | pah-GAR | to pay |
| precio | PREH-syoh | price |
| dinero | dee-NEH-roh | money |
| tarjeta | tahr-HEH-tah | card |
| efectivo | eh-fehk-TEE-boh | cash |
| caro | KAH-roh | expensive |
| barato | bah-RAH-toh | cheap |
| rebajas | reh-BAH-hahs | sales |
| talla | TAH-yah | size (clothes) |
| probar | proh-BAHR | to try (on) |
| cuenta | KWEN-tah | bill |
| cambio | KAHM-byoh | change |
| bolsa | BOL-sah | bag |
| cliente | klee-EN-teh | customer |
| caja | KAH-hah | checkout |
| descuento | dehs-KWEHN-toh | discount |
| ¿cuánto cuesta? | KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah | how much is it? |
| recibo | reh-THEE-boh | receipt |
Memory hooks for these words
A sound-alike is an English word or phrase that sounds like the foreign one. The scene ties it to the meaning: you recall the sound, the sound brings back the picture, the picture brings back the meaning. Read each scene once, then try to recall the meaning a minute later without looking at the list.
comprar [kom-PRAR] — to buy
Sounds like: “com-prawn”. You buy a prawn at the fish market, handing coins to the fisherman for it.
Quiero comprar pescado. — I want to buy fish.
vender [behn-DEHR] — to sell
Sounds like: “vendor”. A street vendor shouts loudly, waving fresh fruit, trying to sell it to passing tourists.
El vendedor quiere vender frutas. — The vendor wants to sell fruits.
pagar [pah-GAR] — to pay
Sounds like: “pa-GAR (like 'pa' + 'guard')”. A pa guards the cash register, making every customer pay before they leave the store.
Tengo que pagar la cuenta. — I have to pay the bill.
precio [PREH-syoh] — price
Sounds like: “precise-oh”. Store clerk shouts 'precise-oh!' while typing the exact price into the cash register machine.
El precio no cambia. — The price doesn't change.
dinero [dee-NEH-roh] — money
Sounds like: “dinner-oh”. You slap a wad of cash on the table shouting 'dinner, oh!' as you pay for the meal with money.
Necesito dinero para la cena — I need money for dinner.
tarjeta [tahr-HEH-tah] — card
Sounds like: “tar jetta”. A black Jetta car covered in sticky tar has a card stuck to its windshield wiper.
tarjeta — card
efectivo [eh-fehk-TEE-boh] — cash
Sounds like: “effective oh”. That effective, oh-so-thick wad of cash gets the deal done instantly at the shop.
solo efectivo — cash only
caro [KAH-roh] — expensive
Sounds like: “car row”. A row of shiny sports cars lined up, each price tag shocking buyers with expensive numbers.
Este coche es caro. — This car is expensive.
barato [bah-RAH-toh] — cheap
Sounds like: “burrito”. A sign at the stand says cheap lunch, and he gets a huge burrito for a single coin.
Este libro es muy barato — This book is very cheap
rebajas [reh-BAH-hahs] — sales
Sounds like: “rebate jazz”. You dance to rebate jazz music while stacking coupons, since every rebate means bigger sale discounts.
Me encantan las rebajas de enero — I love the January sales
talla [TAH-yah] — size (clothes)
Sounds like: “tall-yah”. A tall yak stands in a store checking the size tag on a huge jacket before buying it.
talla — size (clothes)
probar [proh-BAHR] — to try (on)
Sounds like: “pro-bar”. A professional bartender lets you try on cocktails at his fancy pro bar before buying.
probar el cóctel — try the cocktail
cuenta [KWEN-tah] — bill
Sounds like: “count-a”. You count all the coins on the table to pay the restaurant bill after eating.
¿Puedes traer la cuenta? — Can you bring the bill?
cambio [KAHM-byoh] — change
Sounds like: “come bio”. A biologist says 'come, bio!' as she swaps old samples for new ones, changing them.
Necesito cambio — I need change
bolsa [BOL-sah] — bag
Sounds like: “bolt-sa”. A metal bolt falls out of a torn bag, spilling hardware all over the workshop floor.
Puse el pan en la bolsa. — I put the bread in the bag.
cliente [klee-EN-teh] — customer
Sounds like: “client A”. Picture a client labeled A standing at the register, first in line to pay for goods.
El cliente compró un regalo. — The customer bought a gift.
caja [KAH-hah] — checkout
Sounds like: “cah-hah”. The cashier laughs 'cah-hah' loudly while scanning your items at the busy checkout counter.
Paga en la caja — Pay at the checkout.
descuento [dehs-KWEHN-toh] — discount
Sounds like: “des-count-oh”. Clerk counts down the coins on the tray, saying 'oh' as each coin drops off the total price.
gran descuento hoy — big discount today
¿cuánto cuesta? [KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah] — how much is it?
Sounds like: “kwanto quest-ah”. A knight on a quest asks the merchant how much gold his quest supplies cost.
¿Cuánto cuesta la espada? — How much does the sword cost?
recibo [reh-THEE-boh] — receipt
Sounds like: “re-see-bow”. You re-see the bow on the gift box and notice the receipt taped underneath showing the price.
pide el recibo — ask for the receipt