Spanish · A1 (Beginner)
Shopping in Spanish: Words & Phrases
Quick answer: The most useful Spanish words for shopping are comprar (to buy), pagar (to pay) and el precio (the price). The full Spanish shopping phrase list with example sentences is below.
The essential Spanish vocabulary for shopping, with example sentences and English translations. This is A1 (Beginner) material — exactly the kind of practical language you need when you're learning Spanish to live, work, or settle abroad.
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Key shopping vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| comprar | to buy |
| pagar | to pay |
| el precio | the price |
| caro/a | expensive |
| barato/a | cheap |
| la caja | the checkout / till |
| el mercado | the market |
| la tienda | the shop / store |
| las rebajas | the sales |
| la tarjeta | the card |
Example sentences
Quiero comprar esta chaqueta.
I want to buy this jacket.
¿Dónde puedo pagar?
Where can I pay?
¡Esto es muy caro!
This is very expensive!
¡Qué barato!
How cheap!
Pague en la caja, por favor.
Please pay at the checkout.
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
How to actually learn these
Reading a vocabulary list is not the same as being able to use the words when it counts. Research on adult language acquisition consistently shows that vocabulary retained through contextual use — hearing a word, producing it under mild pressure, and being corrected when you get it wrong — transfers to real speech far more effectively than passive list review. The fastest way to make vocabulary like this stick is to practise it in the actual conversations where it comes up: not drills, but a real back-and-forth where you have to retrieve the word and say it aloud. Language Lab turns vocabulary like this into voiced, real-life scenarios with Sonia, a live AI language tutor who holds real conversations, corrects you in context, and remembers the specific words you keep getting wrong across sessions. The vocabulary stops being something you read and becomes something you say — automatically, under pressure, when you actually need it.
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