A1 · Unit 9 · 46 words, 2 texts with translation
Buy clothes at a store
Name colors and clothes, ask how much things cost, try things on and pay by card or in cash.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Colors and agreement
Colors are adjectives, so they go after the noun, unlike English: a white shirt is una camisa blanca. They agree with the noun in gender and number.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | un abrigo negro | dos abrigos negros |
| Feminine | una camisa blanca | dos camisas blancas |
Colors that end in -e or in a consonant don't change for gender, only for number: verde → verdes, azul → azules, gris → grises, marrón → marrones. The color rosa usually doesn't change at all: unos zapatos rosa.
- Quiero una camisa blanca. — I want a white shirt.
- Tengo unos pantalones negros. — I have black pants.
- Me gusta el vestido verde. — I like the green dress.
- ¿Tienes una chaqueta azul? — Do you have a blue jacket?
- ¿De qué color es? — What color is it?
Demonstratives: este, ese, aquel
The words for "this" and "that" change for gender and number. English has two distances (this, that), but Spanish has three:
| m. | f. | m. pl. | f. pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| near me: this, these | este | esta | estos | estas |
| near you or not far: that, those | ese | esa | esos | esas |
| far from both of us: that, those (over there) | aquel | aquella | aquellos | aquellas |
The words esto, eso, aquello are neutral: you use them for something you don't know the name of or don't want to name (a thing, a situation). They have no gender and no plural, and they never go before a noun: este abrigo (this coat), not ✗ esto abrigo.
- Este abrigo es caro. — This coat is expensive.
- Esa camisa es barata. — That shirt is cheap.
- Quiero estos zapatos. — I want these shoes.
- ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? — How much is this?
- Eso es todo, gracias. — That's all, thanks.
Prices and shopping
In a store you need a few ready-made phrases.
| What you want to do | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ask the price of one thing | ¿Cuánto cuesta el abrigo? | How much is the coat? |
| Ask the price of several things | ¿Cuánto cuestan los zapatos? | How much are the shoes? |
| Say the price | Cuesta veinte euros. / Son treinta euros. | It's twenty euros. / That's thirty euros. |
| Say what you need | Necesito una talla M. | I need a size M. |
| Choose | Me llevo esta camisa. | I'll take this shirt. |
| Pay | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? / Solo en efectivo. | Can I pay by card? / Cash only. |
Cuesta and cuestan come from costar (to cost); its stem changes o → ue.
The numbers up to 100 are in unit 2. For prices, add the word euros: cuarenta y cinco euros. For cents, use con: diez euros con cincuenta (€10.50; in Spain it's written 10,50 €).
- ¿Cuánto cuesta esta chaqueta? — How much is this jacket?
- Cuesta sesenta euros. — It costs sixty euros.
- ¿Puedo probarme esta camisa? — Can I try on this shirt?
- Es muy cara. ¿Tiene algo más barato? — It's very expensive. Do you have anything cheaper? (formal)
Words in this unit
comprar — to buy
Compro pan en el supermercado. — I buy bread at the supermarket.
la tienda — store, shop
Hay una tienda de ropa cerca de mi casa. — There's a clothing store near my house.
necesitar — to need
Necesito una talla más grande. — I need a bigger size.
este — this
Este abrigo es muy bonito. — This coat is very nice.
ese — that
¿Cuánto cuesta ese vestido? — How much is that dress?
aquel — that (over there)
Aquel edificio es una tienda. — That building over there is a store.
esto — this (thing)
¿Cuánto cuesta esto? — How much is this?
eso — that (thing)
Eso es muy caro. — That's very expensive.
el precio — price
¿Cuál es el precio? — What's the price?
el dinero — money
No tengo dinero. — I don't have any money.
la tarjeta — card, bank card
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card?
el efectivo — cash
Pago en efectivo. — I pay in cash.
caro — expensive
Este abrigo es muy caro. — This coat is very expensive.
barato — cheap
El mercado es más barato. — The market is cheaper.
la ropa — clothes, clothing
Necesito ropa nueva. — I need new clothes.
el color — color
¿De qué color es? — What color is it?
blanco — white
Quiero una camisa blanca. — I want a white shirt.
negro — black
Mi abrigo es negro. — My coat is black.
rojo — red
Tengo un vestido rojo. — I have a red dress.
azul — blue
Mi chaqueta es azul. — My jacket is blue.
verde — green
Me gusta el vestido verde. — I like the green dress.
amarillo — yellow
Quiero una camiseta amarilla. — I want a yellow T-shirt.
gris — gray
Mi jersey es gris. — My sweater is gray.
marrón — brown
Llevo zapatos marrones. — I'm wearing brown shoes.
rosa — pink
Mi hija quiere una falda rosa. — My daughter wants a pink skirt.
la talla — size (clothes)
¿Qué talla necesita? — What size do you need? (formal)
la camisa — shirt
Esta camisa es muy bonita. — This shirt is very nice.
la camiseta — T-shirt
Quiero una camiseta amarilla. — I want a yellow T-shirt.
los pantalones — pants
Necesito unos pantalones negros. — I need black pants.
el vestido — dress
Me gusta este vestido. — I like this dress.
la falda — skirt
Quiero una falda negra. — I want a black skirt.
el zapato — shoe
Necesito unos zapatos nuevos. — I need new shoes.
la chaqueta — jacket
Hace frío. Llevo una chaqueta. — It's cold. I'm wearing a jacket.
el abrigo — coat
En invierno llevo abrigo. — In winter I wear a coat.
el jersey — sweater
Llevo un jersey azul. — I'm wearing a blue sweater.
llevar — to wear, to carry, to take
Hoy llevo un vestido azul. — Today I'm wearing a blue dress.
probarse — to try on
¿Puedo probarme esta camisa? — Can I try on this shirt?
mirar — to look at, to look
Solo estoy mirando, gracias. — I'm just looking, thanks.
abrir — to open
La tienda abre a las diez. — The store opens at ten.
cerrar — to close
La tienda cierra a las nueve. — The store closes at nine.
el supermercado — supermarket
Voy al supermercado. — I'm going to the supermarket.
el mercado — market
Compro verduras en el mercado. — I buy vegetables at the market.
la bolsa — bag
¿Necesita una bolsa? — Do you need a bag? (formal)
por eso — that's why, so
Hoy hace frío. Por eso llevo un abrigo. — It's cold today. That's why I'm wearing a coat.
porque — because
Estudio español porque me gusta viajar. — I study Spanish because I like to travel.
favorito — favorite
Mi color favorito es el rojo. — My favorite color is red.
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