EXAMPLES of DIALOGUES
At the Clothes Department
— Can I help you?
— Yes, please. I'm looking for a shirt.
— What kind of shirt would you like?
— The one like those on display in the shop window.
— What about this one?
— It’s just what I wanted. May I try it on?
— Yes, please… How is it?
— It’s nice. How much is it?
— Three hundred rubles.
— Oh, it’s very expensive. Have you got anything cheaper?
— Certainly, look at this one, please. It costs two hundred.
— I’ll take it.
— Here you are.
— Thank you.
At the Food Shop
- Good-morning.
- Good-morning.
- I want a loaf of bread, please.
- Here you are.
-Thank you.
- Do you want anything else?
- Yes. I'd like a bottle of milk, a packet of sugar, three pounds of apples and two cans of Coca-Cola. How much is all that?
- Five pounds fifty, please.
- Here's six pounds.
- That's 50 pence change. Thank you very much and come again.
At the Shoe Department.
Can I help you?
I’d like a pair of trainers, please.
What size?
Size 37, please.
Try this pair on. They are the cheapest, the lightest and the most comfortable. They're very popular.
They’re rather small.
Try these then. they’re bigger.
How much are they.
1300 rubles.
There are different types of clothes shops. Here are some common ones:
shopping centre = large building with lots of different shops inside (= shopping mall in American English)
boutique = small shop, often expensive, with designer label clothes
charity shop (goodwill in American English) = shop where you can buy second-hand ( = not new) clothes. The money you pay for them goes to charity
factory outlet = shop where you can buy clothes directly from the factory that makes them. Often these clothes (or shoes) are “samples”.
department store = large shop with “departments” for men’s clothes, women’s clothes, household objects, etc.
chain store = a “brand” that has shops in many different towns, such as “Zara” or “H&M”.
Useful phrases a shop assistant says: “Can I help you?”
“Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Do you need any help at all?”
“We don’t have any of these left in stock.” ( = There is no more of something.)
Useful phrases a customer says
“I’m looking for …”
“I’d like to buy…”
Indicating a piece of clothing
“Do you have this in …”
– medium / large / small / extra large / XL
– blue / black / beige (other colours etc)
Talking about the price
Clothes shops have “sales” when some or all the clothes are discounted.
“Is this in the sales?”
“Is this on sale?”
“There’s a discount of 20% on this.”
“These jeans are discounted by 20%.”
“It’s a bargain.” (= the low price is a surprise)
“It’s cheap.” (= doesn’t cost much money)
“It’s expensive.” (= costs a lot of money.)
Trying something on
When you go clothes shopping, you probably want to try something on before you buy it so you know it’s the right size or that it looks good on you!
“I’d like to try this on please. Where are the changing rooms?”
“Can I try this on?”
Example shopping conversation
Can I try this on?
Sure. The changing rooms are over there…
… (later) Any good?
No, not really. (It’s the wrong size / It doesn’t really suit me.)
Or, “Yes, I’ll take it.”
Paying
“Where I can pay?”
“Over there.”
Other shopping vocabulary
to suit = to be in your style, or to compliment your body shape or skin / hair colour
“That dress really suits you!”
to fit = to be the right size
“These jeans don’t fit very well.”
Clothes can be…
… too big (size “Large” when you are size “Small”)
… too small (small size when you are large size)
… too tight (waist measurement 34 when you are waist 38)
… too loose (waist measurement 38 when you are waist 34)
… too long (jeans leg measurement 34 when your leg measurement is 32)
… too short (jeans leg measurement 32 when your leg measurement is 34)
to go well with / to match = to look good with your other clothes