Spanish shopping phrases: asking prices, sizes and paying

Most shopping in Spanish runs on two questions. For the price of one thing you ask ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much is it?), and for everything together at the till you ask ¿Cuánto es? (How much is it altogether?). Around those sit two verbs you will use constantly: comprar (to buy) and pagar (to pay).

This page gives you the short phrases for a whole shop visit, in order: asking the price, browsing without pressure, asking for a size or colour, deciding to take something, and paying by card or cash. Everything below is everyday Spain Spanish you can use in a clothes shop, a market, or a supermarket.

With those words in place, here are the survival phrases for a typical visit. Each line is short enough to learn by heart, and together they cover the whole trip from the shelf to the checkout.

Asking how much something costs

The verb is costar, and it agrees with what you are pricing. For one item use ¿Cuánto cuesta?; for two or more, switch to ¿Cuánto cuestan?. Point or name the thing with esto, esta camisa, estos zapatos, and so on.

¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa?
How much is this shirt?

¿Cuánto cuestan estos zapatos?
How much are these shoes?

When you are ready to pay for everything together, ask for the total with ¿Cuánto es? or ¿Cuánto es todo?. This is the natural phrase at the till, when the assistant is adding things up rather than pricing one object.

¿Cuánto es todo?
How much is it altogether?

Browsing and choosing

If an assistant offers help and you only want to look, the set phrase is Solo estoy mirando — literally “I’m only watching/looking.” Add gracias and you sound friendly, not dismissive.

Solo estoy mirando, gracias.
I’m just looking, thanks.

To check for another colour or size, use ¿Lo tiene en...? (Do you have it in…?). The word for a clothing size is la talla; common ones are la talla S, la M, la L.

¿Lo tiene en azul?
Do you have it in blue?

¿Lo tiene en la talla M?
Do you have it in size M?

Once you have decided, tell the assistant you will take it with Me lo llevo (literally “I’m taking it with me”). Use Me la llevo for a feminine item like la camisa.

Me lo llevo.
I’ll take it.

Paying

At the checkout you can pay en efectivo (in cash) or con tarjeta (by card). Card is accepted almost everywhere, but it is normal to confirm before you tap.

¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?

Prefiero pagar en efectivo.
I prefer to pay in cash.

This is the same ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? you would use to settle the bill when you order at a restaurant, so it is worth locking in. If you are at a market or buying several things, you can also ask ¿Hay descuento? (Is there a discount?) before you pay.

Common mistakes

Using cuesta when the item is plural

Costar agrees with the thing you are pricing. One object takes cuesta; two or more take cuestan. Asking ¿Cuánto cuesta los zapatos? mixes a singular verb with a plural item.

¿Cuánto cuesta los zapatos? → ¿Cuánto cuestan los zapatos?
How much are the shoes?

Saying estoy buscando when you mean “just looking”

Buscar means to look for something specific, as in actively searching. To say you are only browsing, use estoy mirando; estoy buscando tells the assistant you want help finding a particular item.

Solo estoy buscando, gracias. → Solo estoy mirando, gracias.
I’m just looking, thanks.

Forgetting that barato and caro agree

Barato (cheap) and caro (expensive) are adjectives, so they match the noun in gender and number. With a feminine noun like una camisa, use barata, not barato.

Es una camisa barato. → Es una camisa barata.
It’s a cheap shirt.

Shopping is the same handful of exchanges every time — ask the price, choose a size, say me lo llevo, pay — which makes it easy to drill until it is automatic. Fluera builds these into short spoken rounds where you hear the phrase, repeat it, and use it inside a real till sequence, so ¿Cuánto cuesta? and Me lo llevo arrive without a pause. Try it when you practice Spanish.

Practice