MUST KNOW Phrases For Going Shopping In English (Useful Conversation Vocabulary)

I’m just browsing thanks.  Huh? What does browsing mean? Let’s find out.

What’s up guys? My name is Shane and today we talking about going shopping. Everyone needs to go shopping sometimes whether it’s for food, for shoes, for clothes, for electronics. So it’s very important basic phrases you can use when going shopping.

So today I am going to take you on a shopping expedition. Expedition means a trip or a journey.  We are going to pretend we enter a shop, look for something, find it, pay for it and then leave the shop.  And I am going to tell you what phrases you can use at every step of our journey so make sure you watch until the end of the video so you know all the phrases you can use when you go shopping. Let’s get started! 

Entering the shop

To buy something, we first have to go into the shop right? And sometimes when we go into a shop, there will be a staff member waiting to greet us. So if you want to greet the staff member, a very common greeting is hi, how are you? Hi, how are you?

And when a native speaker says this really quickly, it sounds like this.  Hi, howareyou? Hi, howareyou?  The native speaker puts the how, are, you all together.  Howareyou?

And if you’re interested in learning more greetings, you can check out this video right here.

And after you greet the staff member, the staff member will probably say I’m good thanks, can I help you with anything today? And you have 2 options here.

You can say yes you need help or no you don’t need help.  If you don’t need help you can say no thanks, I’m just browsing today.  No thanks, I’m just browsing today. 

What does browsing mean? browsing means looking. This is a very common word we use when talking about shopping.

Let’s pretend you are looking for something. A very common phrase is: yes I’m looking for a … do you have anything like that? Yes I’m looking for a … do you have anything like that? 

So let’s pretend I am looking for a business shirt to wear to work. I can say yes, I’m looking for a business shirt. Do you have anything like that?

And then the staff member will either say yes we do, follow me or no we don’t.

And when a native speaker says this really quickly, it sounds like this.  Yeah, I’m lookin’ fora …djyuh have anything like that?  Yeah, I’m lookin’ fora …djyuh have anything like that?  Yeah, I’m lookin’ fora …djyuh have anything like that?  We don’t say do you. We say djyuh, djyuh have anything like that?  Now you try – djyuh have anything like that? 

Browsing

You’ve entered the shop and now you are browsing for something. What does browsing mean? Browsing means looking.  And now let’s pretend you need some help with something. What can you say to the staff member?

You can say excuse me, could I get some help with the … could I get some help with the … and then you say what you are looking for. Could I get some help with the shirts? The cameras? The phones?

And when a native speaker says this really quickly, it sounds like this: scuse me, couldi get some help with the … scuse me, couldi get some help with the … we don’t say excuse me. We say scuse me. Couldi. Couldi. scuse me, couldi get some help with the shirts please. Now you try: scuse me, couldi get some help with the shirts please.

Now, let’s pretend you are looking for a business shirt but in the store you can only see pink business shirts and you want to ask the staff member if they have any different styles or colors. What can you say?

You can say: excuse me, do you have anything else like this? Excuse me do you have anything else like this? This means do you have any other styles or any other colors?

And when a native speaker says this really quickly, it sounds like this: scuse me, djyuh have anything else like this?  scuse me, djyuh have anything else like this?  We don’t say excuse me, again. We say scuse me. We don’t say do you have, we say djyuh have? scuse me, djyuh have anything else like this? 

Now you try: scuse me, djyuh have anything else like this?  Now let’s pretend you find the business shirt you want. It’s the right color, it’s the right style but it’s xxxxl and that is too big for you. What can you say to the staff member?

You could say excuse me, do you have any smaller sizes? Excuse me, do you have any smaller sizes?

And once again, when we say it really quickly, it sounds like this: scuse me, djyuh have any smaller sizes?  scuse me, djyuh have any smaller sizes?  Now you try: scuse me, djyuh have any smaller sizes? 

Paying

Okay, now you found the shirt you want. You’ve got the right size, the right color, the right style and you take it to the cashier to pay.  What can you say?

You don’t have to say anything but I think it’s really really nice to acknowledge, to say something to the person who is helping you. So you can say hi, how are you. Just this one please.  Hi, how are you. Just this one please.  This means you are just buying one thing. 

And when said really quickly, it sounds like this.  Jus this one. Jus this one. We don’t say just. The t disappears.  We say jus this one.  Now you try. 

If you’re buying more than one thing.  You can say hi how are you? Just these ones please.  Hi how are you? Just these ones please.  And if you’re buying a lot of things – 20, 30, 40 things, like at a supermarket, you can just say hi, how are you?

Also, you might want to know if you can pay by credit card. So you can ask the cashier: can I pay by card? Can I pay by card?

And another thing you might want is your receipt. You can say could I get my receipt please? Could I get my receipt please? And when say really quickly, it sounds like this.  Couldi. Couldi. Couldi get my receipt please? Now you try: Couldi get my receipt please? 

Leaving the store

Now, you have paid for your business shirt and you are going to leave the store. If you see the staff member who helped you, you can say thanks for your help today, see you next time.  Thanks for your help today, see you next time. 

When said really quickly, it sounds like this: thanks for yuh help today, seeyuh next time.  thanks for yuh help today, seeyuh next time.  We don’t say your, we just say yuh. And we don’t say see you, we say see yuh. See yuh next time. Now you try: thanks for yuh help today, seeyuh next time. 

Or if you walk past a staff member who didn’t help you, you can just say thanks, have a great day. Thanks, have a great day.

Or another common way to say bye is just to say thanks, bye!  Thanks, bye!  This is a really quick and easy way to say bye to someone.

Okay and they are the phrases for today. Now you know what to say when you enter a shop, when you need help, when you pay for something and when you leave a shop. Make sure you practice saying these phrases like a native speaker like I showed you in the video.

And if you’re interested in more phrases that native speakers use every day, you can check out this video right here.  And if you haven’t subscribed to the channel, make sure you subscribe right now so you don’t miss any video that can help you understand English like a native speaker. If you have any questions, please comment down below. And if you liked the video, please hit like and share this with your friends. And for more English, follow me on Instagram and I will see you in the next video.  And another thing you might want is your receipt .. so. Now, let’s pretend you are shopping for shirts and … now, let’s pretend you are shopping for a business shirt and the store only … also, you might want to ask the cashier how can you pay. So if you want to know … excuse me, do you have any smaller … excuse me…