Grocery shopping
Hacer la compra
- Write a grocery list for daily food and drinks.
- Ask a shop assistant about a product in the supermarket.
- Verbs with stem changes: "e → i, e → ie, ..."
Learn practical Spanish vocabulary and phrases for grocery shopping. This beginner-level lesson covers common places, food items, and essential stem-changing verbs like querer, volver, and pedir. Practice real-life dialogues to confidently shop in a Spanish-speaking environment.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (16) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify the words into two categories based on where they are found or what type of products they are for daily shopping.
Lugares para comprar
Alimentos y bebidas
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La compra
The purchase
2
La caja
The box
3
La lista de la compra
The shopping list
4
El mercado
The market
5
El carrito de la compra
The shopping trolley
Ejercicio 5: Conversation exercise
Instrucción:
- Describe the items on the shopping list. (Describe the items on the shopping list.)
- Ask the shop assistant for the location of the products. (Ask the shop assistant for the location of the products.)
- Pay for your products at the checkout. (Pay for your products at the checkout.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
¿Dónde está / están ...? Where is / are ...? |
|
¿Podrías ayudarme un momento, por favor? Could you help me for a moment, please? |
|
¿Me puede dar un recibo? Could I have a receipt? |
|
¿Está este producto en oferta? Is this product on sale? |
|
¿Puedo pagar en efectivo / con tarjeta? Can I pay in cash / by card? |
|
¿Tienes una bolsa? Do you have a bag? |
|
¿Es correcto este precio? Is this price correct? |
|
¿Puedo ayudarte? Can I help you? |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Yo ______ comprar fruta fresca en el mercado.
(I ______ to buy fresh fruit at the market.)2. Tú ______ a casa con el carrito lleno.
(You ______ home with the full cart.)3. Ella ______ ayuda para encontrar el yogur natural.
(She ______ for help to find the natural yogurt.)4. Nosotros ______ carne y pescado para la cena.
(We ______ meat and fish for dinner.)Exercise 8: Doing the Grocery Shopping at the Supermarket
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Comprar - Comprar
Presente
- yo compro
- tú compras
- él/ella/Ud. compra
- nosotros compramos
- vosotros compráis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. compran
Querer - Querer
Presente
- yo quiero
- tú quieres
- él/ella/Ud. quiere
- nosotros queremos
- vosotros queréis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. quieren
Volver - Volver
Presente
- yo vuelvo
- tú vuelves
- él/ella/Ud. vuelve
- nosotros volvemos
- vosotros volvéis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. vuelven
Ir - Ir
Presente
- yo voy
- tú vas
- él/ella/Ud. va
- nosotros vamos
- vosotros vais
- ellos/ellas/Uds. van
Continuar - Continuar
Presente
- yo continúo
- tú continúas
- él/ella/Ud. continúa
- nosotros continuamos
- vosotros continuáis
- ellos/ellas/Uds. continúan
Exercise 9: Verbos con cambios de raíz: "e → i, e → ie, ..."
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Verbs with stem changes: "e → i, e → ie, ..."
Show translation Show answerscierro, prueba, repiten, sueles, empieza, pide, cuesta
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A1.20.2 Gramática
Verbos con cambios de raíz: "e → i, e → ie, ..."
Verbs with stem changes: "e → i, e → ie, ..."
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Comprar to buy Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) compro | I buy |
| (tú) compras | You buy |
| (él/ella) compra | he/she buys |
| (nosotros/nosotras) compramos | we buy |
| (vosotros/vosotras) compráis | You buy |
| (ellos/ellas) compran | they buy |
Querer to want Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) quiero | I want |
| (tú) quieres | You want |
| (él/ella) quiere | he/she wants |
| (nosotros/nosotras) queremos | we want |
| (vosotros/vosotras) queréis | You want |
| (ellos/ellas) quieren | they want |
Volver to return Share Copied!
Presente
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| (yo) vuelvo | I return |
| (tú) vuelves | You return |
| (él/ella) vuelve | he returns/she returns |
| (nosotros/nosotras) volvemos | we return |
| (vosotros/vosotras) volvéis | you return |
| (ellos/ellas) vuelven | they return |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice Spanish today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Welcome to the Grocery Shopping Lesson
This lesson is designed for beginner Spanish learners (A1 level) who want to practice everyday vocabulary and phrases related to grocery shopping. You will learn how to navigate a supermarket or market, ask for help finding products, and create a basic shopping list in Spanish.
Key Vocabulary and Phrases
We focus on essential words like el supermercado (supermarket), la fruta (fruit), el pescado (fish), el carrito de la compra (shopping cart), and more. You’ll find useful questions such as “¿Dónde está el carrito de la compra?” (Where is the shopping cart?) and polite requests like “¿Me puede ayudar?” (Can you help me?).
Roots and Verb Changes
The lesson highlights the stem-changing verbs common in daily communication, including querer (to want), volver (to return), and pedir (to ask for). For example, yo quiero (I want), tú vuelves (you return), and ella pide (she asks for). These verbs are essential to express needs and actions related to shopping.
Dialogues and Practical Conversation
You will practice realistic dialogues such as asking where to find fresh tomatoes or making a shopping list orally. These short conversations prepare you to interact confidently in Spanish-speaking grocery environments.
Useful Differences and Tips
Spanish often marks shopping locations differently than English. For example, el mercado refers specifically to a market, often open-air or fresh produce-focused, whereas el supermercado is a supermarket.
Also, Spanish uses the verb volver (to return) frequently in the context of returning to a place within a store, like “vuelvo a la caja” (I return to the checkout), which is less common in English phrasing.
Helpful phrases include:
- Necesito comprar... (I need to buy...)
- ¿Dónde está...? (Where is...?)
- ¿Me puede ayudar? (Can you help me?)
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
