Everyday Situations
At the Market / Shopping — How much does this cost?
Going to the market or a shop? These 5 dialogues teach you how to ask prices, buy things, and talk to shopkeepers in English. From vegetable vendors to bookshops — master shopping English!
Indian markets are full of conversations! Learn to say ‘How much?’ ‘Too expensive!’ and ‘Can I get a discount?’ — all in English!
💬 Dialogue 1: Priya goes to a stationery shop to buy school supplies
📍 Priya goes to a stationery shop to buy school supplies.
👧 Priya:Hello! I want to buy some pencils and an eraser.
नमस्ते! मुझे कुछ पेंसिल और एक रबर खरीदना है।
👨 Shopkeeper:Sure! How many pencils do you need?
ज़रूर! आपको कितनी पेंसिल चाहिए?
👧 Priya:I need five pencils, please. How much do they cost?
मुझे पाँच पेंसिल चाहिए। इनकी कीमत कितनी है?
👨 Shopkeeper:Five pencils are twenty rupees, and one eraser is five rupees.
पाँच पेंसिल बीस रुपये और एक रबर पाँच रुपये।
👧 Priya:Okay. I also need a sharpener. Do you have one?
ठीक है। मुझे एक शार्पनर भी चाहिए। क्या आपके पास है?
👨 Shopkeeper:Yes! A sharpener is ten rupees. Total is thirty-five rupees.
हाँ! शार्पनर दस रुपये। कुल पैंतीस रुपये।
👧 Priya:Here is fifty rupees.
ये लीजिए पचास रुपये।
👨 Shopkeeper:And here is your change — fifteen rupees. Thank you!
और ये आपके बाकी पैसे — पंद्रह रुपये। धन्यवाद!
✏️ Your Turn — Fill in the Blanks
How do they cost?
Here is rupees.
Here is your — fifteen rupees.
💬 Dialogue 2: Mummy buys vegetables from the local sabziwala (vegetable seller)
📍 Mummy buys vegetables from the local sabziwala (vegetable seller).
👩 Mummy:Bhaiya, how much are the tomatoes today?
भैया, आज टमाटर कितने के हैं?
👨 Sabziwala:Forty rupees per kilo, Didi.
चालीस रुपये किलो, दीदी।
👩 Mummy:That’s too expensive! Yesterday they were thirty rupees.
बहुत महँगा है! कल तो तीस रुपये थे।
👨 Sabziwala:Prices have gone up, Didi. But for you, thirty-five rupees.
दाम बढ़ गए हैं, दीदी। लेकिन आपके लिए पैंतीस रुपये।
👩 Mummy:Okay, give me one kilo of tomatoes and half kilo of onions.
ठीक है, एक किलो टमाटर और आधा किलो प्याज़ दे दीजिए।
👨 Sabziwala:Anything else?
और कुछ?
👩 Mummy:Yes, also give me some coriander leaves. How much is everything?
हाँ, थोड़ी धनिया पत्ती भी दे दीजिए। कुल कितना हुआ?
👨 Sabziwala:Tomatoes thirty-five, onions fifteen, coriander free! Total fifty rupees.
टमाटर पैंतीस, प्याज़ पंद्रह, धनिया मुफ़्त! कुल पचास रुपये।
✏️ Your Turn — Fill in the Blanks
That’s too !
Give me one of tomatoes.
How much is ?
💬 Dialogue 3: Rahul goes to a bookshop to buy a storybook
📍 Rahul goes to a bookshop to buy a storybook.
👦 Rahul:Uncle, do you have any storybooks for children?
अंकल, क्या आपके पास बच्चों के लिए कहानी की किताबें हैं?
👨 Shopkeeper:Yes, beta! We have many. What kind of stories do you like?
हाँ, बेटा! बहुत सारी हैं। तुम्हें कैसी कहानियाँ पसंद हैं?
👦 Rahul:I like adventure stories and animal stories.
मुझे साहसिक कहानियाँ और जानवरों की कहानियाँ पसंद हैं।
👨 Shopkeeper:Here — this one is ‘The Jungle Book.’ It has both! It costs one hundred and fifty rupees.
ये लो — ‘द जंगल बुक।’ इसमें दोनों हैं! इसकी कीमत एक सौ पचास रुपये है।
👦 Rahul:Can I look at it first?
क्या मैं पहले देख सकता हूँ?
👨 Shopkeeper:Of course! Take your time.
बिल्कुल! आराम से देखो।
👦 Rahul:I love it! I will buy this one. Here is the money.
मुझे बहुत पसंद आई! मैं यही लूँगा। ये लीजिए पैसे।
👨 Shopkeeper:Thank you, beta! Happy reading!
धन्यवाद, बेटा! पढ़ने का मज़ा लो!
💬 Dialogue 4: Ananya shops for a gift for her friend’s birthday
📍 Ananya shops for a gift for her friend’s birthday.
👧 Ananya:Excuse me, I am looking for a birthday gift for my friend.
सुनिए, मुझे अपनी सहेली के जन्मदिन के लिए गिफ़्ट चाहिए।
👩 Shopkeeper:How nice! What does your friend like?
कितना अच्छा! आपकी सहेली को क्या पसंद है?
👧 Ananya:She likes drawing. Do you have a nice colour box?
उसे drawing पसंद है। क्या आपके पास अच्छा colour box है?
👩 Shopkeeper:Yes! This one has 24 colours. It costs two hundred rupees.
हाँ! इसमें 24 रंग हैं। इसकी कीमत दो सौ रुपये है।
👧 Ananya:That’s a little expensive. Do you have something cheaper?
ये थोड़ा महँगा है। क्या कुछ सस्ता है?
👩 Shopkeeper:This 12-colour box is one hundred rupees. It’s very popular!
ये 12 रंगों वाला बॉक्स सौ रुपये का है। ये बहुत लोकप्रिय है!
👧 Ananya:Perfect! I’ll take this one. Can you gift-wrap it?
बिल्कुल सही! मैं यही लूँगी। क्या आप gift-wrap कर सकते हैं?
👩 Shopkeeper:Sure! That will be ten rupees extra. Here you go!
ज़रूर! इसके दस रुपये अलग से लगेंगे। ये लीजिए!
💬 Dialogue 5: Aarav goes grocery shopping with Mummy at the supermarket
📍 Aarav goes grocery shopping with Mummy at the supermarket.
👦 Aarav:Mummy, can I push the trolley?
मम्मी, क्या मैं trolley को धकेल सकता हूँ?
👩 Mummy:Sure! But be careful. Don’t bump into anyone.
ज़रूर! लेकिन ध्यान रखना। किसी से टकराना मत।
👦 Aarav:Mummy, we need milk. It’s in aisle 3.
मम्मी, हमें दूध चाहिए। वो aisle 3 में है।
👩 Mummy:Good memory, Aarav! Pick up two packets.
अच्छी याददाश्त, आरव! दो पैकेट उठा लो।
👦 Aarav:Can we also buy some biscuits? Please, Mummy!
क्या हम बिस्कुट भी ले सकते हैं? प्लीज़, मम्मी!
👩 Mummy:Okay, but only one packet. Now let’s go to the billing counter.
ठीक है, लेकिन सिर्फ़ एक पैकेट। अब billing counter पर चलते हैं।
👦 Aarav:Mummy, the total is five hundred and twenty rupees!
मम्मी, कुल पाँच सौ बीस रुपये हुए!
👩 Mummy:Here is my card. Thank you for helping me shop, Aarav!
ये मेरा card। शॉपिंग में मदद करने के लिए धन्यवाद, आरव!
📖 Key Vocabulary
Cost / Price
कीमत / दाम — How much money something is
Expensive
महँगा — Costs a lot of money
Cheap
सस्ता — Does not cost much
Change
बाकी पैसे — Money returned after paying
Discount
छूट — Reduction in price
Kilo
किलो — Unit of weight (1000 grams)
Rupees
रुपये — Indian money
Trolley
ट्रॉली — Shopping cart
Gift-wrap
गिफ़्ट पैक — Wrap as a present
Counter
काउंटर — Where you pay at a shop
🗣️ Key Phrases to Remember
- “How much does this cost?” — Ask the price of something इसकी कीमत कितनी है?
- “That’s too expensive!” — When price is too high ये बहुत महँगा है!
- “Do you have something cheaper?” — Ask for lower price option क्या कुछ सस्ता है?
- “I will take this one.” — When you decide to buy मैं यही लूँगा/लूँगी।
- “Here is your change.” — Returning extra money ये आपके बाकी पैसे।
📐 Grammar Spotlight: "How much…?" — Asking Prices
Use ‘How much’ to ask about price or quantity
‘How much does this cost?’ asks the price. ‘How much’ is also used for uncountable things: ‘How much milk?’ ‘How many’ is for countable things: ‘How many pencils?’
✅ How much does this cost? (price)
✅ How much is the total? (price)
✅ How much milk do we need? (uncountable)
✅ How many pencils do you want? (countable)
✅ How much is the total? (price)
✅ How much milk do we need? (uncountable)
✅ How many pencils do you want? (countable)
❌ How many does this cost? ❌ (Use: How much does this cost?)
🎭 Shopping Role Play!
- One person is ‘Customer’, the other is ‘Shopkeeper’.
- Customer enters and says what they want to buy.
- Shopkeeper tells the price. Customer says it’s too expensive!
- They agree on a price. Customer pays and gets change.
- Try different shops: vegetable vendor, bookshop, toy shop!
- Switch roles and practise both customer and shopkeeper!
❓ Quiz — Test Yourself!
1. How to ask the price of something?
2. Tomatoes are ₹40/kg. You want 1kg. You pay ₹50. Change is:
3. ‘That’s too ___!’ (price is high)
4. How to ask for a cheaper option?
5. ‘How ___ pencils do you need?’
6. ‘How ___ does this book cost?’
7. After deciding to buy, you say:
8. Gift-wrap means:
❓ FAQ
How to ask prices in English?
‘How much does this cost?’ or ‘How much is this?’ or ‘What is the price of this?’ All three are correct and polite.
How to bargain in English?
‘That’s too expensive! Can you give a discount?’ ‘What’s the best price?’ ‘Can you make it cheaper?’ Bargaining is common in Indian markets.
How much vs How many?
‘How much’ for uncountable things (milk, water, money, rice). ‘How many’ for countable things (pencils, books, apples, people).
How to pay in English?
‘Here is the money.’ ‘Can I pay by card?’ ‘Do you accept UPI?’ ‘Here is fifty rupees.’ ‘How much is the total?’
Common shopping words?
Cost/price, expensive, cheap, discount, change, receipt, total, kilo, packet, dozen, aisle, counter, trolley, bag, bill.