Spanish phrases for the market
A Spanish market stall is the best place to practise numbers. The pattern is always the same: the seller asks what you want, you say how many, they ask “¿algo más?”, and you pay.
Ask for what you want
Say the number, the fruit in the plural, and “por favor”. That is a complete, polite order.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Dos manzanas, por favor. | Two apples, please. |
| Tres plátanos, por favor. | Three bananas, please. |
| Un kilo de naranjas, por favor. | A kilo of oranges, please. |
| Medio kilo de tomates. | Half a kilo of tomatoes. |
Fruit and numbers
Spanish plurals usually just add -s. Numbers 1 to 5 cover almost every shopping trip.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| una manzana / dos manzanas | one apple / two apples |
| un plátano / tres plátanos | one banana / three bananasin Latin America often “banana” or “guineo” |
| una naranja / cuatro naranjas | one orange / four oranges |
| uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco | one, two, three, four, five |
What the seller will say
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Buenos días! ¿Qué te pongo? | Good morning! What can I get you? |
| ¿Cuántas? ¿Una, dos, tres…? | How many? One, two, three…? |
| ¿Grandes o pequeños? | Big or small ones? |
| ¿Algo más? | Anything else? |
| Son cuatro euros, por favor. | That’s four euros, please. |
Answering and paying
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Grandes, por favor. | Big ones, please.“grandes” agrees with the fruit: plural |
| No, gracias. Nada más. | No, thanks. Nothing else. |
| ¿Cuánto es, por favor? | How much is it, please?for the total |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much does it cost?for one item |
| Perdona, ¿puedes repetir? | Sorry, can you repeat?useful when prices go fast |
A real exchange
From the market mission in Hola Town: breakfast shopping at Paco’s fruit stall.
- Paco¡Buenos días! ¿Qué te pongo?Good morning! What can I get you?
- YouDos manzanas, por favor.Two apples, please.
- PacoDos manzanas, muy bien. ¿Algo más?Two apples, very good. Anything else?
- YouSí, tres plátanos, por favor.Yes, three bananas, please.
- Paco¿Grandes o pequeños? Los grandes están muy dulces.Big or small? The big ones are very sweet.
- YouGrandes, por favor. ¿Cuánto es?Big ones, please. How much is it?
Market tips
- In many Spanish markets the seller picks the fruit for you. Point and say “esas, por favor” (those ones, please) if you want specific ones.
- “¿Qué te pongo?” is the same question you hear in a café: learn it once and use it everywhere.
- Prices are said as “dos euros con cincuenta” (€2.50): euros, “con”, then the cents.