Conversation Between Shopkeeper and Customer in Spanish | Scripts

A simple shop chat uses a greeting, a clear request, a price check, and a polite close, all in short, repeatable lines.

You don’t need fancy Spanish to buy what you want. You need a handful of lines that fit real store moments: saying hi, asking for an item, checking the price, paying, and leaving on good terms. That’s it.

This article gives you ready-to-say conversations you can borrow, swap, and practice. You’ll get short dialogues, a phrase bank you can mix, and small tweaks that make your Spanish sound natural without memorizing pages of grammar.

Why store talk feels harder than it is

Stores feel fast. People are waiting. Background noise gets in the way. That pressure can make even simple Spanish slip away.

The fix is to use “safe sentences” you can say in one breath. Short lines beat long ones. If you keep your sentences tight, you’ll be understood even with an accent.

Two habits that help on day one

• Lead with a greeting. It buys you a second and sets a friendly tone.
• Ask one thing at a time. One request, then wait. One price question, then wait.

Conversation between a shopkeeper and a customer in Spanish for daily shopping

This section gives you a full, clean exchange you can reuse in a grocery store, corner shop, or small market stall. Read it once, then practice it out loud with a timer.

Core dialogue you can repeat

Cliente: Hola. ¿Tiene pan integral?

Dependiente: Sí. Está aquí. ¿Cuánto quiere?

Cliente: Uno, por favor. ¿Cuánto cuesta?

Dependiente: Son dos euros con veinte.

Cliente: Perfecto. ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?

Dependiente: Sí. Pase la tarjeta aquí.

Cliente: Gracias. ¿Me da el recibo?

Dependiente: Claro. Aquí tiene. Que tenga buen día.

Cliente: Igualmente. Hasta luego.

Easy swaps that keep the same rhythm

Keep the structure. Change only the “thing” and the “amount.” That way your brain runs the same pattern each time.

• ¿Tiene leche sin lactosa?
• ¿Tiene pilas AA?
• ¿Tiene una talla más?
• ¿Cuánto cuesta este?
• Quiero dos, por favor.

Polite openers that sound normal

Spanish shops often start with a greeting plus a small courtesy word. You don’t need long small talk. A clean opener is enough.

Shopkeeper lines you’ll hear

• Hola. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?
• Buenas. ¿Qué busca?
• Dígame.

Customer openers that keep it smooth

• Hola. Busco café molido.
• Buenas. Quería una botella de agua.
• Perdón, ¿dónde están las galletas?

Asking for items without getting stuck

When you don’t know the word, you can still ask well. Use “¿Tiene…?” plus a short description. If you can point, even better.

Three clean patterns

1. Ask if they have it: ¿Tiene té verde?
2. Ask where it is: ¿Dónde está el arroz?
3. Ask for the one you’re pointing at: Me llevo este, por favor.

If you want extra vocabulary practice, SpanishDict has a focused shopping lesson with common store questions and answers. Shopping in Spanish lists handy lines you’ll hear at the register.

When you need a repeat

Noise happens. Use one short request instead of apologizing a lot.

• Perdón, ¿puede repetir?
• Más despacio, por favor.
• No entendí la última parte.

Quantities, sizes, and “just a bit” language

Stores run on quantities. Learn a few size words and you can buy food, clothes, and small hardware with less stress.

Food and market quantities

• Un kilo / medio kilo
• Un cuarto
• Una docena
• Un poco más / un poco menos
• ¿Me pone dos manzanas?

Clothing sizes

• ¿Tiene esta camiseta en talla M?
• ¿Puedo probarme esto?
• ¿Dónde están los probadores?

Phrase bank you can mix and match

Use this table like a menu. Pick one line from each moment: greeting, request, price, payment, close. The phrases are short so you can combine them on the fly.

Moment	Spanish line	Plain English meaning
Greeting	Hola. Buenas.	Hi. Hello.
Start	Perdón, una pregunta.	Sorry, a question.
Request	¿Tiene ___?	Do you have ___?
Location	¿Dónde está ___?	Where is ___?
Quantity	Quiero dos, por favor.	I want two, please.
Price	¿Cuánto cuesta?	How much is it?
Payment	¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?	Can I pay by card?
Cash change	¿Tiene cambio?	Do you have change?
Bag	¿Necesito bolsa? / Sí, una.	Do I need a bag? / Yes, one.
Receipt	¿Me da el recibo?	Can I have the receipt?
Close	Gracias. Hasta luego.	Thanks. See you.
Goodbye	Que tenga buen día.	Have a good day.

Price talk, discounts, and register lines

Price talk is usually short. The clerk names the total. You confirm payment. Then you’re done.

What “Son…” means at the register

When you hear “Son…”, it’s the total. You can respond with “Perfecto” or “Vale” and move to payment.

Discount words you’ll see on signs

Two common words are descuento and rebajas. If you want the official dictionary meanings, the RAE entry for the term is a solid reference. RAE: “rebaja” shows how it’s used for price reductions and sale periods.

Short register dialogue

Dependiente: Son quince con cincuenta.

Cliente: Vale. Con tarjeta, por favor.

Dependiente: ¿Quiere bolsa?

Cliente: Sí, una.

Dependiente: Aquí tiene el recibo.

Cliente: Gracias. Hasta luego.

When you pay in cash, it helps to know how to check bills quickly. The Bank of Spain explains the “touch, look, tilt” method for euro notes. Bank of Spain: euro banknote security features gives a clear overview.

Fixing common problems without losing the mood

Sometimes the store is out of stock. Sometimes the price surprises you. Sometimes you grab the wrong size. You can handle all of that with calm, simple lines.

Out of stock

Dependiente: No nos queda.

Cliente: Está bien. ¿Cuándo llega?

Dependiente: Mañana por la tarde.

Cliente: Gracias. Vuelvo mañana.

Wrong item or size

Cliente: Perdón, me equivoqué. Quería el otro.

Dependiente: No pasa nada. ¿Cuál?

Cliente: El de arriba, el grande.

Return and exchange basics

Policies vary by store, so keep the language general and ask what they need from you.

• Quiero cambiar esto.
• Quiero devolver esto.
• Tengo el recibo.
• ¿Cómo lo hacemos?

Mini scripts by store type

Each script is short by design. Say it once, then swap the nouns. The tone stays polite and the flow stays steady.

Store	Customer	Shopkeeper
Bakery	Hola. Quiero dos croissants, por favor.	Claro. ¿Algo más?
Pharmacy	Perdón, ¿tiene algo para el dolor de cabeza?	Sí. ¿Lo quiere en pastillas o en sobres?
Clothing	Buenas. ¿Puedo probarme esta chaqueta?	Sí. Los probadores están al fondo.
Market stall	¿Me pone medio kilo de tomates?	Claro. ¿Así está bien?
Electronics	Busco un cargador USB-C. ¿Tiene uno?	Sí. Este sirve para móvil y tablet.
Bookshop	¿Tiene este libro? Se llama “___”.	Un momento, lo busco.
Hardware	Necesito tornillos pequeños. ¿Dónde están?	En el pasillo tres, a la derecha.

Usted and tú choices at the counter

In many shops you’ll hear usted forms, even between strangers who are the same age. It’s polite, and it keeps things smooth. You can answer in the same style without sounding stiff.

Listen for these cues:

• ¿En qué puedo ayudarle? and Aquí tiene usually pair with usted.
• ¿En qué te ayudo? and Aquí tienes usually pair with tú.

If you’re unsure, stick to usted in your first line. The grammar stays simple: use ¿Puede…?, ¿Tiene…?, and ¿Me da…?. If the clerk switches to tú, you can keep usted anyway. It won’t sound rude.

Numbers and money phrases that save time

Numbers get easier when you learn the store patterns. Totals often come as “Son…” plus the amount. For prices on tags, you may hear “Está a…” or “Cuesta…”.

Practice these short lines, then swap the number:

• Son tres con diez.
• Son doce euros.
• Cuesta uno con noventa y nueve.
• ¿Tiene monedas?
• No tengo cambio.

When you don’t catch a number, ask for it again in a direct way: ¿Me lo puede decir otra vez? Then check the card reader screen or the register display and repeat the amount back: Son quince con cincuenta, ¿no? That quick echo confirms you heard it right.

Pronunciation shortcuts that boost clarity

You don’t need a perfect accent. You need clear vowels and steady rhythm. Spanish vowels stay consistent: a, e, i, o, u.

When a clerk doesn’t catch your word, slow down the noun, not the whole sentence. Say the item twice if you have to.

Quick sound notes

• Tarjeta: stress on “JE”.
• Recibo: soft “c” sound like “th” in Spain, “s” in much of Latin America.
• ¿Cuánto cuesta?: keep it in three beats: cuán-to cues-ta.

Practice routine that sticks in ten minutes

You’ll learn faster if you drill the same conversation in short rounds. No long sessions needed.

Step-by-step drill

1. Read one script out loud twice.
2. Hide the English meanings and read only Spanish.
3. Swap one noun and repeat.
4. Record your voice once, then replay it.
5. Do the same script again tomorrow.

One clean rule for polite tone

If you’re unsure, add “por favor” once. Don’t stack it on each line. One “gracias” at the end goes a long way.

If you want official learning resources in one place, the Instituto Cervantes lists a set of online tools for Spanish study. Instituto Cervantes: recursos y servicios can help you pick materials that match your level.

Printable role-play you can reuse

Try this role-play with a friend or a voice note. Switch roles each round. Keep the pace friendly, then speed it up a bit.

Role-play script

Dependiente: Hola. ¿Qué busca?

Cliente: Busco café. ¿Tiene molido?

Dependiente: Sí. ¿De qué tipo?

Cliente: Suave, por favor. ¿Cuánto cuesta este?

Dependiente: Son cinco euros.

Cliente: Me lo llevo. Con tarjeta.

Dependiente: Perfecto. Pase la tarjeta aquí.

Cliente: Gracias. Hasta luego.