01 · How you get help
Disculpe, ¿me puede ayudar?
Excuse me, can you help me?
The safe, polite opener with any shop staff — formal enough, friendly enough, works every time.
andbefluent.com/spanish/shop-savvy
Shop Savvy
Ask for your size, try things on, question a price, and return what doesn't fit — out loud.
With shop staff, usted keeps it polite, but the tone can stay light and friendly. Three phrases do most of the work: ¿me puede ayudar?, ¿tiene una talla más pequeña?, and me queda un poco grande. Say me aprieta when something is tight — not es pequeño, which just means the object itself is small — and reach for devolver, not regresar, when you return something. Even the word for the shirt shifts by country: la playera in Mexico, la camiseta in Spain.
Below: the phrases for each stage of a shopping trip, what locals actually say, the mix-ups to avoid — and a way to rehearse a fitting-room conversation out loud before you're standing in one.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that carry a whole shopping trip — from asking for help to walking out with what actually fits.
01 · How you get help
Disculpe, ¿me puede ayudar?
Excuse me, can you help me?
The safe, polite opener with any shop staff — formal enough, friendly enough, works every time.
02 · Find the fitting room
¿Dónde están los probadores?
Where are the fitting rooms?
Ask this before you're already holding an armful of clothes and looking lost.
03 · Ask to try it on
¿Me puedo probar esta camisa?
Can I try on this shirt?
Swap in whatever you're holding — the pattern works for any item on the rack.
04 · Describe the fit, not the item
Me aprieta en los hombros.
It's tight on the shoulders.
Saying es pequeño only means the garment itself is small. Me aprieta is what actually describes how it fits you.
05 · Ask for the fix
¿Tiene una talla más pequeña?
Do you have a smaller size?
Direct, expected, and exactly what staff are there for — no need to apologise for asking.
06 · Ask about colour
¿Lo tiene en azul o en negro?
Do you have it in blue or black?
One question, two options — staff will usually check the back without you having to ask twice.
07 · Check what it's made of
¿De qué material es?
What material is it made of?
A real question shoppers ask, not just tourists — it reads as normal, informed interest.
08 · Push back on the price
Es un poco caro, ¿no tiene algo más económico?
It's a bit expensive, don't you have something cheaper?
Framed as a question, not a complaint — this is how the ask actually gets made without sounding rude.
09 · The happy close
Me gusta cómo me queda, me la llevo.
I like how it fits, I'll take it.
Short, confident, and exactly what a decisive buyer says — no over-explaining needed.
10 · Paying
¿Aceptan tarjeta de crédito?
Do you accept credit cards?
Worth asking before you're at the register, especially in smaller shops that run cash-only.
11 · When it doesn't work out
Quisiera devolver esta camisa.
I'd like to return this shirt.
Devolver is the word you want here — regresar means physically going back somewhere, not returning an item.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/shop-savvyRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| t-shirt | la playera | la camiseta |
| floor (in a mall) | el piso | la planta |
| receipt | la factura | el ticket |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Shop Savvy pack, the final lesson puts you in a mall clothing store on a busy Saturday — and Isabella is the salesperson: helpful, never pushy, opening with ¿le ayudo en algo? and complimenting your colour the moment you try something on. You've found the shirt you want, but it doesn't fit and it's pricier than the tag suggested. You have to ask for another size and check for a discount. Out loud. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Shop Savvy is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Usted is the safe, polite default with staff, but the tone stays light — they expect questions about sizes, materials, and prices. A simple disculpe, ¿me puede ayudar? opens almost any interaction.
Describe the fit, don't describe the object: me queda grande (it's big on me), me aprieta en los hombros (it's tight on the shoulders). Saying es pequeño only means the garment itself is small — me queda pequeño is what you want.
Use devolver, not regresar (which means to physically go back). Say quisiera devolver esta camisa and hand over the receipt: aquí tiene el recibo. To swap sizes, ¿me puede cambiar por una talla más grande?.
Politely: es un poco caro, ¿no tiene algo más económico? (it's a bit pricey, don't you have something cheaper?). In Mexico you'll hear más barato for the same idea. And ask about deals: ¿tienen alguna promoción hoy?.
All three — it's regional. Spain says la camiseta, Mexico la playera, and Argentina la remera. Any of them will be understood; just use your destination's word and you'll sound local.