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.
Say this
Regional 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.
