Buying something at a street kiosk in Spanish
Buenos días
“Good morning”
When: The very first thing you say at the kiosk
The moment
You stop at a street kiosk on a Madrid pavement to grab something for the walk home. Greet the vendor, ask what a newspaper and a bottle of water each cost, buy one of them, thank the vendor and say goodbye.
A1 · Unit 1 · First words · Checkpoint
This is the unit’s checkpoint: one roleplay that puts the unit’s scenes together.
The lines
Opening the transaction
Every counter encounter in Spain starts with the time-of-day greeting. Say "Buenos días" and wait a beat for the vendor to offer help.
Buenos días
“Good morning”
When to use it: The very first thing you say at the kiosk
What you’ll hear back: Buenos días, ¿qué le pongo? (Good morning, what can I get you?)
Asking the price
Point at each item in turn and ask "¿Cuánto cuesta?" Say the number back if you are not sure you caught it.
¿Cuánto cuesta?
“How much is it?”
When to use it: Checking each item before you decide
What you’ll hear back: Un euro con cincuenta. (One euro fifty.)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Me llevo este | meh YEH-boh EHS-teh | I'll take this one |
Vale, me llevo este. Okay, I'll take this one. Tip: Say "esta" for feminine things, like "una revista" or "una botella". | ||
| Muchas gracias | MOO-chahs GRAH-thyahs | Thank you very much |
Muchas gracias, muy amable. Thank you very much, that's very kind. Tip: Adding "muy amable" sounds warm without a long speech. | ||
| Hasta luego | AHS-tah LWEH-goh | See you later |
Gracias, hasta luego. Thanks, see you later. Tip: How you leave any Spanish shop, even after buying nothing. | ||
Your objective
Greet the vendor, ask what two things cost, buy one of them, then say thank you and goodbye.
- a greeting
- two prices
- thanks and a goodbye
Lines that get it done
- Buenos días
- ¿Cuánto cuesta?
- Muchas gracias, muy amable. · Thank you very much, that's very kind.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You reach the kiosk at eleven in the morning. What do you say first?
- Buenos días
- Buenas noches
- De nada
- Hasta luego
Show the answer
Buenos días
Before lunch you open with "Buenos días"; "buenas noches" is for after dark.
2. Which of these means four euros twenty?
- Cuatro euros veinte
- Catorce euros
- Cuatro euros doce
- Veinte euros cuatro
Show the answer
Cuatro euros veinte
Cuatro is 4 and veinte is 20, so it is €4.20; catorce would be 14.
3. The vendor hands you the newspaper and your change. What do you say?
- Muchas gracias
- Por favor
- ¿Cuánto cuesta?
- Buenas noches
Show the answer
Muchas gracias
You thank them with "muchas gracias" and then leave with "hasta luego".