Lesson 21: Shopping, Quantities & Clothes
Les courses — Shopping, Quantities & Clothes · A0 → A1 · Part 3 · Food, Shopping & Going Out
You will shop in French: ask if a shop has something, ask the price, say it is too expensive and buy it. You will use quantity expressions like un kilo de pommes and une bouteille d'eau, read prices up to 100, and name clothes with colours that match.
In this lesson
- shopping phrases
- quantities with de
- prices and numbers
- clothes and colours
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le magasin | the shop | luh ma-ga-zan لُہ ماگازاں | Masculine (le). Any shop. A small specialised shop is 'une boutique'. |
| la boutique | the small shop / boutique | la boo-teek لا بوتیک | Feminine (la). Usually a small clothes or gift shop, often run by the owner. |
| le supermarché | the supermarket | luh sü-pehr-mar-shay لُہ سُوپیرمارشے | Masculine (le). The 'u' is the tight French u. The final é is 'ay'. |
| le marché | the market | luh mar-shay لُہ مارشے | Masculine (le). An open-air market with stalls. Most French towns have one twice a week. |
| la caisse | the checkout / the till | la kes لا کیس | Feminine (la). 'À la caisse' = at the checkout. Also the word for a cash register. |
| un kilo | a kilo | un kee-lo اُن کیلو | Masculine (un). Followed by de: un kilo de pommes. In France you buy fruit by the kilo at the market. |
| une bouteille | a bottle | ün boo-tey اُون بوٹے | Feminine (une). The 'll' after i gives a 'y' sound: boo-TEY. |
| un litre | a litre | un leet-r اُن لیٹر | Masculine (un). Milk and juice are sold by the litre: un litre de lait. |
| une tranche | a slice | ün transh اُون ترانش | Feminine (une). Used for bread, cheese and ham: une tranche de pain. |
| un morceau | a piece | un mor-so اُن مورسو | Masculine (un). 'eau' at the end is just 'o'. Used for cheese, cake, meat: un morceau de fromage. |
| la chemise | the shirt | la shuh-meez لا شُومیز | Feminine (la) — even though a shirt looks masculine to many learners. The final e is silent: shuh-MEEZ. |
| le pantalon | the trousers / pants | luh pan-ta-lon لُہ پانتالوں | Masculine (le). Always singular in French even though it is two legs. The final n is nasal. |
| la robe | the dress | la rob لا روب | Feminine (la). The final e is silent: 'rob' with a long o. |
| les chaussures | the shoes | lay sho-sür * لے شوسُور * | Feminine plural (les). Always plural, like in English. The 'u' is the tight French u. |
| la veste | the jacket | la vest لا ویسٹ | Feminine (la). A light jacket or a suit jacket. The final e is silent. |
| le manteau | the coat | luh man-to لُہ مانتو | Masculine (le). The 'eau' ending is always just 'o'. A warm winter coat, longer than une veste. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| un kilo de pommes | un kee-lo duh pom | un ... kee-lo ... duh ... pom | The 'de' is swallowed quickly: 'kee-lo-duh-pom'. The final s of pommes is silent, so 'pom' rhymes with the English word 'bomb' without the b. |
| une bouteille d'eau | ün boo-tey do | ün ... boo ... tey ... do | 'll' after i in French is a 'y' sound, so bouteille = boo-TEY. The d' links onto the o: 'do'. Two light syllables at the end. |
| les chaussures | lay sho-sür | lay ... sho ... sür | The u here is the tight French u — not Urdu و. Round your lips hard and say 'ee'. The final e is silent, but you do hear the r. |
| quatre-vingts | kat-ruh-van | kat ... ruh ... van | Literally 'four twenties'. Say 'kat-ruh-VAN' with a nasal an. When another number follows (quatre-vingt-un), the s disappears. |
| soixante-dix | swa-sant-dees | swa ... sant ... dees | Literally 'sixty-ten'. The 'oi' is 'wa', and the x of soixante is silent. |
| C'est trop cher | say tro shehr | say ... tro ... shehr | The 'ch' here is a normal 'sh' sound, not a 'k'. The final r of cher IS pronounced — the C-R-F-L rule from lesson 1. |
Lesson 21 sound focus: the words for money, quantity and clothes. Watch the 'de / d'' link and the French 'u' in chaussures, pull and supermarché.
Grammar
Les quantités — always de after a quantity
When you say HOW MUCH of something, French uses DE (or d' before a vowel) between the quantity and the thing. Not du, not de la — just de: un kilo de pommes, une bouteille d'eau, un litre de lait, une tranche de pain, un morceau de fromage. The same rule works with the general quantity words: beaucoup de (a lot of), un peu de (a little), trop de (too much), assez de (enough). And to read prices, learn the tens: vingt (20), trente (30), quarante (40), cinquante (50), soixante (60), soixante-dix (70 = 'sixty-ten'), quatre-vingts (80 = 'four twenties'), quatre-vingt-dix (90 = 'four twenty ten'), cent (100). You only need to notice 70, 80 and 90 — they are the strange ones; everything else is regular.
Les vêtements et les couleurs — adjectives agree
In French an adjective must match the noun it describes. Feminine nouns take an extra -e, and plural nouns take -s. So 'une chemise' is blanche, 'un pantalon' is noir, 'des chaussures' are noires. Some colours never change because they already end in -e: rouge, jaune, rose. A few are irregular: blanc becomes blanche, and gris becomes grise. Prices and sizes work the same way: une grande robe, un petit manteau.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour, je cherche une chemise blanche. | Hello, I'm looking for a white shirt. | bon-zhoor, zhuh shehrsh ün shuh-meez blansh |
| Vous avez des chaussures noires ? | Do you have black shoes? | voo za-vay day sho-sür nwar |
| Combien ça coûte ? | How much does it cost? | kom-byan sa koot |
| C'est combien, le pantalon ? | How much is the pair of trousers? | say kom-byan, suh pan-ta-lon |
| Trente-cinq euros, madame. | Thirty-five euros, madam. | trant-sank ü-ro, ma-dam |
| C'est trop cher ! | That's too expensive! | say tro shehr |
| Vous prenez la carte ? | Do you take cards? | voo pruh-nay la kart |
| Je le prends, merci. | I'll take it, thank you. | zhuh luh pran, mehr-see |
| Je voudrais un kilo de pommes. | I'd like a kilo of apples. | zhuh voo-dreh un kee-lo duh pom |
| Une bouteille d'eau et un litre de lait, s'il vous plaît. | A bottle of water and a litre of milk, please. | ün boo-tey do ay un leet-r duh leh, seel voo pleh |
| Je voudrais une tranche de pain et un morceau de fromage. | I'd like a slice of bread and a piece of cheese. | zhuh voo-dreh ün transh duh pan ay un mor-so duh fruh-mazh |
| Il y a beaucoup de légumes au marché. | There are a lot of vegetables at the market. | eel ya bo-koo duh lay-güm o mar-shay |
| Un peu de sel, mais pas trop de sucre. | A little salt, but not too much sugar. | un puh duh sel, meh pa tro duh sük-r |
| La caisse est là-bas, à droite. | The checkout is over there, on the right. | la kes eh la-ba, a drwat |
Dialogue: Dans une boutique de vêtements
In small French shops the owner usually greets you when you walk in and says 'Je vous laisse regarder' — meaning 'I'll let you look around'. Silence is normal and not rude.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendeuse | Bonjour ! Je peux vous aider ? | Hello! Can I help you? | bon-zhoor, zhuh puh voo zay-day |
| Client | Bonjour. Je cherche une chemise blanche. | Hello. I'm looking for a white shirt. | bon-zhoor, zhuh shehrsh ün shuh-meez blansh |
| Vendeuse | Voilà, celle-ci est très jolie. C'est vingt-cinq euros. | Here, this one is very pretty. It's twenty-five euros. | vwa-la, sel-see eh treh zho-lee, say van-sank ü-ro |
| Client | Vingt-cinq euros ? C'est un peu cher. | Twenty-five euros? That's a bit expensive. | van-sank ü-ro, say un puh shehr |
| Vendeuse | Vous prenez la carte ? On peut faire quarante euros pour deux chemises. | Are you paying by card? We can do forty euros for two shirts. | voo pruh-nay la kart, on puh fehr ka-rant ü-ro poor dü shuh-meez |
| Client | D'accord. Je les prends. C'est combien en tout ? | All right. I'll take them. How much is it in total? | da-kor, zhuh lay pran, say kom-byan an too |
| Vendeuse | Quarante euros. Vous voulez un sac ? | Forty euros. Would you like a bag? | ka-rant ü-ro, voo voo-lay un sak |
| Client | Non merci, j'ai mon sac. Au revoir ! | No thank you, I have my bag. Goodbye! | non mehr-see, zhe mon sak, o ruh-vwar |
Say it out loud
- Je cherche un pantalon noir. — I'm looking for black trousers. 'cherche' = SHEHRSH. Two sh sounds, no t.
- Vous avez une robe bleue ? — Do you have a blue dress? Link 'vous avez': voo-za-vay.
- Combien ça coûte ? — How much does it cost? The final t of coûte is silent.
- C'est trop cher. — That's too expensive. Say it with a falling melody and a polite face!
- Je voudrais un kilo de bananes. — I'd like a kilo of bananas. Hear the 'duh' of de — it is tiny and unstressed.
- Une bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît. — A bottle of water, please. Say 'd'eau' as a single sound: do.
- Vous prenez la carte ? — Do you take cards? Rising melody at the end — it is a question.
- Je le prends. C'est combien en tout ? — I'll take it. How much is that in total? 'en tout' = an-TOO, meaning 'in total'.
Listening practice: Au marché du samedi
Bonjour, madame ! Je voudrais un kilo de pommes et un kilo de bananes, s'il vous plaît. Vous avez des légumes ? Oui, bien sûr. Alors un peu de salade et un morceau de fromage. C'est combien ? Douze euros quarante. Voilà, quinze euros. Merci ! Vous prenez la carte ? Non, madame, la caisse est à droite. Merci beaucoup, au revoir !
Hello, madam! I'd like a kilo of apples and a kilo of bananas, please. Do you have vegetables? Yes, of course. Then a little salad and a piece of cheese. How much is it? Twelve euros forty. Here you are, fifteen euros. Thank you! Do you take cards? No, madam, the checkout is on the right. Thank you very much, goodbye!
Questions
- What does the customer buy first? Apples and bananas / Cheese and bread / Meat and fish → Apples and bananas
- How much salad does the customer ask for? A kilo / A little / A lot → A little
- What is the other food item? A piece of cheese / A slice of bread / A bottle of water → A piece of cheese
- How much does it cost? Twelve euros forty / Fifteen euros / Twenty euros → Twelve euros forty
- Where is the checkout? On the left / On the right / Outside → On the right
Remember this
- Quantity + de: un kilo de pommes, un litre de lait, une bouteille d'eau, une tranche de pain, un morceau de fromage.
- General quantities: beaucoup de, un peu de, trop de, assez de.
- Shopping phrases: Je cherche…, Vous avez… ?, Combien ça coûte ?, C'est combien ?, C'est trop cher, Je le prends.
- Vous prenez la carte ? = do you take cards?
- Shops: le magasin, la boutique, le supermarché, le marché, la caisse.
- Numbers: vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix, cent.
- 70, 80 and 90 are the strange ones: soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix.
- Clothes with their articles: la chemise, le pantalon, la robe, les chaussures, la veste, le manteau, le pull, la jupe, les lunettes.
- Colour adjectives agree: une chemise blanche, un pantalon noir, des chaussures rouges.
- blanc → blanche and gris → grise are irregular; rouge and jaune never change.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| un kilo des pommes | un kilo de pommes | After a quantity you drop the article and use plain de — not des, not du. The quantity already tells you how much. |
| une bouteille de eau | une bouteille d'eau | De becomes d' before a vowel: d'eau, d'orange, d'huile. |
| un pantalon noire | un pantalon noir | The adjective adds -e only for feminine nouns. Pantalon is masculine, so it stays noir. |
| C'est combien cher ? | C'est combien ? / C'est trop cher. | Combien and cher do not go together. Ask 'C'est combien ?' for the price and use 'C'est trop cher' to complain about it. |
| Je cherche chemise blanche. | Je cherche une chemise blanche. | In French a noun almost never appears alone — it needs an article: une chemise. |
Practice questions
- How do you say 'a kilo of apples'? un kilo de pommes / un kilo des pommes / un kilo pommes / un kilo à pommes — un kilo de pommes
- Complete: une bouteille ___ eau. de / d' / du / des — d'
- Which is correct for 'a lot of'? beaucoup de / beaucoup des / beaucoup du / beaucoup le — beaucoup de
- How do you ask the price of something? Combien ça coûte ? / Qui ça coûte ? / Où ça coûte ? / Combien de coûte ? — Combien ça coûte ?
- 'C'est trop cher' means: It's very cheap / It's too expensive / It's free / It's a bargain — It's too expensive
- Which one means 'the shirt'? le pantalon / la chemise / la robe / les chaussures — la chemise
- Which article goes with 'chaussures'? le / la / les / un — les
- Complete: une robe ___ (white). blanc / blanche / blanches / blancs — blanche
- Which number is 'quatre-vingts'? 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 — 80
- 'Je le prends' means: I'll take them / I'll take it (a masculine thing) / I don't want it / I'm buying a kilo — I'll take it (a masculine thing)
Homework (15 minutes)
1) Listen and repeat all 16 words three times. 2) Write a shopping list in French for 6 items with quantities (un kilo de…, une bouteille de…, un morceau de…). 3) Draw or describe 5 pieces of clothing you own with the correct article and colour: 'J'ai une chemise blanche', 'J'ai des chaussures noires'. 4) Practise reading prices out loud: vingt, trente-cinq, quarante-huit, soixante-dix, quatre-vingts, quatre-vingt-dix, cent.
Lesson 21 of 45 · Part 3 · Food, Shopping & Going Out · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2