When you need this

You're staying in an apartment for a week in Toronto or Sydney, and the fridge is empty. A grocery store is where you'll meet real, local English: fast, casual, and full of words you won't find in a textbook. The good news is that you only need a few of them.

The store is organized in long rows called aisles, and every aisle has a number and a sign. Staff are used to "Which aisle is...?" At the checkout, the cashier asks a few questions very fast, often the same three: do you have a store card, do you need a bag, and how are you paying.

Phrases

asks where to find something

a big thing with wheels, or a small one you carry; the British say trolley

asks if the store has something at all

where staff cut meat and cheese for you

about half a kilo; American stores price fruit and meat by the pound

where you pay

machines where you scan and pay yourself

asks if you're a member for discounts

many stores charge a little for bags

a classic American question about the type of bag

asks if food was grown without chemicals

asks how you'll pay

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.