Day 24: Shopping

Course › Week 4: Getting things done

It's Saturday morning. Emma needs something to wear for a client meeting, so Dona Marta takes her to a clothing store she likes in the neighborhood.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Before anything new, pull these out of memory. They come from earlier days, some from yesterday and some from weeks ago. Getting one wrong is useful: it shows you what to look at again.

1. O Rafa ______ (fazer) uma moqueca muito boa.Rafa makes a very good moqueca.
2. You want your steak cooked all the way through.Ao ponto. Bem passado. Mal passado.
3. Vocês ______ (poder) chegar às oito?Can you (all) arrive at eight?
4. Eles ______ (precisar) de um carro novo.They need a new car.
5. Their house is yellow. (a man and a woman)______
6. O Lucas tem uma irmã. O nome ___ é Bia.dela deles dele
7. Os meus irmãos são ___.altos altas alto
8. A Dona Marta é muito ___.simpáticas simpático simpática
9. A Emma gosta ______ comida do Brasil. (of the)Emma likes the food in Brazil.
10. Me neither.______

Show all answers

1. O Rafa faz uma moqueca muito boa.
2. You want your steak cooked all the way through. Bem passado.
3. Vocês podem chegar às oito?
4. Eles precisam de um carro novo.
5. A casa deles é amarela.
6. O Lucas tem uma irmã. O nome dela é Bia.
7. Os meus irmãos são altos.
8. A Dona Marta é muito simpática.
9. A Emma gosta da comida do Brasil.
10. Eu também não.

Listen and read

Listen for three small words: esta, essa and aquela. Each time, where is the blouse?

Did you understand?

1. Which blouse does Dona Marta prefer?The first one Emma picks up The red one The blue one
2. What’s wrong with the first blue blouse Emma tries on?It’s too expensive. It’s the wrong color. It’s a little small.
3. How much does the blue blouse cost?R$ 195 R$ 120 R$ 159
4. How does Emma want to pay?In cash By card With Pix

Show all answers

1. Which blouse does Dona Marta prefer? The blue one
2. What’s wrong with the first blue blouse Emma tries on? It’s a little small.
3. How much does the blue blouse cost? R$ 159
4. How does Emma want to pay? By card

This, that and that over there

English has two words for pointing, "this" and "that". Portuguese has three, and the choice depends on who the thing is near. Each one has a masculine and a feminine form, and matches its noun like o and a do.

The place words from day 18 go with them naturally: aqui (here, near me), aí (there, near you), ali and lá (over there).

• Esta blusa aqui é bonita. This blouse here is pretty.
• Essa camisa aí é nova? Is that shirt (the one you have) new?
• Aquele vestido lá é caro. That dress over there is expensive.
• Eu quero estes sapatos. I want these shoes.

You can drop the noun when it's clear what you mean. English adds "one"; Portuguese adds nothing: Eu prefiro aquela. I prefer that one.

When you don't name the thing at all, because you don't know what it is or you mean a whole situation, use the three forms that never change:

• O que é isso? What's that? / What's this?
• O que é aquilo lá? What's that over there?
• Só isso, obrigada. That's all, thanks.

Clothes and sizes

Two things to notice. A calça is singular in Portuguese: one pair of pants is uma calça. And o tênis looks the same in the singular and the plural: um tênis, dois tênis.

"To wear" is usar, a regular -ar verb that also means "to use": Eu uso calça e camiseta no trabalho. Sizes are letters: P (pequeno, small), M (médio, medium) and G (grande, large). You say the letter: Eu uso M.

In the store

Notice what's missing: the word "it". Portuguese leaves it out in all of these. Posso experimentar? is literally "Can I try?", and Vou levar is "I'm going to take". You'll learn the words for "it" on day 40, and you'll find Brazilians rarely use them.

Está grande uses estar because it's about how the piece fits you right now, not what it is. The adjective still agrees with the thing: a blusa está pequena, but o vestido está pequeno.

Numbers from 100 to 1,000,000

Clothes and rent cost hundreds of reais, so you need the hundreds.

The rules:

• Cem is exactly 100. From 101 to 199 it becomes cento: cento e vinte (120), cento e cinquenta e nove (159).
• Join hundreds, tens and ones with e: duzentos e trinta e cinco (235).
• The hundreds from 200 to 900 are adjectives, so they have a feminine form: duzentos reais, but duzentas pessoas.
• 1,000 is mil, never um mil. After mil, say e only when what follows is a round hundred or a number under a hundred: mil e quinhentos (1,500), mil e vinte (1,020), but mil duzentos e cinquenta (1,250).
• Um milhão needs de before a noun: um milhão de reais. The plural is milhões: dois milhões.

Practice

Pick the right answer.

1. Quanto custa ___ camisa aqui?aquele isto esta
2. ___ sapatos lá são caros.Aqueles Aquilo Aquelas
3. O que é ___ aí?aquelas esses isso
4. Which is 100?cento cem um cento
5. Which is 250?dois centos e cinquenta duzentos e cinquenta duzentos e quinze
6. Which is 1.500?mil e cinquenta mil e quinhentos um mil e cinco
7. ___ pessoas trabalham aqui. (200)Dois cem Duzentas Duzentos
8. You want to try something on. What do you ask?Vou levar. Tem em outra cor? Posso experimentar?
9. You’ve decided to buy it. What do you say?Só estou olhando. Vou levar. Posso experimentar?

Show all answers

1. Quanto custa esta camisa aqui?
2. Aqueles sapatos lá são caros.
3. O que é isso aí?
4. Which is 100? cem
5. Which is 250? duzentos e cinquenta
6. Which is 1.500? mil e quinhentos
7. Duzentas pessoas trabalham aqui.
8. You want to try something on. What do you ask? Posso experimentar?
9. You’ve decided to buy it. What do you say? Vou levar.

Complete with the right word, or with the right form of the verb in brackets.

1. ______ blusa aqui é bonita. (this, near me)This blouse here is pretty.
2. ______ sapatos aí são seus? (those, near you)Are those shoes yours?
3. ______ casa lá é da Dona Marta. (that, over there)That house over there is Dona Marta’s.
4. O que é ______ lá? (that thing over there)What’s that over there?
5. Eu ______ (usar) tênis no trabalho.I wear sneakers at work.
6. A loja ______ (vender) roupas baratas.The store sells cheap clothes.
7. Quanto ______ (custar) aqueles sapatos?How much do those shoes cost?
8. A gente ______ (usar) muito o celular.We use our phones a lot.
9. Vocês ______ (vender) camisetas?Do you (all) sell T-shirts?
10. A calça custa ______ reais. (300)The pants cost three hundred reais.
11. As blusas são ______ (bonito).The blouses are pretty.

Show all answers

1. Esta blusa aqui é bonita.
2. Esses sapatos aí são seus?
3. Aquela casa lá é da Dona Marta.
4. O que é aquilo lá?
5. Eu uso tênis no trabalho.
6. A loja vende roupas baratas.
7. Quanto custam aqueles sapatos?
8. A gente usa muito o celular.
9. Vocês vendem camisetas?
10. A calça custa trezentos reais.
11. As blusas são bonitas.

Write it in Portuguese.

1. Can I try it on?______
2. I’ll take it.______
3. How much is that dress? (far from both of you)______
4. This shirt is expensive. (near me)______
5. Do you have it in another color?______
6. What’s your size?______
7. I don’t want these shoes. (near me)______

Show all answers

1. Posso experimentar?
2. Eu vou levar.
3. Quanto custa aquele vestido?
4. Esta camisa é cara.
5. Tem em outra cor?
6. Qual é o seu tamanho?
7. Eu não quero estes sapatos.

Put the words in order.

1. I want to try on those pants.______
2. That store over there sells nice clothes.______
3. This dress is very expensive.______
4. I’ll take the blue blouse.______
5. The fitting room is next to the register.______
6. We have it in another color too.______

Show all answers

1. Eu quero experimentar essa calça.
2. Aquela loja vende roupas bonitas.
3. Este vestido é muito caro.
4. Eu vou levar a blusa azul.
5. O provador fica ao lado do caixa.
6. Tem em outra cor também.

Listen and write what you hear.

1. ______Can I try on that shirt?
2. ______That coat over there costs five hundred reais.
3. ______I wear pants and a T-shirt at work.
4. ______What’s that over there?
5. ______That blouse is very pretty.
6. ______I’ll take this one here.

Show all answers

1. Posso experimentar essa camisa?
2. Aquele casaco custa quinhentos reais.
3. Eu uso calça e camiseta no trabalho.
4. O que é aquilo lá?
5. Essa blusa é muito bonita.
6. Eu vou levar este aqui.

Speak and write

Look around you and point as you speak. Then compare with the model.

1. Point at something near you, something near another person (or across the table) and something far away. Say what each one is.

   Show a model answer

   Este é o meu celular. Esse aí é o seu livro. Aquela lá é a minha bolsa.

2. You're in a clothing store. Ask how much a jacket is and if you can try it on.

   Show a model answer

   Com licença, quanto custa esta jaqueta? Posso experimentar?

3. The jacket is too small. Say so and ask for a large.

   Show a model answer

   Está pequena. Tem no tamanho G?

4. You like it. Say you'll take it and ask if you can pay by card.

   Show a model answer

   Vou levar. Dá para pagar com cartão?

5. Say these prices out loud: R$ 180, R$ 350, R$ 1.200.

   Show a model answer

   Cento e oitenta reais. Trezentos e cinquenta reais. Mil e duzentos reais.

6. O que você usa no trabalho ou na escola?

   Show a model answer

   Eu uso calça, camisa e sapato. Na sexta eu uso tênis.

Write: a conversation in a clothing store between you and a salesperson (six to eight lines). Use este or esse and aquele at least once each, ask about a size or a color, and include a price above R$ 100 written out in words.

Verb workout

Type each form from memory, then say it out loud.

usar to use; to wear · Present

1. eu ______usar · present
2. você ______usar · present
3. nós ______usar · present
4. eles ______usar · present

Show all answers

1. eu uso
2. você usa
3. nós usamos
4. eles usam

The full guide to usar: every tense, examples and ten more sentences →

vender to sell · Present

1. eu ______vender · present
2. a gente ______vender · present
3. nós ______vender · present
4. vocês ______vender · present

Show all answers

1. eu vendo
2. a gente vende
3. nós vendemos
4. vocês vendem

The full guide to vender: every tense, examples and ten more sentences →

Flashcards

Spend about ten minutes on today’s words. Mark a card “I know it” only when the answer comes straight away.