Lesson 07

Shopping

Talking your way through a store: prices, sizes, trying things on, and paying
Adult Speaking English  ·  Arc 2: Everyday Situations
By the end of this lesson

Today's Goals

You will be able to:
  1. The student can ask for the price of an item and understand the answer.
  2. The student can ask if a store has an item in a different size or color.
  3. The student can ask to try something on and respond to a sales associate's questions.
  4. The student can complete a full purchase, including asking about payment methods.
  5. The student can politely end a shopping interaction, with or without buying anything.
Lesson flow — 45 min
Warm-up5 min
Input8 min
Controlled Practice8 min
Listening7 min
Role-play10 min
Free Speaking5 min
Review/Homework2 min
Lesson 07 — Shopping3
Stage 1

Warm-up

55 min
Goal
Get the student talking about their own shopping habits; activate existing vocabulary.
Lesson 07 — Shopping4
High-frequency words

Key Vocabulary

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price
价格
The price is on the tag.
size (S/M/L, or number)
尺码
Do you have this in a medium?
fitting room
试衣间
The fitting room is over there.
receipt
小票／收据
Can I have a receipt, please?
discount / on sale
折扣／打折
This jacket is on sale today.
cash
现金
Sorry, I only have cash.
card (credit/debit)
银行卡
Can I pay by card?
refund / return
退款／退货
Can I return this if it doesn't fit?
Lesson 07 — Shopping5
High-frequency words

Key Vocabulary (cont.)

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checkout / cashier
收银台
The checkout is next to the entrance.
color
颜色
Do you have it in black?
fit (verb)
合身
These shoes don't fit me.
tight / loose
紧的／宽松的
This shirt is a bit tight.
Lesson 07 — Shopping6
2 of 7 patterns

Core Expressions 1–2

1
How much is this?
这个多少钱？
How much is this jacket?
How much are these shoes?
Your turn: Ask about the price of something you actually want to buy in [City].
2
Do you have this in...?
你们有…的吗？（尺码／颜色）
Do you have this in a large?
Do you have this in blue?
Your turn: Think of a real item you shop for often — what size or color do you usually ask for?
Lesson 07 — Shopping7
4 of 7 patterns

Core Expressions 3–4

3
Can I try this on?
我可以试穿一下吗？
Can I try this on before I buy it?
Can I try these on in a size 9?
Your turn: Name a piece of clothing you would want to try on before buying.
4
Can I pay by card?
我可以刷卡付款吗？
Can I pay by card, or is it cash only?
Can I pay by card, or do you take mobile payment?
Your turn: What payment method do you usually use? Ask the same question about it.
Lesson 07 — Shopping8
6 of 7 patterns

Core Expressions 5–6

5
I'll take it.
我要这个了。（决定购买）
It fits perfectly — I'll take it.
I'll take the black one, thanks.
Your turn: Imagine you just found the perfect item — say the sentence out loud as if deciding right now.
6
It's too [tight/expensive/small]. Do you have a bigger one?
这个太…了，有大一点的吗？
It's too tight. Do you have a bigger one?
It's too expensive. Do you have anything cheaper?
Your turn: Think of a real complaint you've had while shopping — practice saying it.
Lesson 07 — Shopping9
7 of 7 patterns

Core Expression 7

7
Where is the checkout / fitting room?
收银台／试衣间在哪里？
Excuse me, where is the fitting room?
Where is the checkout, please?
Your turn: Practice asking this as if you just picked up several items in a large unfamiliar store.
Lesson 07 — Shopping10
Stage 4

Listening

77 min
A clothing store. A customer is looking at jackets.
Assistant
Hi there! Can I help you find anything?
Customer
Yes, actually — I like this jacket. How much is it?
Assistant
That one's $89. It's on sale today, actually — it was $120.
Customer
Oh nice. Do you have it in a medium? I think this is a large.
Assistant
Let me check... yes, we have a medium in the back. One second.
Assistant
Here you go.
Customer
Great, thanks. Can I try this on?
Assistant
Of course, the fitting rooms are right over there, on the left.
Customer
(a few minutes later) It fits really well, actually. I'll take it.
Assistant
Great choice. Would you like anything else?
Customer
No, that's all. Can I pay by card?
Assistant
Sure, we take card and mobile payment. Cash works too.
Lesson 07 — Shopping11
Stage 4

Listening (cont.)

Customer
Card is fine.
Assistant
Great, that'll be $89. ... Here's your receipt. Have a nice day!
Customer
Thanks, you too!
Lesson 07 — Shopping12
Comprehension & discussion

Listening Check

Before listening

  1. Look at the title "Shopping for a jacket." What do you think the customer will ask about?
  2. Do you think the customer buys the jacket or not? Guess before you listen.

While listening

  1. Listen and write down the price of the jacket — before and after the discount.
  2. What size does the customer ask for?
  3. Circle the payment method the customer chooses: cash / card / mobile payment.
  4. True or False: The jacket didn't fit, so the customer didn't buy it.

After listening

  1. In your own words, tell me what happened in the story — don't just repeat the dialogue.
  2. Have you ever bought something on sale? What was it?
  3. If the jacket had NOT fit well, what do you think the customer would have said?
Lesson 07 — Shopping13
Stage 5

Controlled Practice

88 min
Model
Teacher says each core pattern naturally, with realistic intonation — e.g., "How much is this?" (pointing at an imaginary item).
Repeat
Student repeats each pattern 2–3 times, focusing on natural rhythm, not word-by-word robotic repetition.
Substitute
Teacher gives a cue word, student swaps it into the pattern.
  • Cue: "shoes" → "How much are these shoes?"
  • Cue: "red" → "Do you have this in red?"
  • Cue: "size 8" → "Do you have this in a size 8?"
  • Cue: "cash" → "Can I pay by cash?"
Personalize
Student uses a real item they actually want to buy (a coat, a phone case, shoes for [Hobby], a gift for someone).
  • "How much is this [real item]?"
  • "Do you have this in [real color/size]?"
Remove prompts
Teacher acts as a sales associate with no script; student must produce the correct question on their own, reacting to the teacher's improvised answers (e.g., teacher says "Sorry, we don't have that color," and student must respond naturally).
Lesson 07 — Shopping14
Stage 6

Role-play

1010 min
Situation
The student is shopping for clothes (or shoes, or a gift) in a store while traveling abroad. The teacher plays the sales associate.
Teacher
Play a friendly, realistic sales associate. Answer questions naturally, occasionally give unexpected answers (wrong size in stock, item on sale, suggest an alternative) so the student must respond in real time, not recite memorized lines.
Student
Enter the store, ask about an item's price, size, or color, try it on (imagined), decide whether to buy it, and complete payment.
Useful language
How much is this?
Do you have this in...?
Can I try this on?
It's too [tight/expensive]. Do you have a bigger one?
Can I pay by card?
I'll take it.
Lesson 07 — Shopping15
Make it unpredictable

Challenge Cards

Drop one of these in mid-role-play.
Out of stock

The exact size the student wants is not available — only one size larger or smaller. The student must decide what to do.

Card declined / cash only today

The card machine is "broken," and the store only accepts cash right now. The student has to react and solve the problem.

Price mistake

The price at checkout is different (higher) than the tag said. The student has to politely question it.

Better alternative

The exact item the student wants isn't available, but the assistant suggests a similar item in a different color/style. The student must decide and respond.

Lesson 07 — Shopping16
Stage 7

Free Speaking

55 min
Ask the student to narrate a full shopping trip out loud, from entering a store to leaving with (or without) an item, for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, without looking at the pattern list. Example prompt: "Tell me about a time you went shopping — real or imagined. What did you want to buy? What did you ask? Did you try it on? Did you buy it? How did you pay?" Encourage the student to organize the story themselves: entering → asking about the item → trying it on → deciding → paying → leaving.
Lesson 07 — Shopping17
Error correction

Review & Common Mistakes

Correct immediately
  • Errors that block the sales associate from understanding (e.g., wrong word order in "How much this is?").
  • Misuse of this lesson's core expressions ("I want take it" instead of "I'll take it").
  • Confusing "try on" with "try" (e.g., "Can I try this?" when they mean trying clothes on).
Note & correct later
  • Minor article errors ("Do you have this in a red?").
  • Small pronunciation slips that don't block understanding (e.g., stress pattern in "receipt").
  • Verb tense slips in the free-speaking narrative, unless they cause real confusion.
Lesson 07 — Shopping18
Before next lesson

Homework

22 min
Speaking
Record yourself (30–60 seconds) doing a full shopping role-play alone: greet the assistant, ask about price/size/color, try it on, and pay. Play both roles if you like, or just the customer.
Review
Review the 6–7 core expressions from Section 4. Write one new original sentence for each, using a real item you'd like to buy.
Real life
Next time you're near a store (online or in person), actually ask yourself "How much is this?" or "Do you have this in...?" in English before checking in Chinese. Notice how it feels to think in English first.
Lesson 07 — Shopping19
Lesson 07 complete

Nice work.

Next up: Lesson 08
Adult Speaking English

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