Grocery Shopping in Spanish: Essential Phrases and Vocabulary

Key takeaways

• The two most important phrases at a Spanish market or supermarket: ¿Dónde está/están [producto]? (Where is/are [product]?) for finding items, and ¿A cuánto está el kilo de [producto]? (How much per kilo is [product]?) for prices.
• Quantities use de after the measurement: un kilo de manzanas (a kilo of apples), un litro de leche (a litre of milk), una docena de huevos (a dozen eggs).
• A key vocab difference between Spain and Latin America: la fruta is universal, but el plátano (banana in Spain) is la banana or el banano in most of Latin America; la patata (potato in Spain) is la papa throughout Latin America.
• At a market stall with a vendor, Póngame [cantidad] (Give me [quantity] / Put me [quantity]) is the standard way to place an order: Póngame un kilo de tomates (Give me a kilo of tomatoes).

Walking into a Spanish supermarket or open-air market for the first time, the gap between classroom vocabulary and what is actually needed becomes immediately clear.

Textbooks teach the names of foods, but what learners actually need is the verb to ask where something is, the vocabulary for the section they cannot find, how to ask the price per kilo, and how to get through the checkout. Those are the gaps this guide closes.

This guide covers grocery shopping in Spanish from arrival to checkout: how to find items and ask for help, vocabulary organized by department, quantities and measurements, checkout phrases, and the vocabulary differences between Spain and Latin America that matter most at a market.

The supermarket or market is one of the first environments where Spanish learners use the language under real pressure, no time to pause, native speed, accents that vary from what was practiced.

italki has matched 10M+ learners with teachers since 2007, giving learners access to Spanish teachers who can run market-scenario roleplay sessions that build exactly this vocabulary in a realistic, time-pressured context. Find a Spanish tutor and run through a full grocery shop roleplay: finding sections, asking prices, handling the checkout.

Finding your way around: navigation phrases

Spanish	English
¿Dónde está la sección de [producto]?	Where is the [product] section?
¿Dónde están los/las [productos]?	Where are the [products]?
¿Tiene/n [producto]?	Do you have [product]?
Estoy buscando [producto]	I’m looking for [product]
¿Me puede ayudar?	Can you help me?
No encuentro [producto]	I can’t find [product]
Está en el pasillo [número]	It’s in aisle [number]
Al fondo a la derecha/izquierda	At the back on the right/left
Junto a la caja	Next to the checkout

Supermarket departments:

Spanish	English
frutas y verduras	produce
la carnicería	butcher section
la pescadería	fish section
la panadería / la bollería	bakery / pastry section
lácteos	dairy
bebidas	drinks
congelados	frozen foods
productos de limpieza	cleaning products
higiene personal	personal care
conservas	canned/preserved foods
la caja	checkout

A Spanish teacher online can roleplay the supermarket scenario with you, including the realistic moment when the answer to your question is a stream of fast spoken Spanish with directions and department names, so that the navigation phrases become instinctive. italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, including qualified Spanish teachers who build practical vocabulary through real-world scenarios.

Fruits and vegetables (frutas y verduras)

Spanish	English	Notes
la manzana	apple
la pera	pear
la naranja	orange
el plátano (Spain) / la banana (LatAm)	banana
la fresa (Spain/Mex) / la frutilla (Arg/Uru/Chi)	strawberry
el melocotón (Spain) / el durazno (LatAm)	peach
la uva	grape
el limón	lemon
la sandía	watermelon
el melón	melon
el mango	mango
el aguacate (Spain/Mex) / la palta (Arg/Chi/Per)	avocado
el tomate	tomato
la cebolla	onion
el ajo	garlic
la lechuga	lettuce
el pimiento (Spain) / el pimentón (LatAm) / el chile (Mex)	pepper / chilli	depends on type
la zanahoria	carrot
el pepino	cucumber
la patata (Spain) / la papa (LatAm)	potato
el calabacín (Spain) / el calabacín/zucchini (LatAm)	courgette / zucchini
el brócoli	broccoli
los champiñones / las setas	mushrooms	champiñones (cultivated), setas (wild)

Meat and fish (carne y pescado)

Spanish	English
la ternera / el ternero	veal, young beef
la carne de vacuno / la res	beef
el cerdo / el puerco	pork
el pollo	chicken
el cordero	lamb
la pechuga	breast (chicken)
el muslo	thigh
la carne picada / la carne molida (LatAm)	minced meat
los filetes	steaks, sliced cuts
el jamón	ham
los embutidos	cured meats (chorizo, salami, etc.)
el salmón	salmon
el bacalao	cod
la merluza	hake
el atún	tuna
los langostinos	king prawns
las gambas	prawns, shrimp (Spain)
los camarones	shrimp (Latin America)
el marisco	seafood, shellfish

Bread, dairy, and packaged goods

Spanish	English
el pan	bread
la barra de pan (Spain)	baguette / bread loaf
el pan de molde	sliced bread
los bollos / la bollería	rolls, pastries
la leche	milk
el yogur	yoghurt
el queso	cheese
la mantequilla	butter
los huevos	eggs
la nata (Spain) / la crema de leche (LatAm)	cream
el aceite de oliva	olive oil
el vinagre	vinegar
la harina	flour
el azúcar	sugar
la sal	salt
la pasta	pasta
el arroz	rice
las lentejas	lentils
los garbanzos	chickpeas
la lata de conservas	tin / can of preserved food

For building the vocabulary needed to describe items at home, where the groceries are stored, which appliance they go in, the guide to furniture in Spanish covers kitchen vocabulary including the fridge, freezer, cupboards, and worktops in full.

Quantities and measurements

Spanish	English	Example
un kilo de	a kilo of	un kilo de manzanas
medio kilo de / 500 gramos de	half a kilo / 500g of	medio kilo de queso
200 gramos de	200 grams of	200 gramos de jamón
un litro de	a litre of	un litro de leche
medio litro de	half a litre of	medio litro de nata
una docena de	a dozen	una docena de huevos
media docena de	half a dozen	media docena de huevos
una lata de	a tin / can of	una lata de tomates
una botella de	a bottle of	una botella de aceite
una bolsa de	a bag of	una bolsa de arroz
un paquete de	a packet of	un paquete de pasta
un trozo de	a piece of	un trozo de queso
una rebanada de	a slice of (bread, cake)	una rebanada de pan
una loncha de (Spain) / una tajada de (LatAm)	a slice of (meat, ham)	una loncha de jamón

At the market stall: ordering from a vendor

At an open-air market (el mercado) or a specialist counter in a supermarket, direct ordering is normal:

Póngame un kilo de tomates, por favor. (Give me a kilo of tomatoes, please.) ¿A cuánto está el kilo de melocotones? (How much per kilo are the peaches?) Deme dos rebanadas de jamón ibérico, por favor. (Give me two slices of Iberian ham, please.) ¿Están maduros estos aguacates? (Are these avocados ripe?) ¿Algo más?, the vendor’s question: Anything else? Nada más, gracias., the standard reply: Nothing else, thanks.

Póngame (literally: put it for me) is the most natural way to place a direct order at a market stall. Deme (give me) also works and is slightly more direct.

At the checkout (en la caja)

Spanish	English
¿Cuánto es (en total)?	How much is it (in total)?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?	Can I pay by card?
En efectivo	In cash
¿Tiene cambio?	Do you have change?
¿Me da un recibo / un tique, por favor?	Can you give me a receipt, please?
¿Tiene bolsa? / Una bolsa, por favor.	Do you have a bag? / A bag, please.
¿Tiene tarjeta de fidelidad?	Do you have a loyalty card?
Introduzca su pin	Enter your PIN
Firme aquí	Sign here

Book a trial lesson and run a full supermarket roleplay from start to finish, entering, finding three items, asking about prices, and handling the checkout. The scenario is short enough to rehearse multiple times in one session and practical enough to use immediately in real life.

Spain vs. Latin America: key vocabulary differences

Item	Spain	Latin America
Banana	el plátano	la banana, el banano, el guineo
Potato	la patata	la papa
Peach	el melocotón	el durazno
Strawberry	la fresa	la frutilla (Arg, Chi, Uru)
Avocado	el aguacate	la palta (Arg, Chi, Per)
Fridge	la nevera	el refrigerador, la heladera
Juice	el zumo	el jugo
Prawn/shrimp	la gamba	el camarón
Minced meat	la carne picada	la carne molida
Cream	la nata	la crema de leche
Supermarket	el supermercado	el supermercado (universal)

Most of these differences are mutually understood in context. Knowing your target country’s variants is helpful; being understood with the other variant is rarely a problem.

FAQ

How do you say supermarket in Spanish?

El supermercado, universal across all Spanish-speaking countries. An open-air or indoor market is el mercado. A smaller convenience shop is la tienda de comestibles or la tienda de barrio (neighbourhood shop).

What is the difference between la verdura and las verduras?

La verdura (singular) refers to vegetables in general: como mucha verdura (I eat a lot of vegetables). Las verduras (plural) refers to specific vegetables: ¿cuáles verduras necesitas? (Which vegetables do you need?) Both are used; context determines which fits.

How do you ask if something is fresh or ripe in Spanish?

¿Está maduro/a? (Is it ripe?) for fruit. ¿Es fresco/a? (Is it fresh?) for fish, bread, or dairy. ¿Cuándo llegó esto? (When did this arrive?) is a more direct way to ask about freshness.

How do you say “I need a bag” at the checkout?

¿Me da una bolsa? (Can you give me a bag?) or simply Una bolsa, por favor (A bag, please). In Spain, bags are now charged for in most supermarkets; in Latin America, policies vary.