Shopping at the Mall: Clothes, Prices, and Shops in English

Learn useful English for shopping at a mall. This free A1 lesson for adult beginners helps you name items, describe sizes, colours, and materials, and ask about prices. Its 16 interactive slides include listening practice, vocabulary audio, a clothing video quiz, appliance videos, matching activities, and a guided conversation-writing task.

What you will learn

• Name common clothes and shopping items.
• Describe an item using its size, colour, and material.
• Use this, that, these, and those to refer to items.
• Ask how much something costs.
• Identify household appliances and different types of shops.
• Write and practice a conversation with a salesperson.

Clothes and shopping vocabulary

Listen to the vocabulary cards and repeat each word. Clothes in the lesson include a blouse, dress, tracksuit, skirt, T-shirt, scarf, jumper, vest, and suit, as well as pyjamas, socks, and pants. The video also practices shopping for a jacket and shoes.

These words help you understand what happens in a shop:

• Salesperson: someone who helps customers buy things.
• Customer: someone who buys goods or services.
• Bargain: something bought at a good price.
• Price tag: a label showing an item's price.
• Receipt: a record of what you bought and paid.
• Change: money returned when you pay more than the price.

Use look for to say what you want to find: I am looking for a jacket. Use try on when you put on clothes to check their fit. In the listening activity, Rebecca waits for sales and likes to try clothes on. Listen to find out why she is a bargain shopper.

Describing sizes, colours, and materials

Practice the questions What size are you looking for? and What colour are you looking for? Answer with the details of the item you want.

• Sizes: small, medium, and large.
• Colours: red, blue, black, and brown.
• Materials: cotton, leather, and metal.

For example: I am looking for a black jacket in medium. I want a red cotton T-shirt. I am looking for blue shoes in size 36. Change the item, size, or colour to practice another request.

This, that, these, and those

Use this and that for one item. Use these and those for plural items. This and these refer to things near you; that and those refer to things farther away.

Use is with this and that, and are with these and those. Words such as shoes and pants take plural forms in these questions.

Asking about prices in English

Ask How much is it? for a singular item and How much are they? for plural items. Practice saying the example prices in the lesson: It is 150 dollars. They are 200 dollars. These amounts are examples for language practice.

Listen to the price conversation, then take turns asking about different items. Point to something nearby or farther away to choose this, that, these, or those.

A short clothes shopping conversation

Salesperson: Can I help you?
Customer: Yes, please. I am looking for a jacket.
Salesperson: What colour are you looking for?
Customer: Blue. Do you have it in medium?
Salesperson: Yes. Here you are.
Customer: How much is it?
Salesperson: It is 150 dollars.
Customer: Thank you. Can I try it on?

Use this model to practice with a partner. Change the item, size, colour, and example price to create another conversation.

Household appliances

The short videos introduce a refrigerator, microwave, stove, oven, rice cooker, electric kettle, coffee maker, blender, dishwasher, and toaster. Watch the guessing video and name each appliance before its answer appears.

Connect items with their uses: a microwave heats food, a dishwasher washes dishes, and an electric kettle boils water. The matching activity also includes an iron, heater, and hairdryer. Read each clue and choose the item it describes.

Types of shops: where can you buy it?

Practice store names with the audio cards, then match items to the right shop.

• Grocery store: food and everyday groceries.
• Bakery: bread and cakes.
• Clothing store: clothes such as jeans and dresses.
• Shoe store: shoes and boots.
• Bookstore: books.
• Pharmacy or chemist: pharmacy products.

Other vocabulary includes toy stores, hardware stores, electronics stores, jewellery stores, flower shops, pet stores, convenience stores, stationery shops, furniture shops, and gift shops. The matching exercise also uses newsagent's, baker's, greengrocer's, and sports shop.

Writing practice: a conversation at a clothes shop

Write a short conversation using the final writing guide. Say what you want, ask the price, and discuss the size and colour.

• Item: I am looking for a ...
• Price: How much is it?
• Size: I am looking for size ...
• Colour: Do you have it in ...?

Read your conversation aloud with a partner. Check whether each item needs is or are and which demonstrative word fits.

Practice with the interactive lesson

Begin with Rebecca's shopping habits, then watch the clothing video. Practice the vocabulary, descriptions, and price questions before watching again in quiz mode. Continue with the appliance videos and matching tasks, learn shop names, and finish by writing your conversation.

Teachers can use item pictures for a shopping role-play. For self-study, repeat the audio sentences and describe three things you might look for in a shop.

Review food shopping vocabulary in Lesson 9, or browse more free A1 English teaching materials.