Skip to content

Chapter 2 of 8

Money, Shopping and Daily Errands

Money and payment form the foundation of shopping vocabulary. The general word for money is das Geld, while das Bargeld refers specifically to cash and die Kreditkarte to a credit card. You will often hear the question "Zahlen Sie bar oder mit Karte?" (Do you pay cash or by card?). The cost of something is der Preis (price), used in phrases like "Der Preis ist zu hoch" (The price is too high) or admitted in "Ich habe nicht genug Geld dabei" (I don't have enough money on me). When something is inexpensive you call it billig (cheap), as in "Die Jacke war sehr billig" (The jacket was very cheap), and when it costs too much, teuer (expensive), as in "Das Auto ist zu teuer" (The car is too expensive).

Shopping takes place in places such as das Geschäft (shop) and der Supermarkt (supermarket). A typical opening time might be announced as "Das Geschäft öffnet um neun" (The shop opens at nine), and a common convenience is "Der Supermarkt ist gleich um die Ecke" (The supermarket is just around the corner). When you pay, you can ask for den Kassenbon (receipt) with "Möchten Sie den Kassenbon?" (Would you like the receipt?), and you might benefit from a der Rabatt (discount), as in "Es gibt zehn Prozent Rabatt" (There's a ten percent discount). For clothing, you'll be asked "Welche Größe brauchen Sie?" (What size do you need?), and you'll want to try things on with anprobieren, as in "Kann ich die Hose anprobieren?" (Can I try on the trousers?).

The verbs for transactions are bezahlen (to pay), as in "Ich möchte bitte bezahlen" (I'd like to pay, please), kosten (to cost), as in "Was kostet das?" (What does that cost?), and zurückgeben (to return), as in "Ich möchte die Schuhe zurückgeben" (I'd like to return the shoes). Shop status is described with the adjectives geöffnet (open) and geschlossen (closed), used in phrases like "Der Laden ist bis acht geöffnet" (The shop is open until eight) or simply "Sonntags ist geschlossen" (It's closed on Sundays).

All chapters
  1. 1Work and the Office
  2. 2Money, Shopping and Daily Errands
  3. 3Feelings, Moods and Personal Traits
  4. 4Hobbies, Leisure and Free Time
  5. 5Technology, Media and Communication
  6. 6The City, Travel and Nature
  7. 7Time, Opinions and Conversations
  8. 8Everyday Life — Dining, Documents and Common Verbs

Drill it

Reading is not remembering. These come from the German A2 Vocab deck:

Q

work / job

die Arbeit Die Arbeit macht mir Spaß. (I enjoy the work.)

Q

job / profession

der Beruf Was sind Sie von Beruf? (What is your profession?)

Q

office

das Büro Ich arbeite in einem großen Büro. (I work in a big office.)

Q

colleague (male)

der Kollege Mein Kollege hilft mir oft. (My colleague often helps me.)