Let’s Talk About Shopping for Clothes in English | Learn English with Podcast | Useful Phrases

[00:00:00][music] >> Hello, dear learners, and [music] welcome back to English Flow. I'm Kim, and I'm really glad you're here.

[00:00:11]Today, we're going shopping for clothes.

[00:00:14]By the end of this episode, you'll know how to ask for help in a store, talk about sizes and colors, try something on, ask about the price, and even return something if it doesn't work out.

[00:00:28]We're jumping straight into real conversations, so stay with me.

[00:00:34]Quick thing before we start. If you're new here, hit subscribe and tap the bell so you don't miss the next episode. And if you're enjoying English Flow, a like, a comment, or sharing it with a friend really helps the show grow.

[00:00:49]Okay, let's get into it.

[00:00:52]Let's start with something small but important. In English, we say go shopping when we mean shopping for fun.

[00:01:00]Clothes, shoes, gifts. For example, I went shopping with my sister on Saturday.

[00:01:07]Or, do you want to go shopping this weekend?

[00:01:11]But when we mean buying food and things for the house, we usually say do the shopping. Let's say, I need to do the shopping before dinner.

[00:01:21]Or, can you do the shopping today? We're out of milk.

[00:01:26]So, go shopping is fun shopping. Do the shopping is the necessary kind.

[00:01:31]Today, we're talking about the fun kind.

[00:01:34]There's also a useful little phrase, shop for something.

[00:01:39]This means you go somewhere with a goal in mind. Take this. I'm shopping for a birthday present. Or, she's shopping for winter boots.

[00:01:50]Now, where do people usually shop for clothes? A few kinds of stores are good to know.

[00:01:56]First, high stores or high-street names.

[00:02:00]These are the big popular clothing brands you see in almost every city.

[00:02:05]Here's an example. There are so many high-street stores on this street.

[00:02:10]Another one. I usually buy my jeans from a high-street name. It's cheap and easy.

[00:02:16]Then there are local boutiques. A boutique is a small shop, usually with a special or unique style. Often more expensive, but more personal.

[00:02:27]Imagine saying, "I found this dress in a small local boutique." Or, "That local boutique only sells handmade clothes."

[00:02:37]Next, out-of-town retail outlets. These are big shopping centers outside the city, often with lower prices. For instance, we drove to the out-of-town retail outlet to get better deals.

[00:02:50]Or, "The outlet has last season's clothes at half price."

[00:02:54]And finally, designer boutiques. Small, fancy shops that sell clothes from famous, expensive designers. Like this, "That designer boutique only sells luxury bags."

[00:03:07]Or, "I can't afford anything in that designer boutique, but I love window shopping there."

[00:03:15]Okay. Now, let's actually go into a shop.

[00:03:18]Picture this. You walk in and someone from the store comes to help you.

[00:03:23]The shop assistant says, "Hi there. Can I help you find something?" You say, "I'm just browsing, thanks."

[00:03:31]This is such a common exchange. "Can I help you find something?" is polite and normal, and "I'm just browsing" is the perfect answer when you don't need help yet. You just want to look around.

[00:03:43]Let's build on this. Now, imagine you do need help. You say, "I'm looking for a casual shirt." The shop assistant replies, "Sure. What size do you wear?"

[00:03:54]"What size do you wear?" is a very direct, useful question.

[00:03:59]And here are common sizes in English: small, medium, large, extra small, extra large. Try this.

[00:04:08]I usually wear medium.

[00:04:10]Or, do you have this in large?

[00:04:14]Now, colors and styles. A very common question is, "Do you have this in green?" Or, "Does this come in yellow?"

[00:04:22]Both mean the same thing. You're asking if a different color is available.

[00:04:27]Something like, "Does this jacket come in black?" Or, "Do you have this shirt in blue?"

[00:04:33]Let's also talk about patterns. When clothes have no design, we say they're plain. Consider this. I prefer plain t-shirts, no designs. Or, this one is plain, but that one has flowers on it.

[00:04:49]When clothes have a design or pattern on them, we say they're printed. To illustrate, I love this printed dress.

[00:04:56]It has small stars on it. Or, he's wearing a printed shirt with stripes.

[00:05:03]Now, say you found something you like and you want to try it on.

[00:05:07]Here's how that goes.

[00:05:10]The shop assistant asks, "Would you like to try it on?"

[00:05:14]You say, "Yes, please. Where's the fitting room?"

[00:05:17]The shop assistant replies, "The fitting room is over there."

[00:05:22]You might notice some people say trial room instead of fitting room. Both are used, but fitting room is more common in English-speaking countries, so that's the safer one to remember.

[00:05:35]Now, inside the fitting room, things don't always go perfectly. Three important words here: tight, loose, and torn.

[00:05:45]Tight means it's too small or too close to your body. Here's a case. These jeans are too tight. I can't sit down comfortably. Or this shirt is tight around my shoulders.

[00:05:58]Loose means it's too big or hangs away from your body.

[00:06:01]Say this. This dress is too loose on me.

[00:06:04]It needs a smaller size. Or the shirt feels loose around my waist.

[00:06:10]And torn means it's ripped or has a hole in it. Picture this.

[00:06:14]Wait, this sleeve is torn. I can't buy this one. Or there's a small torn part near the pocket.

[00:06:22]Now, picture this. You come out of the fitting room and it actually looks great.

[00:06:28]The shop assistant says, "Oh, it really suits you."

[00:06:32]To suit someone means it looks good on that specific person. It matches their style or their body well. It's a lovely compliment to receive and also nice to give. Something like that color really suits you. Or this jacket suits him so well.

[00:06:50]We can also say something is elegant, meaning stylish and classy. Take this one. This dress is so elegant, perfect for a wedding.

[00:07:00]Or he always wears elegant suits to work.

[00:07:04]Now, let's talk money because price is always important. First, the price tag.

[00:07:11]This is the small paper or sticker on clothes that shows the price. Let's say, "Let me check the price tag before I decide." Or the price tag says $30.

[00:07:23]You can simply ask, "How much is this?"

[00:07:26]Or "How much is it?"

[00:07:29]Both are correct and very natural.

[00:07:31]Sometimes you're lucky and things are on sale, meaning the price is lower than usual.

[00:07:37]For example, this jacket is on sale this week.

[00:07:41]Or everything in the store is on sale right now.

[00:07:45]You might also hear the phrase marked down from, which tells you the original price and the new lower price. Here's an example.

[00:07:54]This shirt is marked down from $40 to 20.

[00:07:58]Or, these shoes are marked down from 100 to 60.

[00:08:03]And sometimes a shop assistant will tell you there's a discount this week.

[00:08:09]This simply means prices are temporarily lower.

[00:08:13]Other times though, the item you want is sold out, meaning there are none left.

[00:08:19]Imagine hearing, "Sorry, that size is sold out."

[00:08:24]Or, "The red one is sold out, but we have it in blue."

[00:08:29]Once you decide to buy something, the shop assistant might ask, "Would you like a bag for it?" And after you pay, they usually give you a receipt, the small paper that proves you bought something.

[00:08:42]Try this. Keep your receipt in case you need to return it.

[00:08:46]Or, "Can I get a receipt, please?"

[00:08:50]This brings us to something really useful, returning clothes. Sometimes something doesn't fit or you simply change your mind. You might say, "It doesn't fit me."

[00:09:02]This is different from tight or loose.

[00:09:05]It's more general, meaning the size or shape is wrong for you overall.

[00:09:10]For instance, "I tried it on at home, but it doesn't fit me."

[00:09:14]Or, "This dress doesn't fit me anymore."

[00:09:19]If this happens, you have two common options. First, you can exchange something for something else, meaning you trade it for a different size, color, or item.

[00:09:30]Like this, "I'd like to exchange this shirt for a smaller size."

[00:09:35]Or, "Can I exchange this for a different color?

[00:09:39]Or, you can ask for a refund, meaning you want your money back.

[00:09:44]It's worth knowing a few different ways to use the word refund.

[00:09:49]You can ask for a refund.

[00:09:52]Consider, I'd like to ask for a refund, please.

[00:09:55]The store can issue a refund, meaning they officially give it to you.

[00:10:00]Say, they issued a refund immediately, no questions asked.

[00:10:05]You can have a refund, meaning you receive it. For example, I had a refund within a few minutes. Or, simply to refund as a general action.

[00:10:16]Take this. They refunded my money the same day.

[00:10:20]All right, now let's put everything together with two full conversations.

[00:10:25]Listen closely and notice all the phrases we just learned.

[00:10:29]Here's our first conversation.

[00:10:31]It happens inside a clothing store.

[00:10:34]The shop assistant says, "Hi, can I help you find something?"

[00:10:38]The customer says, "I'm looking for a casual shirt."

[00:10:43]The shop assistant asks, "Sure, what size do you wear?"

[00:10:47]The customer answers, "Medium, usually."

[00:10:51]The shop assistant says, "We have this one in medium. Does it come in blue?"

[00:10:57]The customer replies, "Actually, do you have this in green?" The shop assistant says, "Yes, right here. Would you like to try it on?"

[00:11:06]The customer says, "Yes, please. Where's the fitting room?"

[00:11:11]The shop assistant replies, "The fitting room is over there, on the left."

[00:11:17]A few minutes later, the customer says, "It's a bit tight around the shoulders."

[00:11:22]The shop assistant says, "No problem, let me get you a large." The customer says, "Perfect, this one fits much better."

[00:11:31]The shop assistant says, "Oh, it really suits you."

[00:11:34]The customer asks, "How much is it?"

[00:11:37]The shop assistant answers, "It's marked down from $35 to $20. There's a discount this week." The customer says, "Great, I'll take it."

[00:11:48]The shop assistant asks, "Would you like a bag for it?"

[00:11:52]The customer replies, "Yes, please. And can I get a receipt?"

[00:11:57]The shop assistant says, "Of course.

[00:12:00]Here you go."

[00:12:02]Now, here's our second conversation.

[00:12:05]This time, the customer is returning something.

[00:12:09]The customer says, "Hi, I bought this shirt yesterday, but it doesn't fit me."

[00:12:14]The shop assistant asks, "Do you have the receipt?"

[00:12:18]The customer replies, "Yes, here it is."

[00:12:22]The shop assistant says, "No problem.

[00:12:25]Would you like to exchange it for a different size, or would you like a refund?"

[00:12:29]The customer says, "I'd like to exchange it for a large, please."

[00:12:35]The shop assistant replies, "Sure. Let me check if we have it. Yes, here you go."

[00:12:42]The customer says, "Thank you so much."

[00:12:45]The shop assistant says, "You're welcome. Enjoy your new shirt."

[00:12:50]Wonderful.

[00:12:52]Now, before we finish, here's your homework.

[00:12:55]Think about the last time you went shopping for clothes and describe it out loud using at least five phrases from today. What you were looking for, what size you asked for, whether it suited you or not. Say it slowly and don't worry about being perfect.

[00:13:13]And remember, if today felt like a lot, that's completely normal.

[00:13:18]Go back and listen again tomorrow, or check out previous episodes on the playlist to review words you've already learned.

[00:13:27]A few minutes a day is really all you need.

[00:13:31]If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, tap the bell, leave a comment telling me about your last shopping trip, and share this with someone who's learning English, too.

[00:13:43]I'm [music] Kim.

[00:13:45]Thank you so much for being here. I'll see you in the next episode. Take care of yourself, and keep flowing.

[00:13:53]>> [music]