At the Grocery Store in English: Phrases You'll Actually Use

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1. 0:00So I once went to at least five different grocery stores in just one morning for something super simple. I think I was making soup and salad for dinner,
2. 0:11and it's not like the first grocery store didn't have everything I needed.
3. 0:16It's just that I didn't want to speak in my second language.
4. 0:21This was years ago, shortly after I moved to France and that particular day, one store that I went to first required me to talk to a shop clerk
5. 0:31to weigh the vegetables, and there were a lot of people inside. So I said, no thanks. I don't wanna talk in front of all these people.
6. 0:38And then the next store had the olive oil I wanted, but it was up on a super high shelf and I didn't want to ask for help. Now, if you don't know this, I'm super petite.
7. 0:49So high shelves at grocery stores are my ultimate enemy.
8. 0:53So then I went to the next one and the next one, ultimately all the stores around my home required me to talk to someone.
9. 1:02So instead, I walked much further to this big supermarket where I could just be anonymous.
10. 1:08Now, if you've ever done something like that, you already know how this feels.
11. 1:12You know what it feels like to be too nervous, to speak too shy, or too worried that you'll say the wrong thing or simply not trust the words that you have.
12. 1:22I know that feeling because I lived it and thankfully that embarrassing, super inefficient five grocery store experience didn't
13. 1:32last long for me. Over time, I figured out a simple way to stop avoiding conversations.
14. 1:40I learned the real words that people actually use, and I practiced them on repeat out loud until they felt natural.
15. 1:48So again, if you've ever avoided speaking at a grocery store like me or left a grocery store without something you needed because you didn't want to ask for
16. 1:58it or felt embarrassed about going to five different stores, just to avoid a conversation, I want to help you with the first step.
17. 2:06Today I want to help you focus on learning the real words that we use at grocery stores in English.
18. 2:13Everything from making your list to checking out at the store.
19. 2:18So let's start at the beginning.
20. 2:19Most trips to the grocery store start in the same way with a list of everything you need.
21. 2:25And when you start checking what's in your refrigerator to make that list, you're likely going to use these phrases in a conversation.
22. 2:34The first is to run low on something.
23. 2:36This means to have a nearly finished supply. For example, we are running low on eggs, so we should pick up another carton. In other words,
24. 2:46there are just one or two eggs left, and if you're making omelets for dinner, you'll definitely need more. The second phrase is to be out of something,
25. 2:55which means to have a finished supply. There's nothing left. For example, I think we've run out of coffee.
26. 3:02That is always a dangerous situation in my house. Now, if you are not the one writing the list, but you are telling someone what to put on the list, you would probably say,
27. 3:13could you add X to the list? Could you add eggs to the list?
28. 3:18Or what do we need to stock up on this week?
29. 3:22To stock up on something means to buy a large amount enough for you to have in the future. For example, we might need to stock up on coconut water.
30. 3:33It's supposed to be really warm this week.
31. 3:36So let's put these phrases together in a real conversation.
32. 3:40Imagine you and your partner are making breakfast, and in the process your partner notices that you're out of milk.
33. 3:47So a typical conversation might be we're out of milk and we're running low on bananas. I'll go to the store today and you might add, sure, and could you add eggs to the list?
34. 3:57Is there anything else that we need to stock up on this week? Now, before we keep going, I wanna share something that will make every phrase in this lesson actually
35. 4:07easier to use. Learning the words is one part, but saying them in a conversation without hesitation is another.
36. 4:15That's why I've created my free fluency training called Say What You Want in English.
37. 4:21It's super practical and it gives you a simple way to start using new English phrases out loud so they feel natural, not just memorized.
38. 4:31If you want to get that training, I'll leave a link in the notes below.
39. 4:35I recommend getting it after this lesson.
40. 4:37So you'll have a way to start practicing everything we cover today.
41. 4:42And now let's get back to that list.
42. 4:44Let's say that you've made your grocery list, but your day got away from you.
43. 4:49Maybe you had a long meeting, a team crisis, and suddenly there's no time for you to go to the store.
44. 4:56So you need to ask someone else to grab a few things.
45. 5:00Here are some common ways to do that, whether you're sending a quick text message or asking someone in a conversation.
46. 5:06First, can you grab this means to get something quickly or suddenly, for example, can you grab a couple bags of chips for the party?
47. 5:15This expression is a very common phrase, and it's usually used with friends or family or other casual conversations.
48. 5:24And it also indicates that the process of getting that thing is something that can happen fast.
49. 5:31I'm not giving someone a list of 20 different items.
50. 5:35It's just two or three something you could grab or get real quick.
51. 5:40The next one is, could you pick up this means to go to the store and purchase something on the way to somewhere or on the way from somewhere? For example,
52. 5:50maybe on the way home from work. For example, could you pick up the cake before heading home?
53. 5:57Similar to this is would you mind swinging by the store?
54. 6:02And getting to swing by a place means to make a quick stop at that location before you arrive at your ultimate destination. So again,
55. 6:11you're leaving work on your way home and before you get home, you're going to swing by or quickly stop at the grocery store.
56. 6:20So in a quick text message to your spouse or someone else, you might say, do you mind swinging by the store and getting a couple cases of wine? Okay,
57. 6:29next step are the phrases you'll use when you're actually in the process of leaving your home or leaving work and going to the store.
58. 6:38Most of these phrases show up in quick text messages, short phone calls, or other casual comments to the people you live with.
59. 6:47So first, let's talk about phrases for heading out, which means preparing to leave where you are at the moment.
60. 6:55Quite often right before you leave, it's common to check in with other people and you might say something like, I'm headed to the store now. Do you need anything?
61. 7:05Or if you want to make it clear that this trip to the store is going to be super fast, you can use the phrase to pop in. For example,
62. 7:14I'm going to pop into the store to get a few things. Do you need anything?
63. 7:18This is a great phrasal verb to use.
64. 7:21Anytime you want to indicate that you're going to very briefly stop by or visit a place. For example, I'll pop into the cafe for a quick cup of coffee before heading to the office.
65. 7:33Now, if you didn't get a chance to check in with someone before leaving, you might send a quick text message or phone call to let them know that you have
66. 7:42just arrived at the store and you wanna ask them if they need anything.
67. 7:46And in that situation, you might say, I'm just pulling up. In fact, I use this one with my husband all the time.
68. 7:52I very often send a quick text message to say, I'm just pulling up to the store.
69. 7:57Do you need anything to pull up somewhere?
70. 7:59Means to drive to a specific location and come to a stop at that place.
71. 8:05And if where you live driving to the grocery store is something normal, you might recognize this situation driving around and around for a parking spot.
72. 8:17Like if you go to the store just before a huge rainstorm or snowstorm, or if you're here in the United States,
73. 8:25try going to Trader Joe's or Costco's on a Sunday afternoon.
74. 8:30You'll be driving around forever. And in those moments, you'll probably say, there isn't a spot everywhere. The parking lot is a nightmare, or there's no parking.
75. 8:40I'm just gonna keep circling around until I find one.
76. 8:45And then there are those moments when you see a spot, you start heading that way and someone beats you to it.
77. 8:52When someone beats you to something, it means that they do something or they get it before you do.
78. 8:59With that in mind, here's another example. I wanted that last slice of pizza, but my brother beat me to it. Now, once you've found your parking spot and you're inside the store,
79. 9:09you'll notice three things. One, how many people are there, the prices, and what's in stock or what's available.
80. 9:19So let's look at some language for each of those. So first up, the crowd.
81. 9:24If a store is full of people, when you're describing it, you might say it's packed in here. When a place is packed,
82. 9:32a restaurant, a store, et cetera, it means that it's super crowded, full of people and very busy. As a result, it's probably not going to be a very quick visit.
83. 9:44Now if the opposite is true, if the store is totally empty, we would say it's dead in here.
84. 9:51This means to be empty or with very few people.
85. 9:55And then after those quick observations of whether it is crowded or not, you'll also notice the prices when something costs way more
86. 10:04than it should, your first thought might be, that's a ripoff.
87. 10:09A ripoff is a super casual phrase that indicates that something is too expensive for what it is. It feels like an unfair price. For example,
88. 10:19you might say to someone you paid $400 for one basketball ticket, that seems like a ripoff. But then when the opposite is true, when something is cheaper than expected,
89. 10:31then we would say that's a steal. In other words, it's an unbelievably good price. And finally, while you're walking around the store,
90. 10:40you'll notice what is in stock or available if the store doesn't have what you came there for.
91. 10:47You can text someone or call them to let them know that they're out of whatever you want.
92. 10:54And maybe ask where to go next to be out of something means they don't have it available. For example, you might say to someone, they're out of the ice cream you wanted, where else should I go? Alright, now,
93. 11:06here's the part that was the hardest for me when I lived in France, actually talking to people in the store, it's not always easy to find what you need. So when you need help,
94. 11:17you can ask politely with one of these phrases, excuse me, could you tell me where to find? Or excuse me, do you mind grabbing the olive oil? For me?
95. 11:29This one is particularly helpful for people like me who can't reach what's on the top shelf. When you ask someone to grab something for you,
96. 11:37you're asking them to reach and get it. And here's two more.
97. 11:42Excuse me, do you have any, or excuse me, do you know which aisle the olive oil is in? Now, in response to this last question,
98. 11:51you'll either hear the specific aisle number as in aisle 10, or you'll get a description of the general location, something like it's in the back, near the dairy.
99. 12:03Now I want to look at all of those again, because you've probably noticed they all have something in common.
100. 12:08They all start with, excuse me, in English speaking culture, this small phrase does a lot of work.
101. 12:16It signals respect for the other person.
102. 12:19It softens your request and it tells the other person that you're about to ask them for something. Asking one of those questions without,
103. 12:28excuse me, first, can sound abrupt, even if that's not your intention.
104. 12:34When you've got everything you needed on your list, now it's time to check out at the register.
105. 12:41The cashier will probably say a few of the same things to you and roughly always in the same order.
106. 12:48You'll hear these things time and time again.
107. 12:52So here's what to expect and how to respond. First, you're likely to hear these questions. Did you find everything you needed?
108. 13:01Do you need any bags today? How's your day going? And have a good one.
109. 13:06And quite often it's in that exact order.
110. 13:09So here's how you can respond to each of those statements. First, when someone asks, did you find everything you needed? You can use a simple yes,
111. 13:18thanks, or, I think so. Thanks for asking. And then if someone asks, do you need any bags today? You could respond with, uh, yeah, just one bag please. Or No, I'm good, thanks. I brought my own.
112. 13:30If the cashier asks, how's your day going?
113. 13:33You can simply respond with pretty good thanks. How about you?
114. 13:36And then as you're just about to leave and the cashier says, have a good one, which means have a good day. You can simply respond with you two.
115. 13:44Do you notice how short all of those answers are?
116. 13:47Cashiers do this same conversation all day long.
117. 13:52They're not asking for a full update on your grocery store experience or your life in that moment. It's just a polite, functional exchange.
118. 14:01And a short answer in the moment is exactly the right response.
119. 14:06You now have the real language we use for talking about going to the grocery store and actually being there.
120. 14:13Everything from making your list to checking out.
121. 14:16So here's what I want you to do this week.
122. 14:18Choose one or two phrases from this lesson today and try using them. You don't need to learn them all right now.
123. 14:26Just focus on the phrases that fit your life.
124. 14:30Maybe it's could you grab or they're out of, or excuse me, can you tell me where to find whatever you choose this week?
125. 14:38I want you to find a moment to use that phrase out loud.
126. 14:42And don't forget that if you want a simple way to start using these phrases out loud before you're in the moment, get my free training.
127. 14:51Called Say What You Want in English. It'll show you exactly how to do that.
128. 14:56And again, I'll leave the link in the notes below. As always, thank you for joining me in this lesson. I hope that you found it helpful.
129. 15:03If you did, don't forget to subscribe or follow wherever you're listening or watching from today. Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to next time.