Exercise 1
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence about money, shopping, and services.
Example: I need to pay the _____ at the end of the meal. (bill / price / cost)
Answer: I need to pay the bill at the end of the meal.
Money, Shopping and Services
Do you enjoy shopping? Do you know how to ask for help in a shop or talk about prices in English? Whether you are buying clothes, paying a bill, or visiting a bank, knowing the right words for money, shopping and services will help you feel confident in everyday situations.
Read this short scenario and notice how the vocabulary works in real life:
Sara is visiting a new city. She goes to a department store to buy a jacket. She checks the price tag and sees it is too expensive, so she looks for something on sale. She pays by card at the checkout and gets a receipt. Later, she visits the post office to send a parcel and stops at the bank to withdraw some cash.
In this lesson, you will learn the most important vocabulary for money, shopping and services at CEFR A2 level.
Key Vocabulary & Meaning Breakdown
1. Shopping & Shops
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech & Meaning | Example Sentence | Collocations / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| shop | noun — a place where you buy things | There is a small shop near my house that sells bread and milk. | go to a shop, open/close a shop |
| department store | noun (compound) — a large shop with many sections selling different things | We bought furniture and clothes at the department store. | visit/go to a department store |
| supermarket | noun — a large self-service shop selling food and everyday items | I go to the supermarket every Saturday morning. | do your shopping at the supermarket |
| market | noun — an outdoor or indoor place where different sellers sell goods | She bought fresh vegetables at the market. | street market, local market, flea market |
| checkout | noun — the place in a shop where you pay for your items | There was a long queue at the checkout. | wait at the checkout, go through the checkout |
| price tag | noun (compound) — a small label showing how much something costs | He looked at the price tag and put the shirt back on the shelf. | check the price tag, remove the price tag |
| sale | noun — a time when a shop sells things at a lower price than usual | I bought this coat in the winter sale — it was half price! | in the sale, on sale, summer/winter sale |
| receipt | noun — a piece of paper that shows you have paid for something | Keep your receipt in case you want to return the item. | get/keep/lose a receipt, show a receipt |
| refund | noun / verb — money that is given back to you when you return something | She asked for a refund because the shoes were the wrong size. | get/ask for a refund, give a refund |
| queue | noun / verb — a line of people waiting for something | We had to queue for twenty minutes to buy tickets. | join/stand in a queue, queue up |
| customer | noun — a person who buys something from a shop or uses a service | The assistant helped the customer find the right size. | regular customer, serve a customer |
| shop assistant | noun (compound) — a person who works in a shop and helps customers | The shop assistant showed me where the changing rooms were. | ask the shop assistant, helpful shop assistant |
2. Money & Payments
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech & Meaning | Example Sentence | Collocations / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| cash | noun — physical money (coins and notes) | I prefer to pay with cash when I shop at the market. | pay in/with cash, carry cash |
| coin | noun — a small, flat, round piece of metal used as money | Do you have a coin for the supermarket trolley? | a 50p coin, put a coin in |
| note | noun — a piece of paper money | She paid with a £20 note and got change back. | a £10/£20 note, pay with a note |
| card | noun — a small plastic card used to pay without cash | Can I pay by card, please? | pay by card, credit card, debit card |
| price | noun — the amount of money you pay for something | What is the price of this bag? | full price, half price, asking price |
| change | noun — the money you receive back when you pay more than the price | The item cost £3.50 and I paid £5, so I got £1.50 change. | get/keep/give change |
| discount | noun — a reduction in the usual price of something | Students can get a 10% discount at this bookshop. | get/offer a discount, student discount |
| bill | noun — a document asking you to pay for a service you have received | Can we have the bill, please? (in a restaurant) | pay a bill, electricity/phone bill, ask for the bill |
| budget | noun — the amount of money you plan to spend | My budget for the holiday is £500. | on a budget, set a budget, limited budget |
| afford | verb — to have enough money to pay for something | I love that jacket but I can't afford it right now. | can/can't afford, afford to buy/pay |
| expensive | adjective — costing a lot of money | That restaurant is too expensive for me. | very/quite expensive, too expensive |
| cheap | adjective — costing very little money | These shoes are really cheap — only £15! | very/quite cheap, cheap and cheerful |
| withdraw | verb — to take money out of a bank account | I need to withdraw some cash from the ATM before we go out. | withdraw cash/money, withdraw from an account |
| ATM / cash machine | noun — a machine where you can take out cash from your bank account | Is there an ATM near here? I need some cash. | use an ATM, find a cash machine |
3. Services & Places in Town
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech & Meaning | Example Sentence | Collocations / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| bank | noun — a place where people save money and get financial help | I need to go to the bank to open an account. | go to the bank, bank account, high-street bank |
| post office | noun (compound) — a place where you can send letters and parcels | I went to the post office to send a birthday card to my friend. | go to the post office, queue at the post office |
| parcel | noun — a package or box that you send by post | She received a parcel in the post — it was her new phone. | send/receive/collect a parcel, post a parcel |
| pharmacy | noun — a shop where you can buy medicine | I bought some cold medicine at the pharmacy. | go to the pharmacy, local pharmacy |
| delivery | noun — the action of bringing goods to someone's address | I ordered online and the delivery arrived the next day. | free delivery, home delivery, next-day delivery |
| exchange | verb / noun — to return something and take a different item instead | The shirt was too big, so I exchanged it for a smaller size. | exchange for something, exchange rate (currency) |
| opening hours | noun (compound) — the times when a shop or service is open | The opening hours of the bank are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. | check the opening hours, outside opening hours |
| trolley | noun — a large basket on wheels used in a supermarket to carry shopping | She filled the trolley with fruit, vegetables, and pasta. | push a trolley, supermarket trolley |
| basket | noun — a small container with a handle used to carry shopping | I only needed a few things, so I used a basket instead of a trolley. | carry a basket, shopping basket |
Collocations & Useful Expressions
Collocations are words that go together naturally in English. Learning them helps you sound more fluent. Here are the most important collocations for money, shopping and services:
go + shopping
We usually go shopping on Saturday afternoons.
pay + by card / in cash
Would you like to pay by card or in cash?
spend + money (on something)
She spends a lot of money on clothes every month.
save + money
I'm trying to save money so I can go on holiday.
borrow + money (from someone)
Can I borrow some money? I'll pay you back tomorrow.
lend + money (to someone)
My friend lent me £10 because I forgot my wallet.
ask for + a refund / discount / receipt
I asked for a refund because the item was broken.
try on + clothes
Can I try on this dress, please? Where are the changing rooms?
look for + something
I'm looking for a pair of black trousers in size 12.
open + an account
She went to the bank to open a savings account.
be on sale
Those trainers are on sale — they're 30% off!
get + change
I paid with a £10 note and got £3.50 change.
Important Differences & Confusing Words
Price vs Cost vs Charge
These three words all relate to money but are used in different ways:
Price is a noun — the amount of money shown for an item in a shop.
The price of this laptop is £499.
Cost is a verb or noun — how much money you need to pay for something.
How much does this cost? / The cost of living is very high in London.
Charge is a verb or noun — when a person or business asks you to pay for a service.
The hotel charges £15 for parking. / There is no charge for delivery.
Cheap vs Affordable vs Good Value
Cheap means something costs very little money. It can sometimes suggest low quality.
This bag looks cheap — I don't think it will last very long.
Affordable means the price is reasonable and you can pay for it without difficulty.
The restaurant is affordable — lunch costs about £8.
Good value means the quality is good for the price you pay.
This phone is great quality for the price — it's really good value.
Borrow vs Lend
Borrow — you take something from another person temporarily.
Can I borrow £5? I forgot my wallet.
Lend — you give something to another person temporarily.
I can lend you £5 if you need it.
Note: A common way to remember this: you borrow FROM someone, and you lend TO someone.
Sale vs On Sale vs For Sale
In the sale / on sale — the item has a reduced price right now.
These boots are in the sale — they're only £25!
For sale — the item is available to buy (not necessarily at a reduced price).
Is this car for sale? How much does it cost?
Common Mistakes
❌ I want to make shopping.
✅ go shopping — I want to go shopping this weekend.
❌ Can I pay by cash?
✅ pay in cash — Can I pay in cash?
(Note: we say "pay by card" but "pay in cash".)
❌ The price of this jacket costs £50.
✅ costs / the price is — This jacket costs £50. or The price of this jacket is £50.
(Do not use both "price" and "costs" together.)
❌ Can you borrow me some money?
✅ lend — Can you lend me some money?
❌ I am looking a new bag.
✅ looking for — I am looking for a new bag.
❌ The shop is very cheap for its prices.
✅ good value — The shop is good value for money.
❌ I need to take money from the bank machine.
✅ withdraw cash from the ATM / cash machine — I need to withdraw some cash from the ATM.
Money, Shopping and Services: Quick Summary & Review
Well done! In this lesson, you have learnt the most important vocabulary for money, shopping and services at A2 level. Here is a quick summary of what we covered:
- Shopping & Shops: shop, department store, supermarket, market, checkout, price tag, sale, receipt, refund, queue, customer, shop assistant
- Money & Payments: cash, coin, note, card, price, change, discount, bill, budget, afford, expensive, cheap, withdraw, ATM
- Services & Places: bank, post office, parcel, pharmacy, delivery, exchange, opening hours, trolley, basket
- Key collocations: go shopping, pay by card, pay in cash, spend/save/borrow/lend money, ask for a refund, try on clothes
- Important differences: price vs cost vs charge, cheap vs affordable vs good value, borrow vs lend, sale vs for sale
Remember: always try to learn words in context — notice how they are used in sentences and what other words they go with.
Now practise money, shopping and services vocabulary in the exercises below.
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