How to Go Shopping in French (A1-9)

Download the printable study sheet (PDF): How to Go Shopping in French study sheet

Few things make a trip to France feel more real than walking into a little boutique, pointing at something you love, and asking the price in French, without switching to English. Shopping in French is one of the friendliest ways to practice, because the conversation follows a predictable script: you greet, you browse, you ask "how much," you try things on, and you pay. Learn that script and you can handle a market stall in Provence, a bakery in Lyon, or a department store in Paris with confidence.

This lesson gives you the exact phrases you need, with simple pronunciation hints and real example sentences. Everything here is A1-friendly, so even if you are just starting out, you will finish with a set of lines you can actually say out loud today.

Start with "Bonjour": the golden rule of French shops

Before any shopping in French happens, there is one non-negotiable step: say bonjour. In France, walking into a shop without greeting the person behind the counter is considered genuinely rude, and it is the fastest way to get a cold reception. A warm bonjour signals respect and almost always earns you friendlier, more patient service.

If you want to solidify these openers and closers first, our guide on how to say hello and goodbye in French walks through the full range of greetings, from casual to formal.

Finding what you want

Once you have greeted the shopkeeper, you can browse or ask for help. The workhorse verb here is chercher (to look for) and the polite request je voudrais (I would like).

Notice that je voudrais is the conditional form of vouloir and sounds far softer than the blunt je veux ("I want"). It is the single most useful phrase for polite requests, so lean on it. For more on this kind of courtesy, see our lesson on please and thank you in French.

Asking "how much does it cost" in French

This is the heart of any shopping trip. There are three natural ways to ask about price, and the one you choose depends on how formal you want to sound.

The verb at the center of all this is coûter, "to cost." The Larousse dictionary defines it plainly as "valoir tel prix, nécessiter une certaine somme pour être acquis" — to be worth a certain price, to require a certain sum to be bought (Larousse: coûter). Once you recognize coûte in a question, you know the shopkeeper is talking about money.

The reply will usually be a number of euros — the prix (Larousse: prix) — which is exactly why numbers are the backbone of shopping in French. If prices like quarante-cinq euros (45 euros) still trip you up, spend ten minutes with our guide to French numbers 1 to 100 before your trip — it pays off at every till.

Trying on clothes and talking about size

Clothing shopping has its own small vocabulary. The most important trap to avoid: la taille is your clothing size, but la pointure is specifically your shoe size. Mixing them up is a classic beginner slip.

A quick note on sizes: France uses European sizing, so a US women's 8 is roughly a French 38, and shoe sizes run on the EU scale too. When in doubt, just say your number and let the vendeuse (saleswoman) or vendeur (salesman) guide you.

Paying at the register

You have chosen your items — now to the caisse (checkout). Card payment, including contactless (sans contact), is accepted almost everywhere in France, even for small amounts.

Watch out for la monnaie, which means "change" (the coins you get back), not "money" in general — that word is l'argent. It is another small false friend worth remembering at the register.

This is exactly what you'll practice out loud in Lesson A1-9: Shopping and Asking Prices inside Simply French, where the app listens to your pronunciation of combien ça coûte and scores it instantly, so the phrases feel automatic before you ever reach a real counter.

A sample shopping conversation

Here is how the whole script fits together in a small clothing shop:

Vous : Bonjour ! (Hello!)

Le vendeur : Bonjour, je peux vous aider ? (Hello, can I help you?)

Vous : Je cherche un pull. Vous l'avez en bleu ? (I'm looking for a sweater. Do you have it in blue?)

Le vendeur : Oui, bien sûr. Quelle est votre taille ? (Yes, of course. What's your size?)

Vous : Je fais du 40. Combien ça coûte ? (I'm a size 40. How much does it cost?)

Le vendeur : Ça coûte quarante-cinq euros. (It costs 45 euros.)

Vous : Parfait. Je peux payer par carte ? (Perfect. Can I pay by card?)

Le vendeur : Bien sûr. (Of course.)

Vous : Merci, au revoir ! (Thank you, goodbye!)

Read it aloud twice. The rhythm of greet, ask, price, pay is the same in almost every shop, so once this flows, you can adapt it to a market, a bookshop, or a pharmacie. That repeatable script is what makes shopping in French so approachable for beginners.

Cultural tips for shopping in France

A few habits will make you blend in. First, always greet and thank — bonjour on the way in, merci, au revoir on the way out, every single time. Second, French shops, especially small ones, may close for a long lunch, often between roughly 12:30 and 2:00 p.m., so plan around it. Third, les soldes (the official sales) happen twice a year in winter and summer and are regulated by the government; outside those windows, haggling in regular shops is not the norm, though at open-air markets a friendly "c'est votre meilleur prix ?" (is that your best price?) can occasionally work. Finally, keep your voice calm and polite — the reserved, courteous register goes a long way.

If you're building out your travel French more broadly, pair this with our guide on how to ask for directions in French so you can find the shop and buy from it.

Related lessons

• How to say hello and goodbye in French — master the bonjour that opens every shop.
• French numbers 1 to 100 — understand prices instantly.
• Please and thank you in French — the politeness that earns better service.
• How to ask for directions in French — get to the shop first.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say "how much does it cost" in French?

The most common phrase is Combien ça coûte ? (kom-BYAN sa KOOT). You can also say C'est combien ? for a quick, casual "how much is it?", or Ça fait combien ? to ask for the total at the register. All three are polite and widely used when shopping in French.

What is the difference between "taille" and "pointure"?

La taille is your general clothing size (shirts, dresses, trousers), while la pointure refers specifically to your shoe size. So a shopkeeper might ask "Quelle est votre taille ?" for a jacket but "Quelle est votre pointure ?" for shoes. Using the right one instantly makes you sound more natural.

Do I really have to say "bonjour" when I enter a shop?

Yes. In France, greeting the shopkeeper with bonjour is basic courtesy, not optional. Skipping it can come across as rude and often leads to chillier service. A simple bonjour when you walk in and merci, au revoir when you leave will always serve you well.

Can I pay by card everywhere in France?

Almost. Card payment, including contactless (sans contact), is accepted in the vast majority of shops, restaurants, and even market stalls, frequently with no minimum. That said, it is smart to carry a little cash (espèces) for tiny purchases, tips, or the occasional small vendor who prefers it.

What does "en solde" mean?

En solde means "on sale." Les soldes are France's official, government-regulated sale periods that happen twice a year, in winter and summer. Outside those dates you may still see "promotions" or "réductions" (discounts), but the big markdowns are reserved for the soldes.

How can I practice these shopping phrases before my trip?

The fastest way is to say them out loud until they feel automatic. Simply French is built exactly for this: you hear each phrase at native speed, repeat it, and get instant AI pronunciation scoring, so lines like combien ça coûte stop feeling like homework and start feeling like something you can say.

Ready to speak French in real shops, not just read about it? Practice shopping in French out loud with instant pronunciation feedback — start your free 7-day trial of Simply French and turn these phrases into confident, spoken habits in just 15 minutes a day.