Shopping in Russian
Four phrases run every shop in Russia. Add the clothes vocabulary and the accusative you just learned, and a fitting room becomes a language classroom.
Do You Have…?
The having pattern, pointed at the shopkeeper:
У вас есть хлеб?
Do you have bread?
Note: Literally 'by you is there bread?' — the same у + есть you use for yourself.
Show Me, Please
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Покажите, пожалуйста… | Please show me… |
| Можно посмотреть? | May I have a look? |
| Какой это размер? | What size is this? |
| Есть другой цвет? | Is there another colour? |
The Wardrobe
| Russian | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| одежда | clothes | f |
| рубашка | shirt | f |
| платье | dress | n |
| куртка | jacket | f |
| обувь | footwear | f (soft sign) |
| размер | size | m |
Accusative in the wild: Я хочу куртку — feminine -а does its -у swap even in a shop.
Try and Take
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| Можно померить? | May I try it on? |
| Это мой размер! | It's my size! |
| Хорошо, я возьму. | Alright, I'll take it. |
| Я подумаю. | I'll think about it. (the polite escape) |
Здравствуйте! Покажите, пожалуйста, эту куртку.
Hello! Please show me that jacket.
Пожалуйста. Какой у вас размер?
Here you are. What's your size?
Не знаю… Можно померить?
I don't know… May I try it on?
Конечно!
Of course!
Отлично. Я возьму!
Great. I'll take it!
Common Mistakes
- «Ты» with shop staff. Always вы: У вас есть…, Покажите…
- Platье as feminine. It ends in -е — neuter: моё платье, красивое платье.
- Forgetting the accusative. Я хочу куртка → куртку. The shop is your practice ground.
What You Can Do Now
You can walk into any shop, ask for what you need, try it on, and buy it — or escape politely with Я подумаю. The market and the mall now both speak your language.