🎯 Learning Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to ask how much something costs, talk about sizes and colours, buy food or clothes in a shop or market, and use polite shopping phrases in Italian — all with confidence!
📚 Where We Are in the Series
Welcome back! Here’s a quick reminder of the ground we’ve covered so far. Each lesson builds on the last, so don’t worry if you need to revisit an earlier lesson.
Lesson 1 — Greetings & Introductions
Saying hello and goodbye, introducing yourself, and asking someone’s name.
Lesson 2 — Numbers & Colours
Counting, describing objects by colour, and talking about basic quantities.
Lesson 3 — Food & Restaurant Ordering
Reading a menu, ordering food and drinks, and asking for the bill.
Lesson 4 — Days, Months & Telling the Time
Days of the week, months, telling the time, making plans, and booking tables.
Lesson 5 — Shopping, Prices & the Market ← You are here
Asking prices, talking about sizes and colours, paying, and shopping at a market or shop.
📖 Vocabulary: Shops, Things & Money
In Italy you might shop in un negozio (a shop), un supermercato (a supermarket), or un mercato (an open-air market). Prices are in euro.
🏪 I Negozi — Shops
- il negozio — the shop
- il mercato — the market
- il supermercato — the supermarket
- la farmacia — the pharmacy
- il panificio — the bakery
- il fruttivendolo — the greengrocer
- il banco — the stall / counter
- la cassa — the till / checkout
🛍️ Le Cose da Comprare — Things to Buy
- la maglietta — T-shirt
- la camicia — shirt
- il vestito — dress
- la giacca — jacket
- le scarpe — shoes
- i pantaloni — trousers
- la taglia — size
- il colore — colour
- il pane — bread
- la frutta — fruit
- le verdure — vegetables
- il formaggio — cheese
- un chilo — a kilo
- un etto — 100 grams
- il prezzo — the price
- gli sconti — discounts / sales
💡 Quick note: Clothing sizes in Italy often use numbers: taglia 40, 42, 44…
You can also say:
- una taglia più grande — one size bigger
- una taglia più piccola — one size smaller
Colours from Lesson 2 work here too:
rosso, blu, nero, bianco, verde, giallo
💶 How to Ask and Say Prices
- Quanto costa? — How much does it cost? (singular)
- Quanto costano? — How much do they cost? (plural)
- Costa dieci euro. — It costs ten euros.
- Costano quindici euro. — They cost fifteen euros.
- È troppo caro / cara. — It’s too expensive. (masculine/feminine)
- È in sconto. — It’s on sale.
- Posso pagare con carta? — Can I pay by card?
- In contanti. — In cash.
Useful Number Phrases for Prices
- cinque euro — €5
- sette euro e cinquanta — €7.50
- dodici euro e novanta — €12.90
- un chilo di mele — a kilo of apples
- due etti di prosciutto — 200 g of ham
- mezzo chilo — half a kilo
💡 Market tip: In Italy, you often buy food by weight. Un etto means 100 grams and is very common when buying cheese, ham, olives and other foods.
⭐ Top tip: Quanto viene? is a very natural, everyday way to ask “How much does that come to?” at the till.
🛒 Useful Shopping Phrases
Sto solo guardando.
I’m just looking.
Grazie, sto solo guardando.
Thank you, I’m just looking.
Cerco…
I’m looking for…
Cerco una maglietta nera.
I’m looking for a black T-shirt.
Avete…?
Do you have…?
Avete questa camicia in blu?
Do you have this shirt in blue?
Posso provarlo / provarla?
Can I try it on?
Posso provarla, per favore?
Can I try it on, please?
Dov’è il camerino?
Where is the fitting room?
Mi sta bene.
It fits me / It looks good on me.
Questa taglia mi sta bene.
This size fits me well.
Mi sta stretto / Mi sta stretta.
It’s tight on me.
Mi sta largo / Mi sta larga.
It’s loose on me.
Lo / La prendo.
I’ll take it.
La prendo, grazie.
I’ll take it, thank you.
Ne vorrei un chilo.
I’d like a kilo of it.
Ne vorrei un chilo di pomodori.
I’d like a kilo of tomatoes.
Qualcos’altro?
Anything else?
No, grazie. Basta così.
No, thank you. That’s all.
Lo scontrino, per favore.
The receipt, please.
Posso avere lo scontrino?
Can I have the receipt?
🎭 Dialogue: At the Market and in a Clothes Shop
Read these two short conversations aloud. Pay attention to the prices, colours, quantities and sizes.
🍅 Al mercato — At the Market
Anna: Buongiorno! Quanto costano i pomodori?
Good morning! How much are the tomatoes?
Venditore: Tre euro al chilo.
Three euros a kilo.
Anna: Perfetto. Ne vorrei un chilo, per favore. E le mele?
Perfect. I’d like a kilo, please. And the apples?
Venditore: Due euro e cinquanta al chilo. Sono dolcissime oggi!
Two euros fifty a kilo. They’re very sweet today!
Anna: Allora mezzo chilo di mele, grazie. Quanto viene?
Then half a kilo of apples, thank you. How much does that come to?
Venditore: Quattro euro e venticinque. Carta o contanti?
Four euros twenty-five. Card or cash?
Anna: In contanti. Ecco cinque euro.
In cash. Here’s five euros.
Venditore: Ecco il resto. Grazie e buona giornata!
Here’s your change. Thank you and have a nice day!
👕 In un negozio di vestiti — In a Clothes Shop
Marco: Buonasera. Cerco una camicia blu, taglia media.
Good evening. I’m looking for a blue shirt, medium size.
Commessa: Certo. Questa è blu. Vuole provarla?
Of course. This one is blue. Would you like to try it on?
Marco: Sì, grazie. Dov’è il camerino?
Yes, thank you. Where is the fitting room?
Dopo un minuto…
Marco: Mi sta un po’ stretta. Avete una taglia più grande?
It’s a bit tight. Do you have a bigger size?
Commessa: Sì, ecco la taglia L. Costa ventinove euro. È in sconto.
Yes, here’s size L. It costs twenty-nine euros. It’s on sale.
Marco: Perfetta, mi sta bene. La prendo. Posso pagare con carta?
Perfect, it fits me. I’ll take it. Can I pay by card?
Commessa: Certo. Lo scontrino è nella busta. Grazie!
Of course. The receipt is in the bag. Thank you!
✅ Comprehension Exercise
Read the dialogues above, then answer these questions in English.
- How much are the tomatoes per kilo?
- How much does Anna pay in total at the market?
- Why doesn’t the first shirt work for Marco?
- How much is the shirt Marco buys, and how does he pay?
✏️ Practice Task
Now it’s your turn! Use what you’ve learned today to complete the following tasks. Work through them at your own pace — there’s no rush.
1. Ask the Price
Ask the price of three things you can see around you. Say Quanto costa…? or Quanto costano…? aloud.
2. Make a Shopping List
Write a mini shopping list in Italian with at least five items. Include food and/or clothes. Add a colour or quantity where you can.
3. Say Some Prices
Say three prices in Italian.
For example:
- €4
- €8.50
- €19.90
4. Create a Market Conversation
Write a short exchange at a market stall. Include:
- Quanto costa?
- a quantity such as un chilo, due etti, or mezzo chilo
- how you will pay
5. ⭐ Bonus Challenge
Describe one item of clothing you are wearing.
For example:
La mia maglietta nera mi sta bene.
My black T-shirt fits me well.
💡 Everyday Italian tip: Next time you go shopping, silently name the things you see and guess their prices in Italian before you look at the actual price.
In bocca al lupo!
Good luck!
🎉 Well Done!
You’ve completed Lesson 5: Shopping, Prices & the Market!
You can now ask about prices, talk about colours and sizes, buy food at a market, shop for clothes, and use useful phrases when paying.
In Lesson 6, we’ll go out into the city. You’ll learn how to ask for and give simple directions, talk about places such as la stazione, la piazza, il museo, and find your way around in Italian.
Keep practising — and see you in Lesson 6!
👁️ Show Answers
1. How much are the tomatoes per kilo?
The tomatoes cost three euros a kilo — tre euro al chilo.
2. How much does Anna pay in total at the market?
Anna pays four euros twenty-five — quattro euro e venticinque.
3. Why doesn’t the first shirt work for Marco?
The first shirt is a bit tight — mi sta un po’ stretta.
4. How much is the shirt Marco buys, and how does he pay?
The shirt costs twenty-nine euros — ventinove euro — and he pays by card — con carta.
