| Front |
Department Store
Listen
to the Entire Lesson
I will have more coverage of these topics in the
regular English Lesson section, but I want to provide some general things
specifically for travelers. In this lesson, we will cover shopping, bank, and
post office terminologies and sentences for travelers.
Department Store
There are only a few things that you need to know how to say. Here is a small
list.
Finding something
"Do
you have different sizes for this shirt?"
"Where
are your blue jeans?"
"Do
you have regular T-Shirts here?"
"Where
is the dressing room?"
"Do
you have a dressing room?"
Shoes
When you see a shoe that you like, you have to find a worker and have them
bring your size out to you. Here are some ways to say what you want.
"Can
I try this shoe on in a seven?"
"Can
I get this in nine and a half?"
"Can
I get this in a size six?"
If you don't know what your size is, they will take your measurement.
"I
don't know what my size is?"
"I
don't know what size I am."
"Can
you take my measurement?"
When you go to the register, you don't need to say anything. However, they
might ask you a bunch of questions.
"Did
you find everything you needed today?"
"Was
anyone helping you with this?"
"Would
you like to open a credit card? You can get 10 percent off of everything for
today."
These are all yes and no questions so answer appropriately.
Grocery Store
In the grocery store, you don't have to say anything
except when you need to find something. Here are some sentences to find general
items.
"Where
is the fruit section?"
"Do
you sell ice cream here?"
"Where
can I find batteries?"
"Where
is the toothpaste?"
"Can
you point me to the medicine area?"
"Where
is the bakery section?"
"Do
you sell fresh seafood?"
"Do
you sell postcards?"
"Where
can I find film?"
Be careful when you say film. They will not understand you if you say it
improperly. If you have difficulty pronouncing film, you should say, "Where
can I find camera film?"
"Where
are the shopping carts?"
"Where
can I find a shopping basket?"
Bank - Currency Exchange
If you are a traveler, then you don't need to open a
bank account. For more banking specifics, feel free to ask us.
"Do
you exchange foreign currency?"
"What
is your exchange rate for the Korean Won?"
"Can
I cash my traveler's checks here?"
"The
exchange rate is .0009 cents for one won."
"I
would like to exchange 500,000 won please."
"500,000
won at the current exchange rate is $450. Here you go."
Post Office
If you buy too many things and you have to send it
through the mail, you can go to the post office. If you don't have a box, most
post offices sell boxes of all sizes.
"Do
you sell boxes here?"
"Can
I buy one of those large boxes?"
"What
is the largest box you sell?"
"How
much is the box?"
If you are sending it to a different country, you have to fill out a form. You
can either wait until you are ready to send it, or you can fill out the form
before going to the counter. They will have blank forms available next to the
counter for anyone to take. On the form, you have to specify what you are
sending, how much it costs, and the address of where you are sending it to.
After filling out the form and packing your box, you are ready to go back to
the post office to send it.
Because the box should already have the address, they will not ask you where
you are sending it. The first question they usually ask is how you want to send
it. You can send it by boat, and a variety of air mail.
"How
would you like to send it?"
"How
much is it for air mail?"
If that is too expensive, you can ask if there is anything cheaper.
"What
is the cheapest way to send it?"
Because you are sending a box, they have standard questions they ask everyone.
"Are
there any perishable food items in the package?"
"Are
there any fragile items?"
They also ask if you want insurance on the package. It's not that expensive so
you can ask how much it is.
"Would
you like to insure your package?"
"Would
you like insurance?"
"How
much is it?"
"It's
$7.16."
After everything is determined, they always ask one more question.
"Do
you need any stamps today?"
That is basically it. Let's cover some general sentences you might need to know
in the post office.
"How
much does it cost to send a regular letter to Korea?"
"What
is the fastest way to send this mail?"
"What
time do you open in the morning?"
"What
time do you close?"
|
Store and More - Interactive Practice
Click on
Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire
conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will
hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to
repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the
conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each
sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be
able to speak as fast as a native.
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1
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Listen All |
Person A |
Person B
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A: "Do
you need help finding anything?"
B: "I'm looking for this shirt in a small."
A: "Let me see if we have any in the back."
B: "Thank you."
A: "I found a couple. Here you go."
B: "Thank you. Do you sell belts here?"
A: "Yes. They are on the other side of the counter there."
B: "Thank you."
A: "You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything else."
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2
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Listen All |
Person A |
Person B
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A: "Do
you have disposable cameras?"
B: "Yes. They are next to the film on aisle 6A."
A: "Which way is 6A?"
B: "Two rows that way."
A: "Great. Thank you."
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3
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Listen All |
Person A |
Person B
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A:
"Hi. I would like to send this to Korea."
B: "How would you like to send it?"
A: "What is the price difference?"
B: "You can send it priority airmail for $17.68 or regular airmail for
$13.95."
A: "I'll send it through regular airmail."
B: "Is there any food items in here?"
A: "No."
B: "Is there any firearms or explosives?"
A: "No."
B: "Is there anything fragile?"
A: "No."
B: "Would you like to insure the contents?"
A: "How much is insurance?"
B: "For $200, it comes to $3.76."
A: "Yes please."
B: "Do you need any stamps today?"
A: "No thank you."
B: "Ok. Your total is $18.63." | | |