français · A2 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Shopping and money
Ask about price, size, payment, and what happens after the sale.
Understand the choice
A useful shopping exchange moves from finding an item to checking its price, size, and payment options. Learn the phrases around each noun: demander le prix, essayer une taille, payer par carte, and rendre la monnaie.
Core rule: Use coûter to state a price, payer par or en for a payment method, and être en solde for an item on sale.
Notice it in context
La veste coûte quarante euros, mais elle est en solde.
The jacket costs forty euros, but it is on sale.
Coûte agrees with singular veste; elle refers back to the jacket and en solde is a fixed sales phrase.
Je peux payer par carte ?
Can I pay by card?
Par carte names the payment method in a neutral question.
Je cherche quelque chose de moins cher.
I am looking for something less expensive.
De appears before an adjective after indefinite quelque chose.
What to remember
- Bon marché is invariable: une veste bon marché, des chaussures bon marché.
- Les soldes is usually plural for the official sales period; un article en solde is one discounted item.
Common trap: Do not translate “cheap” with bas automatically. Un prix bas is a low price; an inexpensive product is bon marché or pas cher.