Shopping: the supermarket, prices and the Pfand
Find what you need in a supermarket, ask what things cost, handle the checkout (card or cash, points, bag, receipt) and understand the German bottle deposit, the Pfand.
Out and about · Start from zero · 20 min · 20 exercises · Start from zero, Living in Germany
Shopping for food is a daily routine, and the German version has its own rules: shops closed on Sunday, a deposit on bottles, a cashier who asks whether you collect points, and a line that moves fast. This lesson gives you the names of the shops, the questions Wo finde ich ...?, Haben Sie ...? and Was kostet ...?, and the whole conversation at the Kasse (checkout). Your numbers and prices from the earlier lessons come back here.
Shops and things in the shop
- der Supermarktdie Supermärktesupermarket
- die Bäckereidie Bäckereienbakery
- die Metzgereidie Metzgereienbutcher shopalso Fleischerei in the north and east
- der Marktdie Märktemarketthe weekly outdoor market is der Wochenmarkt
- das Fleischmeat
- die Kassedie Kassencheckout, cash register
- der Kassenbondie Kassenbonsreceiptoften just der Bon
- die Taschedie Taschenbagbring your own; bags cost money
- der Einkaufswagenshopping cartneeds a one-euro coin or a chip
- der Korbdie Körbebasket
- das Pfanddeposit on bottles and cans
- der Pfandautomatdie Pfandautomatenbottle return machine
- die Flaschedie Flaschenbottle
- die Dosedie Dosencan
Inside the platform every word is read aloud by a German voice.
Phrases for shopping
- Wo finde ich ...?Where do I find ...?
- Haben Sie ...?Do you have ...?
- Was kostet das?How much is that?for one thing
- Was kosten die Äpfel?How much are the apples?kosten for several things
- Das ist alles.That is all.
- Sammeln Sie Punkte?Do you collect points?the cashier asks about a loyalty card
- Mit Karte oder bar?Card or cash?
- barin cash
- mit Karteby card
- geöffnetopenon signs also offen
- geschlossenclosed
- billigcheap
- teuerexpensive
- die Öffnungszeitenopening hoursalways plural
Inside the platform every word is read aloud by a German voice.
At the checkout
Omar pays for his groceries at a supermarket in Dresden.
Three questions for any shop
To find something, ask Wo finde ich + the thing with its article: Wo finde ich die Milch? To check whether they sell it, ask Haben Sie + the thing: Haben Sie Brezeln? To ask the price, use Was kostet for one thing (Was kostet das Brot?) and Was kosten for several (Was kosten die Äpfel?), because kosten follows a plural noun exactly like English cost instead of costs. Close with Das ist alles, danke.
Reading the price tag
| On the tag | You say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0,99 € | neunundneunzig Cent | 99 cents |
| 2,50 € | zwei Euro fünfzig | two euros fifty |
| 12,30 € | zwölf Euro dreißig | twelve euros thirty |
| 1,99 € / kg | ein Euro neunundneunzig pro Kilo | 1.99 per kilogram |
| + 0,25 € Pfand | plus fünfundzwanzig Cent Pfand | plus a 25 cent deposit, returned when you bring the bottle back |
| Angebot | Angebot | special offer, a lower price this week |
In the supermarket
- Entschuldigung, wo finde ich die Eier?Excuse me, where do I find the eggs?
- Haben Sie Brezeln?Do you have pretzels?
- Was kosten die Äpfel?How much are the apples?
- Ein Kilo kostet zwei Euro neunundneunzig.One kilo costs two euros ninety-nine.
- Das ist alles, danke.That is all, thank you.
- Der Supermarkt ist von sieben bis zweiundzwanzig Uhr geöffnet.The supermarket is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.von ... bis from the lesson on the time
The Pfand
Most drink containers in Germany carry a deposit, the Pfand, which is added at the checkout and paid back when you return the empty container. Single-use plastic bottles and cans (Einweg) carry 0,25 €; reusable glass bottles (Mehrweg) carry 0,08 € and reusable plastic bottles 0,15 €. You feed the empties into the Pfandautomat at the supermarket entrance, press the green button, get a Pfandbon and hand it to the cashier, who takes the amount off your bill. Never throw a Pfand bottle away: that is money.
Sunday, bags and the Bon
Almost every shop in Germany is closed on Sunday (sonntags geschlossen); bakeries open for a few hours in the morning, and shops in big train stations and gas stations stay open. On weekdays supermarkets usually close at 20:00 or 22:00, so check the Öffnungszeiten on the door. Bring your own Tasche: thin plastic bags are banned, and the paper or cloth ones at the Kasse cost money. Since 2020 shops must offer you a Kassenbon; you may say Nein, danke. Pack fast: the cashier is quick.
You need a one-euro coin (or a 50 cent or two-euro coin) to unlock an Einkaufswagen; you get it back when you return the cart. Many Germans carry a plastic Einkaufswagenchip on their key ring instead. And answer Sammeln Sie Punkte? with a simple Nein, danke unless you have a Payback or DeutschlandCard card.
Prices are written with a comma and read with the word Euro in the middle: 2,50 € is zwei Euro fünfzig, never zwei Punkt fünfzig. Watch the verb too: Was kostet das Brot? for one thing, Was kosten die Äpfel? for several. And bar means in cash, so Bar, bitte at the checkout means you will pay with coins and bills.
The exercises of this lesson
20 corrected exercises in two sessions (discovery, practice), including listening items read aloud by a German voice: multiple choice (4), fill in the gap (5), matching (3), sorting (2), word order (1), translation (3), find the mistake (1), gap text (1). Every answer is corrected immediately, with the rule that applies.