Shopping (erostera)

This lesson teaches the phrases that are repeated over and over again in a shop. With four or five formulas, you can handle almost any situation.

The Turn-Taking Ritual

In small shops, people take turns. The basic formula upon entering is:

• Azkena, mesedez? — Who’s last, please?

When it’s your turn, they’ll say:

• Zer nahi duzu? — What do you want?
• Esan! — Tell me!

Asking for What You Want

Three common ways, from more colloquial to more polite:

Basque	English	Tone
Eman kilo bat sagar, mesedez.	Give me a kilo of apples, please.	direct, neutral
Jarriko al didazu kilo bat sagar?	Can you give me a kilo of apples?	polite (future tense + politeness)
Hartuko dut kilo bat sagar.	I’ll take a kilo of apples.	confirming a choice

-Ko / -go is the future tense marker: jarri → jarriko, hartu → hartuko. It’s very commonly used to soften requests.

The Shopkeeper’s Questions

• Nolakoa nahi duzu? — What kind do you want? (what quality / type)
• Zenbat nahi duzu? — How much do you want?
• Besterik? / Besterik nahi duzu? — Anything else?
• Pentsatu duzu? — Have you decided?

And to finish:

• Ez, besterik ez. Eskerrik asko. — No, nothing else. Thank you very much.

Finalizing the Purchase

• Zenbat da dena? — How much is it all together?
• Tori! — Here you go! (when handing over money)
• Eskerrik asko! Agur! — Thank you! Goodbye!
• Zuri! Agur! — You’re welcome! Goodbye! (the shopkeeper’s reply)

Cultural note: Tori is a short word that’s used a lot when passing something from hand to hand: money, a bag, a key. It’s very useful to learn it early on.