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💗 🌟 购物 (gòu wù) - Shopping

Learn essential vocabulary for shopping and making purchases. Practice asking prices, expressing preferences, and interacting with shopkeepers using HSK1-HSK2 level vocabulary.

Chinese lesson from Tuesday, July 1, 2025

🛍️ Shopping Basics

Learn fundamental shopping phrases including expressing wants, asking prices, and basic interactions with sellers.

Perfect for beginners and essential concepts

📚 Key Phrase: 我想买 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi)

📖

Grammar Focus

💗 Shopping Essentials

Today we learn essential phrases for shopping experiences using characters you already know. These expressions help you navigate stores, ask about prices, and interact with shopkeepers confidently.
🛒 Want and Intention Pattern:
我想/我要 + Verb + Object

Different levels of wanting:
• 我想买 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi) - I want to buy (softer wish)
• 我要这个 (wǒ yào zhè ge) - I want this one (stronger intention)
• 买东西 (mǎi dōng xi) - buy things (general shopping)
💰 Price Question Pattern:
多少钱？(duō shǎo qián?)
• 多少 (duō shǎo) - how much/how many
• 钱 (qián) - money

This is THE essential shopping question you'll use constantly!
太贵了
tài guì le
Too expensive
📈 Price Reactions:
太贵了 expresses strong reaction to high prices:
• 太 (tài) - too (excessive)
• 贵 (guì) - expensive
• 了 (le) - change of state/emphasis

Perfect for expressing price shock!
🎯 Negotiation Pattern:
• Problem: 太贵了 (tài guì le) - too expensive
• Request: 便宜一点 (pián yi yī diǎn) - a little cheaper
• Decision: 我要这个 (wǒ yào zhè ge) - I want this one

一点 makes requests more polite and gentle.
🙏 Polite Shopping:
谢谢老板 is the respectful way to thank shopkeepers:
• 谢谢 (xiè xie) - thank you
• 老板 (lǎo bǎn) - boss/owner

Shows respect and good manners in Chinese shopping culture.
我想买
wǒ xiǎng mǎi
I want to buy
Quiero comprar

词汇 Vocabulary Practice

Practice writing the phrases from today's Chinese lesson!

我想买
wǒ xiǎng mǎi
English:
I want to buy
Español:
Quiero comprar
多少钱？
duō shǎo qián?
English:
How much money?
Español:
¿Cuánto dinero?
太贵了
tài guì le
English:
Too expensive
Español:
Demasiado caro
便宜一点
pián yi yī diǎn
English:
A little cheaper
Español:
Un poco más barato
我要这个
wǒ yào zhè ge
English:
I want this one
Español:
Quiero este
谢谢老板
xiè xie lǎo bǎn
English:
Thank you boss/shopkeeper
Español:
Gracias jefe/vendedor
去商店
qù shāng diàn
English:
Go to the store
Español:
Ir a la tienda
买东西
mǎi dōng xi
English:
Buy things
Español:
Comprar cosas

文化 Cultural Insights

🏪 Traditional Markets vs Modern Stores

In China, traditional markets often allow for friendly price negotiations using 便宜一点 (a little cheaper), while modern shopping malls have fixed prices. 谢谢老板 (thank you boss) is commonly used in both settings to show respect.

💱 Mobile Payment Culture

When asking 多少钱？(how much money?), many Chinese shoppers use mobile payments like WeChat Pay or Alipay instead of cash. The shopping experience is highly digital and convenient.

🛍️ Shopping Social Etiquette

Saying 我想买 (I want to buy) shows serious interest, while 买东西 (buy things) is more general. Shopkeepers appreciate when customers are direct about their intentions and polite with 谢谢老板.

💰 Price Negotiations

Master expressions for discussing prices, expressing opinions about cost, and polite interactions in shopping scenarios.

For students ready to dive deeper

📖 Reading Practice

📖 购物日 - Shopping Day

Jīn tiān xiǎo Míng qù shāng diàn mǎi dōng xi.
今天小明去商店买东西。
Tā kàn dào yí jiàn hěn hǎo kàn de yī fu.
他看到一件很好看的衣服。
Xiǎo Míng wèn: "Zhè jiàn yī fu duō shǎo qián?"
小明问："这件衣服多少钱？"
Lǎo bǎn shuō: "Yì bǎi kuài qián."
老板说："一百块钱。"
Xiǎo Míng jué de tài guì le, tā shuō: "Pián yi yī diǎn ba!"
小明觉得太贵了，他说："便宜一点吧！"
Lǎo bǎn xiào le xiào: "Hǎo ba, bā shí kuài."
老板笑了笑："好吧，八十块。"
Xiǎo Míng gāo xìng de shuō: "Hǎo! Wǒ yào zhè ge!"
小明高兴地说："好！我要这个！"
Mǎi wán yī fu, xiǎo Míng shuō: "Xiè xie lǎo bǎn!"
买完衣服，小明说："谢谢老板！"

📝 Vocabulary from this reading:

衣服
yī fu
clothes
一百
yì bǎi
one hundred
块钱
kuài qián
yuan (money unit)
觉得
jué de
feel/think
八十
bā shí
eighty
买完
mǎi wán
finish buying

作业 Homework & Practice

💗 Shopping Practice

📝 Writing Practice:
1. Write 5 sentences using shopping vocabulary: 我想买 + [item]
2. Create price conversations: A: 多少钱？ B: X块钱 A: 太贵了...
3. Practice polite shopping: 便宜一点, 谢谢老板, 我要这个

🗣️ Speaking Practice:
4. Practice shopping dialogues with different items and prices
5. Learn to express price reactions: 太贵了, 便宜, 好价格
6. Practice thank you expressions: 谢谢老板, 谢谢你

🎯 Real Life Application:
7. Visit a Chinese store or market and use these phrases
8. Practice online shopping vocabulary in Chinese
9. Learn 3 more shopping words: 试试, 付钱, 找钱

💡 Bonus Challenge:
Create a complete shopping scenario from entering store to leaving

🌟 Cultural Reflection:
Think about: How does shopping culture differ between your country and China? When is it appropriate to negotiate prices?

Practice Checklist:

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