Understanding the Shop Assistant
Suits you Madam! You've learnt how to ask questions about size, colours, paying etc. Now let's look at the sort of stuff which the shop assistant is going to say to us shoppers.
French speakers are big fans of protocol, and will normally greet you with:
- Bonjour - Good day!
- Bonsoir - Good afternoon / evening!
You'll get a welcome too, if you are lucky:
- Bienvenu(ue) , je peux vous aider?
Welcome. Can I help you?
Three simple questions
Here are three variations on a typical question which shop assistants need to ask:
- Quelle est votre taille ?
What is your size? - Quelle est votre pointure ?
What is your shoe size? - Quelle taille?
What is your size? (Generic, for clothes or shoes)
We have it in...
- Nous avons ce modèle en orange, fuchsia, marron, violet.
We have this model in orange, fuchsia, Brown and Lilac. - En 40, nous l'avons en bleu, mais pas en gris.
In size 40 we only have blue and not grey. - Nous avons celui-ci en noir ou celui-là en gris.
We have this one in black, and this other one in grey.
Talking about the material:
- C'est un mélange laine-coton. C'est très doux et chaud.
It's a mix of wool and cotton. It's soft and warm.
Trying things on
The changing rooms:
- Les cabines d'essayage sont là.
The changing rooms are here. - La cabine d´essayage est occupée. Veuillez patienter s'il vous plaît. El probador está ocupado.
The changing rooms are occupied. Please wait a moment.
- N'hésitez pas, je suis á votre disposition.
If you need help, please don't hesitate (to ask) - Si vous avez besoin de moi je suis ici
I'm here to help if you need me.
Does it fit?
- Ça va ? Il est assez long ?
Is that ok? Is it long enough? - Ça vous va ?
Is it Ok? - C'est bien votre taille ?
Is it your size ? - Vous avez besoin d'une autre taille
Do you need another size ? - Ça vous plaît ?
Do you like it? - Ça ne vous plaît pas ?
Don't you like it?
Some flattery...
- Ça vous va très bien
It suits you - Le queda muy bien
It suits you
Paying
- 100 euros, s'il vous plaît.
100 euros, please. - Vous désirez payer en espèces ou par carte de crédit ?
Would you like to pay in cash or by credit card? - Vous pouvez faire votre code, s'il vous plaît ?
Could you enter your code, please?
There are several ways of saying '"you're welcome" / "Don't mention it":
- Je vous en prie
- De rien
- Merci á vous
- C'est moi qui vous remercie.
Saying goodbye
- Merci et au revoir madame/monsieur !
Thank you and goodbye - Á demain
See you tomorrow - À bientôt
See you soon
And little bit of promotion never goes amiss:
- Vous pourrez découvrir notre nouvelle collection d'été dès la semaine prochaine.
You can discover our new summer collection from next week.
Thanks for visiting!
Some other stuff here
This Course
Travel French
All the French you'll need (well, nearly all) when you are travelling in a French-speaking region.
Other sections in this course
General Travel French
There's a little bit of everything in this section. We politely draw readers' attention to our fantastically comprehensive class on giving and asking directions in French. It's a real belter!
In the Hotel
Going to a French-speaking country on holiday or for business? Here's our language survival guide to hotels and other forms of accommodation.
Restaurants and Bars
Welcome to our section on French for restaurants and bars. In the classes on this course we'll cover all the French we need to successfully communicate with the waiter or barman. In passing, we'll also learn tonnes of French vocabulary related to food and cooking.
Transport
sec intro
Shopping
Who doesn't visit a shop when they are on holiday? Whether it's shopping for Cartier jewellery on a plush Paris boulevard or just buying your daily bread from the local baker, you'll need a minimum of French in order to get by.
Shopping
Other classes in this section:
Basic Phrases for Shops
In this third and final class on French for clothes shopping, we look at phrases which will help you get EXACTLY what you want, whether it's a different colour, a bigger size (no!, really??), or a different style altogether.
Understanding the Shop Assistant
Now that we've learnt some of the most useful questions to ask when we are out shopping in France, wouldn't it be great if we could understand the shop assistant's answers? Yes, it would!
Clothes and Accessories
Whether you're shopping for a fancy frock in Paris, or looking for a sexy bikini to wow the jet set on the Côte d'Azur, these French phrases should come in very handy.
French for Shopping 2
The second lesson in our series of classes on French for shopping.