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Thematic Collection

Grocery Shopping in English: Supermarket Words and Phrases

Grocery shopping is one of the first real-life English situations you will encounter. Finding the right aisle, asking about products, understanding prices and discounts all require specific vocabulary.

Word list to learn

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supermarket
/ˈsuːpəmɑːkɪt/
grocery store
/ˈɡrəʊsəri stɔː/
aisle
/aɪl/
shelf
/ʃelf/
trolley
/ˈtrɒli/
cart
/kɑːt/
basket
/ˈbɑːskɪt/
checkout
/ˈtʃekaʊt/
self-checkout
/self ˈtʃekaʊt/
queue
/kjuː/
line
/laɪn/
shopping list
/ˈʃɒpɪŋ lɪst/
receipt
/rɪˈsiːt/
price tag
/praɪs tæɡ/
offer
/ˈɒfə/
discount
/ˈdɪskaʊnt/
on sale
/ɒn seɪl/
buy one get one free
/baɪ wʌn ɡet wʌn friː/
loyalty card
/ˈlɔɪəlti kɑːd/
expiry date
/ɪkˈspaɪəri deɪt/
use by
/juːz baɪ/
best before
/best bɪˈfɔː/
organic
/ɔːˈɡænɪk/
fresh
/freʃ/
frozen
/ˈfrəʊzən/
tinned
/tɪnd/
canned
/kænd/
tin
/tɪn/
can
/kæn/
jar
/dʒɑː/
bottle
/ˈbɒtəl/
packet
/ˈpækɪt/
bag
/bæɡ/
reusable bag
/riːˈjuːzəbəl bæɡ/
dairy
/ˈdeəri/
produce
/ˈprɒdjuːs/
bakery
/ˈbeɪkəri/
deli
/ˈdeli/
household goods
/ˈhaʊshəʊld ɡʊdz/
browse
/braʊz/
weigh
/weɪ/
scan
/skæn/
pay by card
/peɪ baɪ kɑːd/
contactless
/ˈkɒntæktləs/
budget
/ˈbʌdʒɪt/
brand
/brænd/
own brand
/əʊn brænd/
out of stock
/aʊt əv stɒk/
in stock
/ɪn stɒk/
refund
/ˈriːfʌnd/
exchange
/ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/
customer service
/ˈkʌstəmə ˈsɜːvɪs/
opening hours
/ˈəʊpənɪŋ ˈaʊəz/

Useful phrases

Click the icon to hear the pronunciation

Excuse me, where can I find the bread?
Is this on offer this week?
Could I get a bag, please? I forgot mine.
Do you have this in a smaller size?
Is this item out of stock?
I would like to return this — it was past its expiry date.
Do you have a loyalty card with us?
I will pay by contactless.
Do you need help packing?
Could you check the price on this? I think it has been scanned incorrectly.
I try to shop once a week and plan my meals in advance.
Always check the use-by date before you put it in your trolley.
The self-checkout machines are quicker when you only have a few items.
I always buy the own-brand version — it is just as good and much cheaper.

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At the supermarket

Click the speaker icon to hear the full dialogue

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Customer
Excuse me, could you help me? I am looking for coconut milk but I cannot find it anywhere.
Staff
Of course! It is in aisle seven with the international foods. Are you looking for the tinned version or the carton?
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Customer
The tinned version, please. Also, do you have any offers on olive oil at the moment?
Staff
Yes — there is a buy-one-get-one-free deal on the Italian extra virgin olive oil this week. It is in aisle four.
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Customer
That is great, thank you. One more thing — I saw online that you sell a specific brand of almond flour, but I cannot see it on the shelf.
Staff
Let me check the system. I am afraid that particular product is currently out of stock. We are expecting a delivery on Thursday.
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Customer
Never mind, I will check back later. Thank you for your help.
Cashier
Did you find everything you were looking for today?
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Customer
Almost everything, yes. One item was out of stock. Do you have a loyalty card for me to scan?
Cashier
Yes, just tap it on the reader before I start scanning. Would you like a bag?
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Customer
No thank you, I brought my own reusable bag. Can I pay by contactless?
Cashier
Absolutely. Your total comes to twenty-three pounds forty-two. Just tap your card on the reader when you are ready.
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Common mistakes

Avoid these common mistakes

Wrong I need to make shopping / I want to go to make shopping.
Correct I need to do the shopping. / I am going shopping. / I need to go to the supermarket.

Shopping is done with 'do' or 'go', never 'make'. 'Do the shopping' emphasises it as a task (similar to 'do the laundry'). 'Go shopping' emphasises the activity. Both are correct. 'Make shopping' is a direct translation error from Russian (делать покупки), German (Einkäufe machen), and French (faire les courses — though French 'faire' maps better to 'do').

Wrong There is a big queue / line in front of the cashier.
Correct There is a long queue at the checkout. (British) / There is a long line at the checkout. (American)

A queue/line is described as 'long' or 'short', not 'big' or 'small'. The place is 'at the checkout', not 'in front of the cashier'. Note the British/American split: British English uses 'queue' exclusively; American English uses 'line'. In casual British speech you can also 'stand in a queue', 'join the queue', or 'queue up'.

Wrong The product is expired.
Correct The product is past its expiry date. / The product has expired.

In English 'expired' can be used as an adjective ('an expired coupon', 'an expired passport') but for food it sounds clinical. Native speakers say 'past its expiry date' (British) or 'past its expiration date' (American), or simply 'it has gone off' (British informal, meaning it has spoiled). Note: 'use-by date' and 'best-before date' are different — 'use by' is a safety deadline, 'best before' is a quality guideline (the food may still be safe after).

Wrong I bought tins of pasta and some glass of jam.
Correct I bought tins of tomatoes and some jars of jam.

Containers have specific vocabulary: tin / can = metal container (tins of tomatoes, tins of beans); jar = glass container (jar of jam, jar of peanut butter); bottle = glass or plastic with a narrow neck (bottle of water, bottle of ketchup); packet = flexible packaging (packet of crisps, packet of pasta); carton = cardboard box (carton of milk, carton of juice). 'A glass of' describes a serving, not a container.

Wrong Can I pay with card?
Correct Can I pay by card?

The standard preposition for payment methods is 'by': 'pay by card', 'pay by cash', 'pay by bank transfer', 'pay by contactless'. 'Pay with cash' is also acceptable in informal speech, but 'pay with card' sounds unnatural to native speakers — the idiomatic form is always 'by card'. Compare: 'pay in cash' is also correct (but 'pay in card' is not).

About This List

Grocery Shopping in English: A Complete Reference

'Do the shopping' or 'go shopping'?

Never translate 'make shopping' — it is a clear error. The correct forms are do the shopping (buy the household groceries), go shopping (head out to shop) or simply go to the supermarket. For the place, British English prefers supermarket and the small corner shop, while American English uses grocery store. Your written list is a shopping list.

Trolley and queue: British vs American English

There are two classic differences here. The wheeled basket is a trolley in British English and a (shopping) cart in American English. The line of waiting people is a queue in the UK (to queue up) and a line in the US (to wait in line). You pay at the checkout (served by a cashier); many shops now have a self-checkout and accept contactless payment.

Date labels: use by vs best before

Packaging distinguishes two kinds of date. Use by is a safety date for perishable food (meat, fish, milk) — do not eat it afterwards. Best before is a quality date: the food is still safe but may lose flavour or texture (biscuits, cereals). The general term is expiry date (UK) / expiration date (US). Note the grammar: food has expired or is past its expiry date, not 'is expired'.

Containers: tin, can, jar, bottle, packet

Containers are fixed to particular products. A tin (UK) / can (US) holds tinned food (a tin of tomatoes). A jar is a glass container with a lid (a jar of jam). A bottle holds liquids (a bottle of milk). A packet / bag holds dry goods (a packet of crisps, a bag of flour). You cannot say 'a glass of jam' — jam comes in a jar.

Offers, stock and service

Useful shop vocabulary: on sale / on offer (reduced price), discount, buy one get one free (BOGOF), and loyalty card. For availability: in stock versus out of stock. For returns: refund (money back), exchange (swap), customer service, and opening hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use do the shopping (buy the groceries), go shopping (head out to shop) or go to the supermarket. 'Make shopping' is a clear error. For example: 'I need to do the shopping today' or 'I'm going shopping after work'. Your written list is a shopping list.

These are British–American differences. The wheeled basket is a trolley (UK) / (shopping) cart (US). The waiting line is a queue (UK, to queue up) / line (US, to wait in line). Both are understood everywhere, but it is best to stay consistent. The pay point is the checkout and the person is the cashier.

Use by is a safety date for perishable foods (meat, fish, milk) — do not eat them after it. Best before is a quality date: the food is still safe afterwards but may lose flavour or texture (biscuits, cereals). The general term is expiry date (UK) / expiration date (US).

Say The product has expired or The product is past its expiry date (or past its use-by date). 'The product is expired' is less natural — prefer the active has expired or the past its… date structure. A fresh product is 'still in date' or 'within its use-by date'.

Each container goes with a type of product: tin (UK) / can (US) for tinned food (a tin of tomatoes); jar for a glass container with a lid (a jar of jam); bottle for liquids (a bottle of milk); packet / bag for dry goods (a packet of crisps, a bag of rice). 'A glass of jam' is wrong — jam comes in a jar.

The correct form is pay by card (preposition by, no article); also pay in cash, pay contactless. 'Pay with card' is a common error. For offers: 'Is this on offer / on sale?', 'Is there a discount?', 'It's buy one get one free'. A store card is a loyalty card.

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