2.7 Shopping and Money

Understanding Shopping and Money in Everyday Urdu

Shopping and money conversations are extremely common in Urdu. In this chapter you will learn how to talk about prices, money, and basic shopping situations in simple, practical language. We will focus on the most frequent words and patterns that you can reuse in many different situations.

Money Words You Need All the Time

Before talking about shopping, you need some basic money vocabulary.

Example sentences:

• میرے پاس پیسے نہیں ہیں۔
  Mere paas paise nahĩ̃ hain.
  I do not have money.
• یہ بہت مہنگا ہے۔
  Yeh bohat mehnga hai.
  This is very expensive.
• کیا آپ کے پاس کھلا ہے؟
  Kya aap ke paas khulla hai?
  Do you have change?

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In a Shop: Common Situations

When you enter a shop, you normally greet first (covered in greetings). Then you tell the shopkeeper what you want or ask about something.

Very useful pattern:

Examples:

• مجھے دودھ چاہیے۔
  Mujhe doodh chahiye.
  I need milk.
• مجھے ایک کلو چاول چاہیے۔
  Mujhe aik kilo chawal chahiye.
  I need 1 kilo rice.
• مجھے سیاہ جوتے چاہیے۔
  Mujhe siyāh jootay chahiye.
  I need black shoes.

Other useful phrases:

Note: "رہا" (raha) is for males, "رہی" (rahi) is for females.

Examples:

• میں بس دیکھ رہا ہوں۔
  Main bas dekh raha hoon.
  I am just looking. (male)
• مجھے وہ سرخ شرٹ دکھائیں۔
  Mujhe woh surkh shirt dikhaaĩ̃.
  Please show me that red shirt.

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Asking “How Much?” in Urdu

The most important question in shopping is "How much is this?".

If the item is plural, you often hear:

• یہ کتنے کے ہیں؟
  Yeh kitne ke hain?
  How much are these?

In daily life, people also use short forms like:

• کتنے کا؟
  Kitne ka?
  How much? (very informal when the object is obvious)

Examples:

• یہ کتاب کتنے کی ہے؟
  Yeh kitaab kitne ki hai?
  How much is this book?
• یہ جوتے کتنے کے ہیں؟
  Yeh jootay kitne ke hain?
  How much are these shoes?

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Saying Prices with Rupees

To say a price, use the number plus rupay.

Patterns:

Some examples, using simple numbers:

• یہ دو سو روپے کا ہے۔
  Yeh do sau rupay ka hai.
  This is 200 rupees.
• یہ پچاس روپے کی ہے۔
  Yeh pachaas rupay ki hai.
  This is 50 rupees.
• یہ تین سو روپے کے ہیں۔
  Yeh teen sau rupay ke hain.
  These are 300 rupees.

Very common short ways:

Shopkeeper style answers:

• دو سو کا ایک۔
  Do sau ka aik.
  One for 200.
• تین سو کے دو۔
  Teen sau ke do.
  Two for 300.

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Talking About Expensive and Cheap

You will often say that something is too expensive or nice and cheap.

Useful adjectives:

Examples:

• یہ بہت سستا ہے۔
  Yeh bohat sasta hai.
  This is very cheap.
• یہ میرے لئے مہنگا ہے۔
  Yeh mere liye mehnga hai.
  This is expensive for me.
• کیا اس سے سستا ہے؟
  Kya is se sasta hai?
  Is there anything cheaper than this?

You can also compare two things simply:

• یہ اس سے سستا ہے۔
  Yeh us se sasta hai.
  This is cheaper than that.
• یہ اس سے مہنگا ہے۔
  Yeh us se mehnga hai.
  This is more expensive than that.

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Talking About Quantity and Units

When shopping, you say how much of something you want. Common units:

Patterns:

Examples:

• مجھے آدھا کلو چینی چاہیے۔
  Mujhe aadha kilo cheeni chahiye.
  I need half a kilo of sugar.
• مجھے ایک درجن انڈے چاہیے۔
  Mujhe aik darjan anday chahiye.
  I need one dozen eggs.
• مجھے دو بوتل پانی چاہیے۔
  Mujhe do botal paani chahiye.
  I need two bottles of water.

Short shop talk:

• کتنے کلو؟
  Kitne kilo?
  How many kilos?
• آدھا کلو۔
  Aadha kilo.
  Half a kilo.

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Simple Bargaining Phrases

In many Urdu speaking markets, bargaining is normal. You do not need very complex language. Even beginners can bargain with a few fixed phrases.

Very useful question:

Other phrases:

Example mini dialogues:

Dialogue 1

• Customer: یہ کتنے کا ہے؟
  Yeh kitne ka hai?
  How much is this?
• Shopkeeper: پانچ سو روپے کا۔
  Paanch sau rupay ka.
  500 rupees.
• Customer: بہت مہنگا ہے، تھوڑا سستا کر دیں۔
  Bohat mehnga hai, thora sasta kar dein.
  It is very expensive, make it a bit cheaper.
• Shopkeeper: اچھا، چار سو پچاس میں لے لیں۔
  Achha, chaar sau pachaas mein le lẽ̃.
  Okay, take it for 450.

Dialogue 2

• Customer: کچھ کم کریں گے؟
  Kuch kam karẽ̃ ge?
  Will you reduce it a bit?
• Shopkeeper: نہیں، یہ فکسڈ قیمت ہے۔
  Nahi, yeh fixed qeemat hai.
  No, this is a fixed price.

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Paying, Cash, and Change

After you agree on a price, you pay and get change. Here are very frequent expressions.

Examples:

• بل دے دیں، پلیز۔
  Bill de dein, please.
  Please give me the bill.
• لیجیے، پانچ سو روپے۔
  Lijiye, paanch sau rupay.
  Here, 500 rupees.
• بقایا رکھ لیں۔
  Baqaya rakh lẽ̃.
  Keep the change.
• مجھے سو کے چھوٹے دے دیں۔
  Mujhe sau ke chhotay de dein.
  Give me small notes for 100.

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At the Supermarket

In big supermarkets, bargaining is usually not possible. You mostly read prices on labels and ask about location and payment.

Useful questions:

Example:

• یہ فی کلو کتنے کا ہے؟
  Yeh fi kilo kitne ka hai?
  How much is this per kilo?
• دو سو روپے فی کلو۔
  Do sau rupay fi kilo.
  200 rupees per kilo.

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Buying Clothes and Shoes

Clothes and shoes shopping uses some special words. You also talk about size.

Useful phrases:

• میرا سائز میڈیم ہے۔
  Mera size medium hai.
  My size is medium.
• مجھے یہ شرٹ میڈیم سائز میں چاہیے۔
  Mujhe yeh shirt medium size mein chahiye.
  I want this shirt in medium size.
• تھوڑے بڑے / چھوٹے ہیں۔
  Thore baray / chhotay hain.
  They are a bit big / small.
• کیا آپ کے پاس بڑا سائز ہے؟
  Kya aap ke paas bara size hai?
  Do you have a bigger size?

Mini dialogue:

• Customer: یہ جوتے کتنے کے ہیں؟
  Yeh jootay kitne ke hain?
  How much are these shoes?
• Shopkeeper: تین ہزار کے۔
  Teen hazaar ke.
  3,000.
• Customer: کچھ کم کریں گے؟
  Kuch kam karẽ̃ ge?
  Will you reduce the price?

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Talking About Having Money or Not

You may need to say you have enough money or not.

Some basic patterns:

Examples:

• میں یہ نہیں لے سکتا، میرے پاس کافی پیسے نہیں ہیں۔
  Main yeh nahi le sakta, mere paas kaafi paise nahi hain.
  I cannot take this, I do not have enough money. (male)
• میرے پاس صرف پانچ سو روپے ہیں۔
  Mere paas sirf paanch sau rupay hain.
  I only have 500 rupees.

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Short Shopping Dialogues for Practice

Dialogue A: Buying Fruit

• Customer: سیب کتنے کے ہیں؟
  Saib kitne ke hain?
  How much are the apples?
• Seller: دو سو روپے فی کلو۔
  Do sau rupay fi kilo.
  200 rupees per kilo.
• Customer: مجھے ایک کلو دے دیں۔
  Mujhe aik kilo de dein.
  Give me 1 kilo please.
• Seller: اور کچھ؟
  Aur kuch?
  Anything else?
• Customer: نہیں، بس۔ بل بتائیں۔
  Nahi, bas. Bill batain.
  No, that is all. Tell me the bill.
• Seller: دو سو روپے۔
  Do sau rupay.
  200 rupees.
• Customer: لیجیے، دو سو۔
  Lijiye, do sau.
  Here, 200.

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Dialogue B: In a Clothing Shop

• Customer: مجھے یہ قمیض پسند ہے، یہ کتنے کی ہے؟
  Mujhe yeh qameez pasand hai, yeh kitne ki hai?
  I like this shirt, how much is it?
• Shopkeeper: یہ دو ہزار کی ہے۔
  Yeh do hazaar ki hai.
  It is 2,000.
• Customer: بہت مہنگی ہے، کچھ کم کریں۔
  Bohat mehngi hai, kuch kam karẽ̃.
  It is very expensive, reduce it a bit.
• Shopkeeper: اچھا، پندرہ سو میں لے لیں۔
  Achha, pandrah sau mein le lẽ̃.
  Okay, take it for 1,500.
• Customer: ٹھیک ہے، پیک کر دیں۔
  Theek hai, pack kar dein.
  Fine, pack it.

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New Vocabulary from This Chapter