Shopping at a Tienda: Prices & Transactions

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Every Colombian neighborhood has a tienda -- a small corner shop where you buy everything from bread to phone minutes. Shopping at a tienda is one of the most frequent real-world interactions you will have. This lesson teaches you the grammar of transactions: the verbs valer and costar for prices, demonstrative adjectives for pointing at things, and quantity expressions for saying how much you want.

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What You Will Learn

Language Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Use valer and costar to ask and understand prices (¿Cuanto vale? ¿Cuanto cuesta?)
Apply demonstrative adjectives to identify items (este, ese, aquel)
Use quantity expressions for shopping (un kilo de, una libra de, una bolsa de)
Complete a full shopping transaction with correct grammar and Colombian courtesy
Handle Colombian peso amounts in conversation

Part 1: Valer & Costar -- Asking About Prices

Spanish has two verbs for prices: valer (to be worth) and costar (to cost). In Colombian Spanish, valer is far more common in everyday shopping.

Verb	Conjugation	Question	Answer
Valer	vale (singular) / valen (plural)	¿Cuanto vale?	Vale tres mil pesos
Valer	vale (singular) / valen (plural)	¿Cuanto valen?	Valen cinco mil pesos
Costar	cuesta (singular) / cuestan (plural)	¿Cuanto cuesta?	Cuesta dos mil pesos

Key grammar point: The verb agrees with the ITEM, not with you. One item: vale/cuesta. Multiple items: valen/cuestan. The subject is the thing with the price, not the buyer.

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¿Cuanto vale? vs. ¿Cuanto cuesta? -- which should you use?

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Both are correct. 'Valer' is more Colombian -- you will hear '¿Cuanto vale?' far more often than '¿Cuanto cuesta?' in tiendas. 'Costar' is more universal across Latin America. Learn both, but default to 'valer' for that Colombian sound.

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Why does the verb change: 'vale' vs. 'valen'?

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The subject of valer is the item, not you. One banana: '¿Cuanto vale la banana?' (singular = vale). The bananas: '¿Cuanto valen las bananas?' (plural = valen). The verb agrees with what you are asking about. This is the same subject-verb agreement from Course 2.

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Quick Check-in

Knowledge Check

A shopkeeper says 'Valen cuatro mil pesos.' What does this tell you?

Part 2: Demonstrative Adjectives -- Este, Ese, Aquel

When shopping, you need to point at things. Spanish has three levels of demonstratives based on distance.

Distance	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural
Near you (this)	este	esta	estos	estas
Near listener (that)	ese	esa	esos	esas
Far from both (that over there)	aquel	aquella	aquellos	aquellas

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How do you choose between este, ese, and aquel?

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Este/esta = near you (this one here, in my hand). Ese/esa = near the other person or at medium distance (that one you are holding). Aquel/aquella = far from both speakers (that one way over there on the shelf). In a tienda: 'Me regala este pan' (this bread near me), 'ese queso' (that cheese near you), 'aquel de alla' (that one over there).

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Do demonstratives change for gender?

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Yes. They match the noun in gender AND number. Este pan (masculine singular), esta agua (feminine singular), estos huevos (masculine plural), estas frutas (feminine plural). The ending follows the same pattern as adjectives: -e/-a for singular, -os/-as for plural.

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Knowledge Check

You want to say 'this bread' (el pan is masculine singular). Which is correct?

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What about 'esto,' 'eso,' and 'aquello' -- the neuter forms?

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These are used when pointing at something unidentified or abstract: '¿Que es eso?' (What is that?), '¿Cuanto vale esto?' (How much is this?). They do not change for gender because they do not modify a specific noun. Use them when you do not know the name of the item.

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Part 3: Quantity Expressions

In Colombian tiendas, you buy things by weight, unit, or container. Here are the essential quantity patterns.

Expression	Example	Meaning
Un kilo de	Un kilo de arroz	A kilo of rice
Una libra de	Una libra de tomates	A pound of tomatoes
Una bolsa de	Una bolsa de leche	A bag of milk
Una caja de	Una caja de huevos	A box/carton of eggs
Un paquete de	Un paquete de galletas	A packet of cookies
Una botella de	Una botella de agua	A bottle of water
Un racimo de	Un racimo de bananos	A bunch of bananas

Grammar note: The pattern is quantity + de + item. The de is essential -- it connects the quantity to the noun. Do not drop it.

Quick Check-in

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Why do Colombians buy milk in bags?

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In Colombia, milk commonly comes in plastic bags (bolsas), not cartons. You buy 'una bolsa de leche' at the tienda. This is normal across much of Latin America. You will also see boxed (en caja) and bottled (en botella) milk, but the bag is the traditional format.

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Part 4: The Full Tienda Transaction

Shopping at a Colombian Tienda

1. Enter and greet

You: Buenas tardes. Shopkeeper: Buenas tardes, a la orden.

2. Request items (me regala + quantity + de + item)

You: Me regala una libra de tomates y un kilo de arroz, por favor.

3. Point at items (demonstratives)

You: Tambien ese queso de ahi. ¿Cuanto vale? Shopkeeper: Ese vale seis mil la libra.

Morning Shopping at the Neighborhood Tienda

You: Buenos dias, don Alvaro. Shopkeeper: Buenos dias. ¿Que necesita hoy? You: Me regala una bolsa de leche, media libra de queso, y estos huevos. ¿Cuanto valen los huevos? Shopkeeper: La caja de treinta vale doce mil. You: Ah, mejor me regala media caja. ¿Y cuanto vale todo? Shopkeeper: La leche tres mil, el queso cuatro mil, los huevos seis mil. Son trece mil pesos. You: Tenga, con un billete de veinte. Shopkeeper: Aqui tiene su cambio -- siete mil. You: Gracias, muy amable. Shopkeeper: A la orden. Que le vaya bien.

Grammar at work: valer for prices (cuanto valen, vale doce mil), demonstratives (estos huevos), quantity expressions (una bolsa de, media libra de), courtesy (me regala, muy amable, a la orden).

At a Fruit Stand in Paloquemao Market

You: Buenos dias. ¿Cuanto vale el kilo de mango? Vendor: Tres mil el kilo, bien fresquitos. You: Me regala dos kilos. Y esas guanabanas de ahi, ¿cuanto valen? Vendor: Esas valen cinco mil cada una. You: Me da una, por favor. ¿Y aquellos aguacates de alla? Vendor: Aquellos son los Hass. Valen dos mil cada uno. You: Dos, por favor. ¿Cuanto es todo? Vendor: Los mangos seis mil, la guanabana cinco mil, los aguacates cuatro mil. Son quince mil. You: Listo. Tenga. Muchas gracias. Vendor: A la orden, que le vaya bien.

All three demonstratives in action: 'esas guanabanas' (those near you), 'aquellos aguacates de alla' (those far away). Price verbs: vale, valen.

Asking About an Unknown Product

You: Disculpe, ¿que es eso? pointing at a fruit Vendor: Eso es lulo. Es para jugo, muy rico. You: ¿Cuanto vale el kilo? Vendor: Cuatro mil. You: Me regala medio kilo, por favor. Vendor: Aqui tiene. ¿Algo mas? You: No, eso es todo. Gracias.

The neuter demonstrative 'eso' is perfect here -- you do not know what the fruit is, so you use the formless pointer.

Knowledge Check

You want to buy 'those eggs' that are near the shopkeeper. Which demonstrative do you use?

Reflection

Key Takeaways

Valer is the Colombian verb for prices: ¿Cuanto vale? (singular), ¿Cuanto valen? (plural)
The price verb agrees with the item, not with you
Three demonstratives: este (near me), ese (near you), aquel (far from both)
Demonstratives agree in gender and number with the noun
Quantity + de + item: un kilo de arroz, una bolsa de leche, una libra de tomates
Use eso/esto when you do not know the name of the item

This Week's Practice

Daily Practice Tasks

Day 1-2: Practice price questions with imaginary items: "¿Cuanto vale este pan? ¿Cuanto valen esas frutas?"
Day 3-4: Go to a grocery store and mentally name items in Spanish with their demonstratives: "este yogur, esa leche, aquellas galletas."
Day 5-7: Write out a complete tienda transaction from greeting to goodbye. Include at least three items with quantities.
Daily: When you see a price tag, say the price in Spanish pesos: "Vale cinco mil pesos."

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Shopping at a Tienda: Prices & Transactions

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What You Will Learn

Part 1: Valer & Costar -- Asking About Prices

Part 2: Demonstrative Adjectives -- Este, Ese, Aquel

Part 3: Quantity Expressions

Part 4: The Full Tienda Transaction

Shopping at a Colombian Tienda

1. Enter and greet

2. Request items (me regala + quantity + de + item)

3. Point at items (demonstratives)

Key Takeaways

This Week's Practice

4. Ask total price

5. Pay and close

•••Home

•••Your Learning Path

•••Your Support

•••Bogotá

•••Resources

Spanish Assistant

Shopping at a Tienda: Prices & Transactions

Loading Quiz...

Lesson discussion

Leave a comment

What You Will Learn

Part 1: Valer & Costar -- Asking About Prices

Part 2: Demonstrative Adjectives -- Este, Ese, Aquel

Part 3: Quantity Expressions

Part 4: The Full Tienda Transaction

Shopping at a Colombian Tienda

1. Enter and greet

2. Request items (me regala + quantity + de + item)

3. Point at items (demonstratives)

Key Takeaways

This Week's Practice

4. Ask total price

5. Pay and close

Home

Your Learning Path

Your Support

Bogotá

Resources