The blue dress at Moda Estrella (A1)
Elena wants a blue dress for a family dinner. Size 40 is tight at the shoulders, size 42 fits, and she leaves with that dress, not the shoes.
El vestido azul
Tap any word to see its translation
: «¿ ?» : « 40». . . . . .
. . , . . . . , . .
. 42. . . . . . , . . : « ».
. . , . . . : «¿ ?» . . .
. 40 . 42 . , .
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About this article
What you'll learn
Present tense, the verb querer, size questions, and shop words such as perchero, probador and talla.
At her sister Marta's shop, Moda Estrella, Elena tries a blue dress in size 40. It is tight at the shoulders, so Marta brings the same dress in size 42. Elena can move her arms, pays by card, says no to black shoes, and leaves with the dress.
After reading
Article learning block
Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.
Phrases for training
Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.
Mi hermana tiene una tienda de ropa
newMy sister has a clothing store
Tener is the verb for owning something: mi hermana tiene una tienda. It is irregular, and the third person singular is tiene.
The pattern for saying whose shop or business it is.
La tienda se llama Moda Estrella
newThe shop is called Moda Estrella
Llamarse means to be called. The pronoun se goes in front of the verb: la tienda se llama.
How you give the name of a shop, a street or a person in Spanish.
Vende camisetas, pantalones, vestidos y zapatos
newSells t-shirts, trousers, dresses and shoes
Vender means to sell. The list gives four everyday clothing words: camisetas, pantalones, vestidos, zapatos.
Basic words for what a shop sells.
A la izquierda hay vestidos de verano
newOn the left there are summer dresses
After hay the noun never takes el, la, los or las. Say hay vestidos, never hay los vestidos.
Adding the article after hay is the commonest beginner mistake in this structure.
A la derecha están los pantalones y las faldas
newOn the right are the trousers and the skirts
Estar locates something already known, so the noun keeps its article: están los pantalones.
The other half of the pair: hay introduces, estar locates.
Mi hermana acepta pagos en efectivo y con tarjeta
newAccepts payments in cash and by card
Aceptar pagos en efectivo y con tarjeta: note the prepositions, en for cash but con for card.
The two prepositions differ, and that is where learners slip.
Key words
Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.
Clothing racks
percheros
clothing racks
Un perchero is the rail or stand that clothes hang on, from percha, a coat hanger.
Specific clothing shop vocabulary.
Clothing size
talla
size (clothes)
La talla is clothing size. Shoes do not take talla in Spain: they take número.
Ask ¿cuál es tu talla? for a shirt and ¿qué número usas? for shoes.
Fitting room
probador
fitting room
El probador is the Spanish word for a fitting room, built from probarse, to try on.
This is the word on the sign in a Spanish shop.
Cash register
caja registradora
till, cash register
La caja registradora is the till. In everyday speech people just say la caja.
You look for la caja when you want to pay.
Cash
efectivo
cash
Efectivo is cash, notes and coins, as opposed to a card.
Pagar en efectivo: the phrase you hear at every till.
Paper bags
bolsas de papel
paper bags
Una bolsa is any shopping bag; de papel says what it is made of.
Bolsa is the everyday word for a shopping bag.
The sales
rebajas
the sales
Las rebajas are the seasonal sales. In Spain they run in January and again in summer.
It appears in every shop window twice a year, and always in the plural.
Grammar in context
Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.
Verb tener
tiene
has
Tener is irregular in the present: tengo, tienes, tiene. It covers ownership (tiene una tienda) and also states: tener hambre, tener frío, tener veinte años.
Spanish uses tener where English uses to be: tengo frío, not soy frío.
hay or estar
hay
there is / is located
Hay introduces something new and takes no article: hay vestidos. Estar locates something already known and keeps the article: están los pantalones.
Both appear in the text one sentence apart, so the contrast is visible at a glance.
Poder + infinitive
pueden probarse
can try on
Poder plus an infinitive says what is possible: pueden probarse la ropa. With an infinitive the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end: probarse, not se probar.
The same pronoun moves in the text: pueden probarse, but una se prueba la ropa.
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