What to say in Spanish when pointing at something in a store

Introduction

Pointing at something in a store is one of the first real-life interactions Spanish learners will face. This article teaches simple, natural phrases to use when you want to indicate an item, ask about price or size, or request help from store staff. Examples, pronunciation tips, and usage notes make it easy to build confidence before your next shopping trip.

Basic phrases for pointing at items

When you want to draw attention to a product, start with a polite opener and a verb that communicates pointing or indicating. The simplest phrase is ¿Qué es esto? which means what is this. Use this to ask about unfamiliar items.

Other common basic lines:

¿Qué es esto? — What is this?
¿Cuánto cuesta esto? — How much does this cost?
¿Esto está en oferta? — Is this on sale?

Polite ways to get an employee’s attention

Politeness goes a long way. Use a short phrase to signal the staff that you need help before pointing. The word disculpe is a polite way to say excuse me. Pair it with a pointing phrase to be friendly and clear.

Examples:

Disculpe, ¿puede ayudarme con esto? — Excuse me, can you help me with this?
Disculpe, ¿esto tiene talla más grande? — Excuse me, does this come in a larger size?

Using demonstrative pronouns: esta, este, esto

Spanish uses demonstratives to point. The first ones you will need are este for masculine near items, esta for feminine near items, and esto for unspecified or unknown objects. After the first appearance, these words will be shown as este, esta, esto.

Examples:

Este es muy bonito — This (masculine) is very nice.
Esta es demasiado cara — This (feminine) is too expensive.
¿Qué es esto? — What is this? (when you are not sure of the noun)

Usage notes on demonstratives

Use este and esta when the object is near you. If the item is farther away or closer to the seller, use ese or esa (then ese, esa) for nearby but not immediate items, and aquel or aquela (then aquel, aquela) for distant items. In many day-to-day store interactions, learners only need este, esta, and eso/esto.

Examples with distance:

Esa camiseta en el fondo — That t-shirt over there.
Aquel carrito es el que quiero — That cart way over there is the one I want.

Asking for the price or size when pointing

When you point to an item and want to know the price, use ¿Cuánto cuesta? The phrase is short and direct and commonly used in retail settings. To ask about sizes, the word talla means size.

Examples:

¿Cuánto cuesta esto? — How much does this cost?
¿Tiene otra talla? — Do you have another size?
¿Tienen más colores de esto? — Do you have more colors of this?

Usage notes for price and size

In some countries you may hear ¿Cuánto vale? used instead of ¿Cuánto cuesta? (then ¿Cuánto vale?). Both are correct; ¿Cuánto cuesta? is more universal. If the item is plural, use ¿Cuánto cuestan? or ¿Cuánto valen?

Pointing at multiple items or showing choices

When you want to indicate several items or show options, use plural demonstratives. The appropriate words are estos, estas, esos, and esas. After first mention they appear as estos, estas, esos, esas.

Examples:

¿Cuánto cuestan estos? — How much are these?
¿Puedo probar estas? — Can I try these on?
¿Tienen esos en talla pequeña? — Do you have those in small size?

Natural phrases for choosing between items

Simple questions sound natural and polite. Use ¿Cuál? to ask which one and ¿Cuál es el precio? to ask which is priced at what. You can also say ¿Me recomienda uno? when you want a recommendation.

Examples:

¿Cuál me recomienda? — Which one do you recommend?
¿Cuál es el precio de estos? — What is the price of these?
Me recomienda este o ese? — Do you recommend this one or that one?

How to ask for help with availability and location

If you point to something and it is out of reach or not clearly labeled, ask where more stock is kept or where an item is located. Common verbs include buscar and traer, and location words like sección and pasillo are useful.

Examples:

¿Dónde está la talla más grande? — Where is the larger size?
¿Pueden traerme otro de estos? — Can you bring me another one of these?
¿En qué pasillo está esto? — In which aisle is this?

Usage note: asking for help vs. doing it yourself

Use ¿Puede ayudarme? or ¿Me puede ayudar? to ask for assistance. If you are allowed to pick an item yourself, you can say Voy a revisar esto, which means I will check this, but in many stores in Spanish-speaking countries, clerks often prefer to help directly.

Making requests and expressing preferences while pointing

Once you have pointed to an item, you might want to ask for specific actions: try it on, reserve it, open it, or exchange it later. Useful verbs are probar, reservar, abrir, and cambiar.

Examples:

¿Puedo probar esto? — May I try this on?
¿Pueden reservar esto para mí? — Can you reserve this for me?
¿Pueden abrir esto para verme mejor? — Can you open this so I can see it better?

Polite modifiers to soften requests

Add por favor to be polite. If you want to sound more formal, use ¿Podría? instead of ¿Puede? For example, ¿Podría abrir esto, por favor? is a polite, slightly more formal request than ¿Puede abrir esto, por favor?

Short dialogues: realistic store interactions

Here are short, practical dialogues you can use as templates. Line breaks show separate speaker turns.

Customer: Disculpe, ¿cuánto cuesta esto?
Clerk: Lo siento, está en oferta, es veinte euros.
Customer: Perfecto, ¿tiene más en azul?
Clerk: Sí, tengo una en la trastienda.

Customer: Disculpe, ¿puedo probar estas?
Clerk: Claro, la probadora está allí. ¿Qué talla usa?
Customer: Uso talla mediana.

Usage notes for dialogues

Notice how a short polite opener helps start the interaction. Store staff will often respond with useful vocabulary like oferta, probadora, talla, and trastienda. Listening for these words will speed up comprehension.

Pronunciation and rhythm tips when pointing

Spanish is syllable-timed and direct. When you point, speak clearly and keep the intonation rising for questions. Stress the verb in short phrases: ¿Cuánto cuesta? emphasize cuánto. For polite openers, slow down slightly: Disculpe, por favor.

Pronunciation reminders:

¿Cuánto cuesta? — pronounce the w sound for cuan- and roll a soft r in cuesta.
¿Puedo probar esto? — keep the d in puedo soft and link probar with the following word when speaking naturally.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Beginners often confuse demonstratives or use literal translations from English. Avoid saying thiso or thato. Use correct forms: esto, ese, aquel. Also, remember agreement: esta camiseta, este pantalón, estas camisas.

Other pitfalls:

Using ¿Cuánto es? alone can work but sounds less natural than ¿Cuánto cuesta? for prices.
Overusing English-like intonation can make questions sound like statements; raise your pitch at the end for yes/no questions.

Quick phrase list for shopping and pointing

Keep this short reference in mind when you point at items in a store. The first appearance of each Spanish term is bolded for clarity.

Disculpe — excuse me
¿Cuánto cuesta? — how much does it cost?
¿Puedo probar esto? — may I try this on?
¿Tiene otra talla? — do you have another size?
¿Pueden traerme otro? — can you bring me another?
Están en oferta — they are on sale
La probadora — the fitting room

After the first bolded appearance above, read those words as disculpe, ¿Cuánto cuesta?, ¿Puedo probar esto?, ¿Tiene otra talla?, ¿Pueden traerme otro?, están en oferta, la probadora.

Conclusion

Pointing at something in a store becomes natural once you know a few key phrases and demonstratives. Use polite openers like disculpe, the correct demonstrative (este, esta, esto), and concise questions like ¿Cuánto cuesta?. Practice these phrases aloud and listen for common store vocabulary to build confidence for real shopping interactions.