Convenience Store

1. ¿Están abiertos las veinticuatro horas?

   Are you open twenty-four hours?

   Usage

   Spanish neighbourhood shops usually shut for the siesta from about 2pm to 5pm, and few open all night — only those signed "24 horas"

   Grammar Note

   Temporary states take "estar", not "ser". Addressing the shop as a group gives the ustedes form "están"

2. ¿Hay un mínimo para pagar con tarjeta?

   Is there a minimum to pay by card?

   Usage

   Small Spanish shops often set a card floor (typically €5) to avoid fees. Ask before buying just a bottle of water

   Grammar Note

   "Hay" is subjectless and works with singular or plural nouns. "Para + infinitive" expresses purpose

3. Con tarjeta, a partir de cinco euros

   Card payments from five euros upwards

   Usage

   Said by staff. A clipped, sign-like phrasing often also printed by the till. Either pay cash or add another item to reach the floor

   Grammar Note

   A verbless, telegraphic construction. The full form would be "Con tarjeta se puede pagar a partir de cinco euros"

4. ¿Me da una bolsa, por favor?

   Could you give me a bag, please?

   Usage

   Since 2021 plastic bags are chargeable by Spanish law and are never handed over automatically — you have to ask

   Grammar Note

   Spanish makes requests with a plain present-tense question; no conditional needed. "¿Me pone una bolsa?" is equivalent

5. ¿Necesita bolsa? Son quince céntimos

   Do you need a bag? They're fifteen cents

   Usage

   Said by staff. The charge is normally mentioned in the same breath. Answer "No, gracias" or "Sí, por favor"

   Grammar Note

   With prices, "ser" agrees with the amount, hence plural "son". "Bolsa" drops its article because it refers to the kind, not a specific bag

6. ¿Me enseña un documento de identidad?

   Could you show me some ID?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Alcohol sales in Spain are 18+, and young-looking buyers get checked; travellers show a passport. Mexican OXXO stores ask for "identificación" the same way

   Grammar Note

   "Enseñar" everyday means "to show" as well as "to teach". To locals staff usually just say "el DNI", the national ID card

7. ¿Hasta qué hora venden alcohol?

   Until what time do you sell alcohol?

   Usage

   In Madrid and many other regions shops may not sell alcohol after 10pm. You can still drink in a bar, but the shop next door cannot sell you a bottle

   Grammar Note

   "Hasta" marks the end point and "desde" the start. Mass nouns used generically take no article

8. El tabaco solo se vende en el estanco

   Tobacco is only sold at the licensed tobacconist

   Usage

   Said by staff. Tobacco is a state monopoly in Spain: no shop or supermarket may sell it, only an "estanco" marked with a red-and-yellow T. Stamps are sold there too

   Grammar Note

   "Se + third person" forms an agentless passive. Unlike English, Spanish keeps the definite article on generic nouns

9. ¿Puedo recargar el saldo del móvil aquí?

   Can I top up my mobile credit here?

   Usage

   Prepaid SIM top-ups are a staple service at corner shops, and in Latin America chains like OXXO are the main place people recharge

   Grammar Note

   "De + el" must contract to "del". Latin America says "celular" rather than "móvil": "el saldo del celular"

10. ¿Puedo pagar la luz aquí?

    Can I pay my electricity bill here?

    Usage

    Mexican OXXO stores double as a payment counter for utilities, online orders and bus tickets — essential for longer stays. Spanish corner shops do not offer this

    Grammar Note

    Colloquially "la luz" means the electricity bill and "el agua" the water bill. Formally: "el recibo de la luz"

11. ¿Tiene suelto?

    Do you have any small change?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small shops keep little change, so a €50 note always triggers this question. If you have none, just say "No, lo siento"

    Grammar Note

    "Suelto" is the adjective "loose" turned noun. Latin America prefers "¿Tiene sencillo?" or "¿Tiene cambio?"

12. ¿Tienen bocadillos hechos?

    Do you have any ready-made sandwiches?

    Usage

    In Spanish shops the standard quick meal is a "bocadillo" — ham or cheese in a baguette. There are no boxed meals and no heating service, so pick something ready to eat

    Grammar Note

    A participle used as an adjective agrees in gender and number: "bocadillos hechos". Sliced-bread sandwiches are a different word: "sándwich"

13. ¿Hasta cuándo dura esto?

    How long does this keep?

    Usage

    Spain distinguishes "fecha de caducidad" (a safety deadline) from "consumo preferente" (a quality date). Never eat something past the former

    Grammar Note

    Interrogative "cuándo" carries an accent, unlike the conjunction "cuando". You can also ask "¿Cuál es la fecha de caducidad?"

14. ¿Quiere el ticket?

    Do you want the receipt?

    Usage

    Said by staff. In Spain a till receipt is called a "ticket". Decline naturally with "No hace falta, gracias"

    Grammar Note

    "Ticket" is borrowed from English, plural "tickets". A formal invoice is a "factura", which is a different document

15. ¿Tienen café para llevar?

    Do you have coffee to take away?

    Usage

    In Spain coffee is something you drink standing at a bar, and many shops have no takeaway cups at all. Mexican OXXO stores do have a permanent coffee machine

    Grammar Note

    "Para llevar" is the fixed phrase for takeaway; its opposite is "para tomar aquí" (to have here)

16. ¿Abren los domingos?

    Are you open on Sundays?

    Usage

    Large Spanish supermarkets usually close on Sundays, but the small immigrant-run shops (colloquially "chinos") stay open late every day and are the traveller's fallback

    Grammar Note

    A plural definite article on a weekday means "every Sunday". No preposition "en" is used

17. ¿Dónde está la nevera de las bebidas?

    Where is the drinks fridge?

    Usage

    Corner shops are cramped and hard to navigate. Chilled drinks sit in the "nevera", separate from the room-temperature shelves

    Grammar Note

    Location always takes "estar", never "ser". Latin America prefers "refrigerador" or "heladera" over "nevera"

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