# English at the shop and the café: ready-made dialogues

A few set phrases are enough to shop and order comfortably at a shop or café. Sample dialogues for ordering, asking prices, and paying.

Author: Aslıgül Aşkın · Published: 2026-10-01
Page address: https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-dialogues-at-the-shop-and-cafe

You don't need long sentences to speak English at a shop or café; a few set phrases cover ordering, asking prices, and paying. Saying the dialogues out loud once beforehand makes the real moment much easier.

## Ordering at a café

Server: “Hi, what can I get you?” You: “Could I have a latte, please?” Server: “Small or large?” You: “Small, please.” Server: “Anything else?” You: “A piece of cheesecake, please.” Server: “For here or to take away?” You: “For here, thanks.”

## At the shop

- “Excuse me, where can I find the rice?”
- “It's in aisle five.”
- “How much is this?”
- “It's two pounds fifty.”
- “Do you have a bigger size?”
- “Can I have a bag, please?”

## Paying

- “Can I pay by card?”
- “Cash or card?”
- “Card, please.”
- “Could I have the receipt, please?”

To ask for the bill at a café: “Could we have the bill, please?” (“the check” in American English).

## When there's a problem

- “Sorry, I ordered a tea, not a coffee.”
- “Excuse me, this is cold.”
- “I think there's a mistake on the bill.”

Starting with “Sorry” or “Excuse me” keeps a complaint polite.

To keep going, see [English at a restaurant: booking, ordering, and paying](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-at-a-restaurant) and [Polite English: asking, thanking, and apologising](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/polite-english-phrases).

## Frequently asked questions

### “Bill” or “check”?

British English says “bill” and American English says “check”; both are understood.

### How do I stay polite when there's a problem?

Start with “Sorry” or “Excuse me” and state the problem briefly: “Excuse me, this is cold.”