Shopping and bargaining in Bengali
দাম কত? কম হবে? — market Bengali that pays for itself from the first shop.
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The market runs on one question: দাম কত? (dam koto — how much?). The answer comes as a number plus টাকা (taka) — পঞ্চাশ টাকা (fifty taka). Listen for the number, repeat it back to confirm — পঞ্চাশ? — and you have completed your first Bengali transaction before you know any grammar at all.
Then comes the dance. বেশি দাম (beshi dam — too expensive), said thoughtfully, opens bargaining anywhere outside fixed-price shops. কম হবে? (kom hobe — will it come down?) is the direct question; ছাড় দিন (chhar din — give a discount) is its bolder cousin. Start near two-thirds, meet in the middle, smile throughout — bargaining in Bengal is a friendly game, and grim faces lose.
Count what you buy like a local: একটা (one thing), দুটো (two things), তিনটে (three things). এক কেজি আলু (one kilo of potatoes), দুটো শাড়ি দেখি (let me see two saris — দেখি, dekhi, is the magic browsing word). Shopkeepers hear the counters and switch you from tourist prices to real prices.
Close the deal with three sentences: এটা নেব (eta nebo — I'll take this), ঠিক আছে (thik achhe — agreed), ধন্যবাদ (dhonnobad — thank you). And the escape hatch every browser needs: শুধু দেখছি (shudhu dekhchhi — just looking), which is honoured in every market in Bengal without a flicker of annoyance.
Words and phrases for this topic
| English | Bengali | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | দাম কত? | dam koto |
| Too expensive | বেশি দাম | beshi dam |
| Will it come down? | কম হবে? | kom hobe |
| Give a discount | ছাড় দিন | chhar din |
| Let me see | দেখি | dekhi |
| I'll take this | এটা নেব | eta nebo |
| Just looking | শুধু দেখছি | shudhu dekhchhi |
| One kilo | এক কেজি | ek keji |
| Taka (currency) | টাকা | taka |
| Market | বাজার | bazar |
| Shop | দোকান | dokan |
| New | নতুন | notun |
| Okay, I'll take it | ঠিক আছে, নেব | thik achhe nebo |
Language, culture, and common traps
Practice: recall, then use
Use this quick recall drill for Shopping and bargaining. Hide the script and romanisation columns; say the Bengali form for each cue before revealing its row, then check spelling and sound. The phrase-table speaker buttons provide a model when a matching browser voice is available.
- How much is it?
- Just looking
- Okay, I'll take it
Context check. For Shopping and bargaining, “Okay, I'll take it” belongs to a particular setting. A common mistake is to treat an English gloss as universal; read the language-specific note above and ask a fluent speaker when local usage differs.
Check your recall: answer key
- দাম কত? dam koto — How much is it?
- শুধু দেখছি shudhu dekhchhi — Just looking
- ঠিক আছে, নেব thik achhe nebo — Okay, I'll take it
Questions learners ask
In markets and small shops, always — start around two-thirds of the asking price and meet in the middle with a smile. In malls and fixed-price shops, never; the price tag is the price. কম হবে? (kom hobe — will it come down?) asked cheerfully is the whole technique.
দুটো and তিনটে, never bare দুই and তিন before a noun. Things take টা/টে (একটা শাড়ি — one sari), people take জন. Counters are the fastest way to sound like a buyer instead of a tourist.
শুধু দেখছি (shudhu dekhchhi — just looking), with a smile. It is respected everywhere and frees you to browse ten shops before buying in the eleventh.