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In this lesson, you will learn some vocabulary and useful expressions to talk about shopping and street markets.
Table of Contents
IELTS Speaking vocabulary: Street markets
Places
- A street market (food and things)
- A flea market (furniture, clothes, bags, antiques…)
- A bazaar (furniture, clothes, bags, antiques…)
- A farmers’ market (food, local produce)
- A garage sale (second-hand personal stuff)
- Food trucks (fast food, local delicacies)
- Items for sale
You can find all sorts of items and goods in a street market. All of the 4 phrases below refer to small, decorative items of little value.
- Bric-a-brac
- Knick-knacks
- Bits and pieces
- Trinkets
Many street markets sell stuff that is not new, or may not be the original item; it might be a copy or even stolen. We can use the following phrases for this.
- Second-hand goods
- Pirated goods = copied illegally
- Counterfeit merchandise = copied illegally
- It fell off the back of a lorry = it was stolen and re-sold
Finally, many street markets sell food, either for cooking, or pre-prepared meals. Here are some useful phrases.
- Local produce (n.) = locally produced food items
- Snacks (n.) = small amount of food
- Local delicacies = local snacks or specialities
Prices
If the price is cheaper than normal, we can say…
- It’s on sale
- It’s on offer
- There’s a discount of 20%
- There’s 20% off
If you want to negotiate the price, you can….
- haggle (v.)
- bargain (v.)
- wrangle (v.) over the price (informal)
I enjoy haggling so I can get the best price
I don’t know how to bargain
- To find / get a bargain (n.)
This market is a good place to get a good bargain
Activities / Verbs
- To shop
- To go shopping
- To purchase
- To buy
- To get hold of
- To pick up
Where can I purchase a new jacket?
I need to buy a new jacket
I am thinking about getting hold of a new jacket
I am going to the market to pick up some apples
If you go to the street market, especially as a tourist,…
- Be wary of pickpockets (thieves)
- Be careful of/with pickpockets
- Be mindful of pickpockets
IELTS Speaking discussion: Benefits and drawbacks of street markets
Here is a summary of useful phrases related to the benefits and drawbacks of street markets
Benefits of street markets
- They offer great value for money
- They offer a wide variety of diverse goods and produce
- There are lots of different local delicacies
- You can have a pleasant chat with the vendors
- Sellers are typically friendly with customers
- When I buy in a street market, I am supporting poorer, local vendors
- You can get to know the real life of the local community
- You can shop around and find a bargain
- You can find rare and unique things at reasonable prices
- You can find affordable prices
- You can haggle with the sellers
Drawbacks of street markets
- A lot of the knick-knacks are worthless
- You may end up with fake products
- The quality is not trustworthy
- You don’t know the goods are legal or not
- Street markets can be unhygienic
- You may face long queues
- They are crowded and noisy
- You can’t get a refund on things you buy in a market
- Street vendors often don’t pay tax and so do not contribute to the national economy
- You need to be mindful of pickpockets
See a complete display of student phrases related to the benefits and drawbacks here
http://linoit.com/users/keithohare/canvases/Street%20Markets
IELTS Speaking conversations and tips
In this interview, I speak to a teacher, Jordan Page. Jordan is British and lives in Japan where he teaches English. He also has a Youtube channel and Facebook page to help students learn English online.
In this interview, he talks about one of his hobbies, outside of work.
Useful Vocabulary
First, here is some vocabulary that will help you understand the interview.
Talking about where you live
- I am based in the north of Spain
Talking about a hobby
- I am a really keen golfer = I like golf a lot
- He got me into golf = he introduced me to golf
- To get the bug = to start to like something
Listening Task
Watch, listen and answer the following:
- Where does he live?
- What is his passion and why does he do it?
- Why doesn’t he practice it now?
- Why do we talk about the number 19?
Listening Task Answers:
Click arrow to open/close answers
1. Where does he live?
In Saitama, north of Tokyo in Japan
2. What is his passion and why does he do it?
His passion is golf and his grandfather got him into it.
3. Why doesn’t he practice it now?
Because the golf course is too far away and he doesn’t have a car.
4. Why do we talk about the number 19?
There are 18 holes in golf, and then the 19th is the bar – where you go to socialise and have a drink after the game.
IELTS Speaking idioms about shopping and street markets
- To go on a shopping spree = to go and buy lots of stuff
My wife loves going on shopping sprees
- To go window shopping = to look but not buy
Don’t worry, I am not going to buy anything, I am just going window shopping.
- To shop around = to look for things in different shops – usually to find a cheaper price
I like going to the markets and shopping around for the best price
- To go bargain hunting = to go shopping and look for a bargain
I enjoy going bargain hunting in the flea market near my house
- To go for a song = to be very cheap
I am going to buy this jacket, it’s going for a song!
Other ways of saying something is very cheap (=not expensive)
- To be dirt cheap
- It’s dead cheap
- It’s a steal
- It’s (as) cheap as chips
More Free Lessons
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
THE WEATHER in IELTS Speaking. Learn different types of weather and how the effects of climate change.
SHOPPING in IELTS Speaking. Learn the essential vocabulary for this topic, as well as how to talk about online shopping.
SOCIALISING in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary and collocations to talk about socialising.
