11 phrases · You are in a shop.

English for shops and services

Shops, restaurants and services run on a small set of exchanges: asking whether something is available, asking the price, asking for a different size or a change, and complaining politely when something is wrong. The last of those is the one worth practising, because a complaint made bluntly in English sounds far angrier than the same words feel in Hindi.

What to say

Each one is the pattern, then the exact sentence to say here, then what it means in Hindi.

Saying what you want

I want to {VERB}
A1
“I want to return this, please.”
Say what you would like to do.
मैं ___ करना चाहता/चाहती हूँ।
say it as: I want to / learn English · anywhere
I'd like to {VERB}
A2
“I'd like to return this, please.”
Say what you want — politely. The grown-up version of "I want to".
मैं ___ करना चाहूँगा/चाहूँगी।
say it as: I'd like to / apply for this · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Asking for something

Can I {VERB}?
A1
“Can I pay by UPI?”
Ask permission to do something.
क्या मैं ___ कर सकता/सकती हूँ?
say it as: Can I / ask you something · anywhere
Could you please {VERB}?
A1
“Could you please show me a different size?”
Ask somebody to do something, politely.
क्या आप कृपया ___ करेंगे?
say it as: Could you please / repeat that · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Asking for information

Do you have any {NOUN}?
A1
“Do you have any of these in blue?”
Ask whether something is available.
क्या आपके पास कोई ___ है?
say it as: Do you have any / questions · anywhere
How much is {NOUN}?
A1
“How much is this one without the discount?”
Ask the price of something.
___ कितने का है?
say it as: How much is / this shirt · anywhere
Could you tell me {CLAUSE}?
A2
“Could you tell me if this is in stock?”
Ask for information politely — the safest opener with a stranger.
क्या आप मुझे बता सकते हैं कि ___?
say it as: Could you tell me / where the office is · polite — strangers, seniors, customers
I'm looking for {NOUN}
A2
“I'm looking for a plain white shirt in medium.”
Say what you are trying to find.
मैं ___ ढूँढ रहा/रही हूँ।
say it as: I'm looking for / a new job · anywhere

Describing things and people

It's a bit too {ADJ}
A2
“It's a bit too expensive — do you have anything cheaper?”
Say something is more than you want — gently.
यह थोड़ा ज़्यादा ___ है।
say it as: It's a bit too / expensive for me · polite — strangers, seniors, customers

Making yourself clear

Are you saying that {CLAUSE}?
B1
“Are you saying that the warranty does not cover the screen?”
Check that you have understood somebody correctly, before you react.
क्या आप यह कह रहे हैं कि ___?
say it as: Are you saying / that the whole thing has to be redone · anywhere

Negotiating

The best we can offer is {NOUN}
B2
“The best we can offer is an exchange, not a refund.”
Name your limit clearly, without closing the conversation.
हम ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा ___ दे सकते हैं।
say it as: The best we can offer / is a two-week extension · formal — writing, presentations, officials

Mistakes to avoid

Understood, but immediately marked as non-native. These are the ones worth un-learning before the day itself.

Commonly said	Correct English
I want that you come with me.	I want you to come with me. After "want", the other person takes "to + verb". English does not use "that" here.
I am wanting to go.	I want to go. "Want" describes a state, not an action in progress, so it does not take -ing.
Please do the needful.	Could you please send the invoice? "Do the needful" is common in Indian offices and unclear everywhere else. Say the actual thing you want.
Do you have any question?	Do you have any questions? After "any", a countable noun goes plural.
How much this costs?	How much does this cost? A question about an action needs "do" or "does" in front of it.
Could you tell me where is the office?	Could you tell me where the office is? Inside a longer question the word order goes back to normal — "where the office is", not "where is the office".

The same phrases, indexed by what you are trying to say rather than by where you are.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

Reading the lines is the easy half. CoCap lets you say them out loud to an AI coach who plays the other side — the interviewer, the colleague, the person on the phone — and tells you what to fix.

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