Dialogue at the Shop – English Standard Four

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, a pupil should be able to identify common words used at a shop, use polite expressions when buying goods, ask and answer questions about prices, and participate in simple conversations between a customer and a shopkeeper.

Common Vocabulary

English	Kiswahili
Shop	Duka
Shopkeeper	Muuzaji
Customer	Mteja
Goods	Bidhaa
Money	Pesa
Price	Bei
Cost	Gharama
Buy	Nunua
Sell	Uza
Bread	Mkate
Sugar	Sukari
Salt	Chumvi
Soap	Sabuni
Rice	Mchele
Cooking oil	Mafuta ya kupikia
Milk	Maziwa
Eggs	Mayai
Flour	Unga
Exercise book	Daftari
Pen	Kalamu
Cash	Pesa taslimu
Change	Chenji
Shopping bag	Mfuko wa kubebea bidhaa
Receipt	Risiti

Common Expressions

English Expression	Kiswahili Meaning
Good morning.	Habari za asubuhi.
Welcome to our shop.	Karibu dukani kwetu.
How can I help you?	Ninaweza kukusaidiaje?
I would like to buy some sugar.	Ningependa kununua sukari.
How much is this?	Hii ni bei gani?
How much does it cost?	Inagharimu kiasi gani?
It costs two thousand shillings.	Inagharimu shilingi elfu mbili.
I want two exercise books.	Nataka madaftari mawili.
Here is the money.	Hizi hapa pesa.
Here is your change.	Hii hapa chenji yako.
Thank you.	Asante.
You are welcome.	Karibu.

Sample Dialogue One: Buying Goods at a Shop

Customer: Good morning.
Shopkeeper: Good morning. Welcome to our shop.
Customer: Thank you. I would like to buy some sugar.
Shopkeeper: How much sugar do you need?
Customer: I need one kilogram.
Shopkeeper: Here it is.
Customer: How much is it?
Shopkeeper: It is three thousand shillings.
Customer: Here is the money.
Shopkeeper: Thank you. Here is your sugar.
Customer: Thank you. Goodbye.
Shopkeeper: Goodbye. Welcome again.

Comprehension Questions

1. Where does the conversation take place?
2. Who welcomes the customer?
3. What does the customer want to buy?
4. How much sugar does the customer need?
5. How much does the sugar cost?

Sample Dialogue Two: Buying School Materials

Amina: Good afternoon.
Shopkeeper: Good afternoon. How can I help you?
Amina: I want to buy two exercise books and one pen.
Shopkeeper: Okay. Each exercise book costs one thousand shillings.
Amina: How much is the pen?
Shopkeeper: The pen costs five hundred shillings.
Amina: How much is everything?
Shopkeeper: Everything costs two thousand five hundred shillings.
Amina: Here is three thousand shillings.
Shopkeeper: Thank you. Here is your change of five hundred shillings.
Amina: Thank you very much.
Shopkeeper: You are welcome.

Comprehension Questions

1. What is the name of the customer?
2. What does Amina want to buy?
3. How much does each exercise book cost?
4. How much does the pen cost?
5. How much change does Amina receive?

Practice Activities

Activity A: Match the Words with Their Meanings

Column A	Column B
1. Customer	A. Money returned after payment
2. Shopkeeper	B. A person who buys goods
3. Price	C. A place where goods are sold
4. Change	D. A person who sells goods
5. Shop	E. The amount of money paid for something

Activity B: Fill in the Blanks

Use these words: shop, customer, price, money, change.

1. A person who buys goods is called a __________.
2. We buy goods from a __________.
3. The amount paid for an item is called its __________.
4. We use __________ to buy goods.
5. The money returned after payment is called __________.

Activity C: Complete the Dialogue

Use these words: buy, much, welcome, money.

Customer: Good morning.
Shopkeeper: Good morning. You are __________.
Customer: I want to __________ some bread.
Shopkeeper: How __________ bread do you need?
Customer: I need two loaves. Here is the __________.

Answer Guide

Dialogue One

1. At a shop.
2. The shopkeeper.
3. Sugar.
4. One kilogram.
5. Three thousand shillings.

Dialogue Two

1. Amina.
2. Two exercise books and one pen.
3. One thousand shillings.
4. Five hundred shillings.
5. Five hundred shillings.

Activity A: 1–B, 2–D, 3–E, 4–A, 5–C.

Activity B: 1. customer, 2. shop, 3. price, 4. money, 5. change.

Activity C: welcome, buy, much, money.

Speaking Practice

Work in pairs. One pupil acts as a customer and another acts as a shopkeeper. Practise buying the following items:

• Two loaves of bread.
• One kilogram of sugar.
• A packet of salt.
• Two exercise books.
• Three pens.

Remember to use polite expressions such as: Good morning; Please; How much is this?; Thank you; You are welcome.

Support for Slow Learners

• Use pictures or real objects to introduce shop vocabulary.
• Let pupils pronounce new words after the teacher.
• Practise short expressions before reading the dialogues.
• Pair slow learners with supportive classmates.
• Give pupils more time to practise buying and selling through role-play.

Learning Outcome

A pupil should be able to use common shop vocabulary and polite expressions to participate in simple conversations when buying and selling goods.