EFE learning modules / Grocery Shopping

Grocery Shopping @ Mastering shopping vocabulary, asking for item prices, identifying store sections, and interacting with supermarket staff.

Common Expressions Back to Catalog

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Bread and butter

/ብሬድ ኤንድ ባተር/

መሰረታዊ የኑሮ ፍላጎት

The main source of income or a basic necessity

ዋነኛው የገቢ ምንጭ ወይም መሰረታዊ ፍላጎት

In Practice

"Selling vegetables is her bread and butter."

"We need to focus on our bread and butter products."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe a primary source of income or essential items.

Bring home the bacon

/ብሪንግ ሆም ዘ ቤከን/

ለቤተሰብ የሚያስፈልገውን ገቢ ማግኘት

To earn money to support one's family

ቤተሰብን ለማስተዳደር ገንዘብ ማግኘት

In Practice

"He works two jobs to bring home the bacon."

"She is the one who brings home the bacon in their house."

Fluent Tip

Commonly used when talking about earning a living for a household.

Piece of cake

/ፒስ ኦፍ ኬክ/

በጣም ቀላል

Something that is very easy to do

ለማድረግ በጣም ቀላል የሆነ ነገር

In Practice

"Finding the milk aisle was a piece of cake."

"The checkout process was a piece of cake."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe an effortless task.

Go bananas

/ጎ ባናናስ/

በጣም መደሰት ወይም መበሳጨት

To become very excited or angry

በጣም መደሰት ወይም በጣም መቆጣት

In Practice

"The kids went bananas when they saw the candy section."

"The manager went bananas over the broken display."

Fluent Tip

Informal expression for extreme emotion.

Spill the beans

/ስፒል ዘ ቢንስ/

ሚስጥር ማውጣት

To reveal a secret

ሚስጥርን ይፋ ማድረግ

In Practice

"Don't spill the beans about the surprise sale!"

"He accidentally spilled the beans about the discount code."

Fluent Tip

Used when someone reveals hidden information.

In a pickle

/ኢን ኤ ፒክል/

አስቸጋሪ ሁኔታ ውስጥ መሆን

In a difficult or messy situation

በአስቸጋሪ ወይም በረከስ ያለ ሁኔታ ውስጥ መሆን

In Practice

"I'm in a pickle because I forgot my wallet at the register."

"The store is in a pickle with the late delivery."

Fluent Tip

Describes being in a tough spot or dilemma.

Full of beans

/ፉል ኦፍ ቢንስ/

በጣም ንቁ መሆን

Having a lot of energy and enthusiasm

ከፍተኛ ጉልበት እና መነሳሳት መኖር

In Practice

"The grocery clerks were full of beans this morning."

"You are full of beans today, did you have coffee?"

Fluent Tip

Used to describe energetic people.

Egg on

/ኤግ ኦን/

ማበረታታት (ለጥፋት)

To encourage or urge someone to do something (often something unwise)

አንድን ሰው አንድን ነገር እንዲያደርግ ማበረታታት ወይም መገፋፋት

In Practice

"His friends egged him on to buy the expensive wine."

"Don't egg her on to argue with the cashier."

Fluent Tip

Usually used in a negative context of persuasion.

Big cheese

/ቢግ ቺዝ/

ተደማጭነት ያለው ሰው

An important or powerful person in an organization

በአንድ ድርጅት ውስጥ አስፈላጊ ወይም ተደማጭነት ያለው ሰው

In Practice

"The big cheese of the supermarket chain visited today."

"He wants to be the big cheese in the retail industry."

Fluent Tip

Refers to a boss or leader.

Salt of the earth

/ሶልት ኦፍ ዘ እርዝ/

ቅን እና ታማኝ ሰው

A very good and honest person

በጣም ጥሩ እና ታማኝ ሰው

In Practice

"The local grocer is the salt of the earth."

"She is a salt of the earth person who always helps customers."

Fluent Tip

Used to praise someone's character.

Sour grapes

/ሳወር ግሬፕስ/

ምቀኝነት

To disparage something because one cannot have it

አንድን ነገር ማግኘት ስላልተቻለ ብቻ ማጣጣል

In Practice

"His criticism of the organic store is just sour grapes."

"She said she didn't want the job anyway, but it sounded like sour grapes."

Fluent Tip

Used when someone acts bitter after a failure.

Bite off more than you can chew

/ባይት ኦፍ ሞር ዛን ዩ ካን ቺው/

ከአቅም በላይ መሞከር

To take on a task that is way too big

ከአቅም በላይ የሆነን ተግባር ለመስራት መሞከር

In Practice

"I bit off more than I could chew by trying to carry all these bags."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew with this expansion."

Fluent Tip

Used when someone overestimates their ability.

Ring up

/ሪንግ አፕ/

ሂሳብ መመዝገብ

To record a purchase on a cash register

በሂሳብ መመዝገቢያ ማሽን ላይ ሽያጭን መመዝገብ

In Practice

"The cashier will ring up your items now."

"How much did he ring up for the milk?"

Fluent Tip

Common in checkout situations.

Check out

/ቼክ አውት/

ሂሳብ ከፍሎ መውጣት

To pay for goods and leave a store

ለዕቃዎች ክፍያ ፈጽሞ ከመደብር መውጣት

In Practice

"I am ready to check out now."

"The line to check out is very long."

Fluent Tip

Standard procedure at the end of shopping.

Stock up

/ስቶክ አፕ/

አከማችቶ መግዛት

To buy a large quantity of something for future use

ለወደፊት አገልግሎት እንዲሆን አንድን ነገር በብዛት መግዛት

In Practice

"We need to stock up on water before the storm."

"I always stock up on pasta when it is on sale."

Fluent Tip

Buying in bulk or large amounts.

Pick out

/ፒክ አውት/

መምረጥ

To choose something from a group

ከብዙ ነገሮች መካከል መምረጥ

In Practice

"Can you help me pick out a ripe melon?"

"She picked out the freshest vegetables."

Fluent Tip

Used when selecting specific items.

Run out of

/ረን አውት ኦፍ/

ማለቅ

To finish the supply of something

የአንድ ነገር ክምችት ማለቅ

In Practice

"We have run out of milk."

"The store ran out of bread by noon."

Fluent Tip

Used when an item is no longer available.

Put back

/ፑት ባክ/

መልሶ ማስቀመጥ

To return something to its original place

አንድን ነገር ወደ ነበረበት ቦታ መመለስ

In Practice

"Please put the cereal back on the shelf."

"I decided not to buy it and put it back."

Fluent Tip

Common in stores when changing your mind.

Line up

/ላይን አፕ/

ሰልፍ መያዝ

To form or stand in a queue

በሰልፍ መቆም

In Practice

"Customers began to line up before the store opened."

"Please line up at register four."

Fluent Tip

Wait in order.

Pay for

/ፔይ ፎር/

መክፈል

To give money in exchange for goods

ለዕቃዎች ምትክ ገንዘብ መስጠት

In Practice

"I need to pay for these groceries."

"Did you pay for the eggs?"

Fluent Tip

Standard transaction verb.

Look for

/ሉክ ፎር/

መፈለግ

To search for something

አንድን ነገር ለመፈለግ መሞከር

In Practice

"I am looking for the spice aisle."

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Fluent Tip

Used when trying to find an item.

Mark down

/ማርክ ዳውን/

ዋጋ መቀነስ

To reduce the price of something

የአንድን ነገር ዋጋ መቀነስ

In Practice

"They marked down the meat because it expires tomorrow."

"Everything in this section is marked down."

Fluent Tip

Refers to discounts and sales.

Weigh out

/ዌይ አውት/

መመዘን

To measure the weight of something

የአንድን ነገር ክብደት መለካት

In Practice

"You need to weigh out the produce before going to the till."

"He weighed out two kilos of flour."

Fluent Tip

Common in the produce or bulk section.

Pop in

/ፖፕ ኢን/

ለጥቂት ጊዜ መጎብኘት

To visit a place briefly

አንድን ቦታ ለአጭር ጊዜ መጎብኘት

In Practice

"I'll just pop in to the shop for some bread."

"Can we pop in to the supermarket on our way home?"

Fluent Tip

Informal way to say visiting quickly.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

/ዶንት ፑት ኦል ዩር ኤግስ ኢን ዋን ባስኬት/

ሁሉንም ነገር በአንድ ቦታ ላይ አታድርግ

Do not risk everything on a single venture

ሁሉንም ሃብት ወይም ጥረት በአንድ ነገር ላይ ብቻ አታፍስስ

In Practice

"Diversify your investments; don't put all your eggs in one basket."

"I'm applying to several stores because I shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket."

Fluent Tip

Advice about caution and diversification.

Half a loaf is better than none

/ሃፍ ኤ ሎፍ ኢዝ ቤተር ዛን ነን/

ከምንም ግማሽ ይሻላል

Getting less than what you wanted is better than getting nothing

ከሚፈለገው ያነሰ ማግኘት ከምንም ከማጣት ይሻላል

In Practice

"They didn't have the large size, but half a loaf is better than none."

"I got a small discount; half a loaf is better than none."

Fluent Tip

Expressing gratitude for partial success.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

/ኤን አፕል ኤ ዴይ ኪፕስ ዘ ዶክተር አዌይ/

በቀን አንድ አፕል መብላት ከበሽታ ይከላከላል

Eating healthy food keeps you healthy

ጤናማ ምግብ መመገብ ለጤና ጠቃሚ ነው

In Practice

"I always buy fruit because an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Remember to eat your greens; an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Fluent Tip

Encouraging healthy eating habits.

Too many cooks spoil the broth

/ቱ ሜኒ ኩክስ ስፖይል ዘ ብሮዝ/

ሰራተኛ ቢበዛ ስራ ይበላሻል

Too many people working on the same thing can ruin it

በአንድ ስራ ላይ ብዙ ሰዎች ሲሰለፉ ስራው ሊበላሽ ይችላል

In Practice

"We don't need five people in the kitchen; too many cooks spoil the broth."

"The project failed because too many cooks spoil the broth."

Fluent Tip

Used when too much advice or help is counterproductive.

You can't have your cake and eat it too

/ዩ ካንት ሃቭ ዩር ኬክ ኤንድ ኢት ኢት ቱ/

ሁሉንም ነገር በአንድ ጊዜ ማግኘት አትችልም

You cannot possess two incompatible things at the same time

ሁለት የማይጣጣሙ ነገሮችን በአንድ ጊዜ ማግኘት አይቻልም

In Practice

"You want to save money but buy luxury food; you can't have your cake and eat it too."

"He wants a high salary but no work; he can't have his cake and eat it too."

Fluent Tip

Used to point out a contradiction in desires.

Hunger is the best sauce

/ሀንገር ኢዝ ዘ ቤስት ሶስ/

ለራበው ሰው ሁሉም ነገር ይጣፍጣል

Everything tastes good when you are hungry

የራበው ሰው ማንኛውንም ምግብ በደስታ ይበላል

In Practice

"The plain bread tasted great because hunger is the best sauce."

"After a long day of shopping, even the simplest snack was delicious; hunger is the best sauce."

Fluent Tip

Explaining why food tastes better when hungry.

Crying over spilled milk

/ክራይንግ ኦቨር ስፒልድ ሚልክ/

ባለፈ ነገር መቆጨት

Worrying about something that has already happened and cannot be changed

ሊቀየር በማይችል ባለፈ ነገር ላይ መጨነቅ

In Practice

"I broke the jar, but there's no use crying over spilled milk."

"The sale ended yesterday; don't cry over spilled milk."

Fluent Tip

Advice to move on from minor accidents.

Out of the frying pan into the fire

/አውት ኦፍ ዘ ፍራይንግ ፓን ኢንቱ ዘ ፋየር/

ከድጡ ወደ ማጡ

Going from a bad situation to an even worse one

ከአንድ መጥፎ ሁኔታ ወደ ሌላ የባሰ ሁኔታ መሸጋገር

In Practice

"I left that expensive store only to find the next one is even worse; out of the frying pan into the fire."

"He quit his job and now he is broke; out of the frying pan into the fire."

Fluent Tip

Describes escalating problems.

A hungry man is an angry man

/ኤ ሀንገሪ ማን ኢዝ ኤን አንገሪ ማን/

የራበው ሰው ይቆጣል

A person who is hungry is easily annoyed

የራበው ሰው በቀላሉ ይበሳጫል

In Practice

"Let's get some groceries quickly; a hungry man is an angry man."

"He was very irritable because he hadn't eaten; a hungry man is an angry man."

Fluent Tip

Refers to 'hangry' behavior.

Better a small fish than an empty dish

/ቤተር ኤ ስሞል ፊሽ ዛን ኤን ኤምፕቲ ዲሽ/

ከምንም ትንሽ ይሻላል

It is better to have a little than nothing at all

ምንም ከማጣት ጥቂት ነገር ማግኘት ይሻላል

In Practice

"The shop only had one loaf left, but better a small fish than an empty dish."

"I didn't get the full refund, but better a small fish than an empty dish."

Fluent Tip

Similar to 'half a loaf'.

Forbidden fruit is sweetest

/ፎርቢደን ፍሩት ኢዝ ስዊተስት/

የተከለከለ ነገር ይጣፍጣል

Things that are prohibited are often more desirable

የተከለከሉ ነገሮች የበለጠ ተፈላጊ ይሆናሉ

In Practice

"He's on a diet, so the cake looks like forbidden fruit to him."

"Forbidden fruit is sweetest; that's why she wants the most expensive item."

Fluent Tip

Talking about temptation.

Bread is the staff of life

/ብሬድ ኢዝ ዘ ስታፍ ኦፍ ላይፍ/

ምግብ ለሰው ልጅ መሰረት ነው

Food is necessary for survival

ምግብ ለሰው ልጅ ህልውና እጅግ አስፈላጊ ነው

In Practice

"Every culture has its own bread; it truly is the staff of life."

"We must ensure everyone has access to food, for bread is the staff of life."

Fluent Tip

Emphasizing the importance of basic food.

Bucks

/ባክስ/

ዶላሮች

Dollars or money

ገንዘብ ወይም ዶላር

In Practice

"This cereal costs five bucks."

"I only have ten bucks in my pocket."

Fluent Tip

Informal term for currency.

Cheapskate

/ቺፕስኬት/

ቆጣቢ/ቋጣሪ

A person who is unwilling to spend money

ገንዘብ ለማውጣት የማይፈልግ ስስታም ሰው

In Practice

"Don't be such a cheapskate; buy the good brand."

"The cheapskate refused to pay for a plastic bag."

Fluent Tip

Derogatory term for a stingy person.

A steal

/ኤ ስቲል/

በጣም ርካሽ

A bargain or something bought very cheaply

በጣም በዝቅተኛ ዋጋ የተገኘ ዕቃ

In Practice

"At only two dollars, this steak is a steal!"

"That's a steal for such high quality."

Fluent Tip

Used when a price is surprisingly low.

Grub

/ግራብ/

ምግብ

Food

ምግብ

In Practice

"Let's go get some grub at the deli."

"There is plenty of grub in the pantry."

Fluent Tip

Informal/casual word for food.

Nosh

/ኖሽ/

ቀለል ያለ ምግብ

To eat or snack; also refers to food

መክሰስ ወይም ቀለል ያለ ምግብ መብላት

In Practice

"I need a quick nosh before I continue shopping."

"The store has a great selection of nosh."

Fluent Tip

Casual, often referring to snacks.

Checkout

/ቼክአውት/

መክፈያ

The area where you pay

ክፍያ የሚፈጸምበት ቦታ

In Practice

"See you at the checkout."

"Which checkout is open?"

Fluent Tip

Standard but informal in store context.

Carting

/ካርቲንግ/

በጋሪ መውሰድ

Carrying things in a shopping cart

ዕቃዎችን በገበያ ጋሪ ውስጥ መያዝ

In Practice

"I've been carting these groceries around for an hour."

"He's carting a lot of heavy stuff."

Fluent Tip

Specific to using a shopping cart.

BOGOF

/ቦጎፍ/

አንድ ሲገዙ አንድ በነጻ

Buy One Get One Free

አንድ ሲገዙ አንድ በነጻ የሚያገኙበት አሰራር

In Practice

"Check the BOGOF deals on the end cap."

"Is this item a BOGOF?"

Fluent Tip

Common retail acronym (Buy One Get One Free).

Mark-up

/ማርክ-አፕ/

የዋጋ ጭማሪ

An increase in price over the cost price

ከዋናው ዋጋ ላይ የሚደረግ የትርፍ ጭማሪ

In Practice

"The mark-up on convenience store items is huge."

"What is the mark-up on these imported goods?"

Fluent Tip

Business/shopping slang for price increases.

Local

/ሎካል/

የአካባቢ መደብር

The neighborhood store

በቅርብ የሚገኝ የአካባቢ መደብር

In Practice

"I'm just going down to the local for some milk."

"Support your local stores."

Fluent Tip

Refers to a nearby shop.

Spender

/ስፔንደር/

ገንዘብ አውጪ

Someone who spends a lot of money

ብዙ ገንዘብ የሚያወጣ ሰው

In Practice

"He is a big spender when it comes to groceries."

"Are you a big spender or a saver?"

Fluent Tip

Describes spending habits.

Dosher

/ዶሸር/

ሰነፍ ገዢ

Someone who shops aimlessly

ያለ አላማ የሚገበያይ ሰው

In Practice

"Stop being a dosher and find the eggs."

"I was just a dosher today, didn't buy much."

Fluent Tip

Rare/regional slang for aimless shopping.

Do the shopping

/ዱ ዘ ሾፒንግ/

ግዢ መፈጸም

The act of buying groceries and household goods

ምግብና ሌሎች የቤት ውስጥ ዕቃዎችን የመግዛት ተግባር

In Practice

"It is my turn to do the shopping this week."

"When do you usually do the shopping?"

Fluent Tip

Standard way to describe the weekly errand.

Grocery run

/ግሮሰሪ ረን/

ለግዢ መውጣት

A quick trip to the grocery store

ለአጭር ግዢ ወደ መደብር መሄድ

In Practice

"I need to make a quick grocery run."

"Do you want anything from my grocery run?"

Fluent Tip

Used for short, functional shopping trips.

Quick trip

/ክዊክ ትሪፕ/

አጭር ጉዞ

A very brief visit to a store

ወደ መደብር የሚደረግ በጣም አጭር ጉብኝት

In Practice

"I'll take a quick trip to the store for bread."

"It was just a quick trip, I'm already back."

Fluent Tip

Emphasizes speed.

Pop to the shops

/ፖፕ ቱ ዘ ሾፕስ/

ለጥቂት ጊዜ ወደ ሱቅ መሄድ

To go to the stores for a short time

ለአጭር ጊዜ ወደ ሱቆች ጎራ ማለት

In Practice

"I'm just going to pop to the shops."

"Can you pop to the shops and get some eggs?"

Fluent Tip

Common in British English for a quick errand.

Pick up some bits

/ፒክ አፕ ሰም ቢትስ/

ጥቂት ነገሮችን መግዛት

To buy a few miscellaneous items

ጥቂት የተለያዩ ትናንሽ ነገሮችን መግዛት

In Practice

"I need to pick up some bits for dinner."

"Did you pick up those bits I asked for?"

Fluent Tip

Vague way to describe buying several small things.

Grab some milk

/ግራብ ሰም ሚልክ/

ወተት መግዛት

To quickly purchase milk (or any single item)

በፍጥነት ወተት መግዛት

In Practice

"I need to grab some milk on the way home."

"Can you grab some milk while you're out?"

Fluent Tip

Informal use of 'grab' meaning to buy quickly.

Out of stock

/አውት ኦፍ ስቶክ/

ተሽጦ ያለቀ

Not currently available in the store

በአሁኑ ጊዜ በመደብሩ ውስጥ የማይገኝ

In Practice

"I'm sorry, that item is out of stock."

"How long will it be out of stock?"

Fluent Tip

Retail term for unavailable items.

Aisle-hopping

/አይል-ሆፒንግ/

ከአንድ መተላለፊያ ወደ ሌላ መዘዋወር

Moving quickly from one section of the store to another

በመደብሩ ውስጥ ከአንድ ክፍል ወደ ሌላው በፍጥነት መዘዋወር

In Practice

"I was aisle-hopping to find all the ingredients."

"Stop aisle-hopping and follow the list."

Fluent Tip

Describes searching through multiple sections.

Shelf-stable

/ሸልፍ-ስቴብል/

ሳይበላሽ የሚቆይ

Items that can be stored on a shelf without refrigeration

ሳይቀዘቅዙ በመደርደሪያ ላይ ሊቀመጡ የሚችሉ ዕቃዎች

In Practice

"Canned beans are shelf-stable."

"I prefer buying shelf-stable milk for emergencies."

Fluent Tip

Technical/colloquial term for non-perishables.

Bulk-buy

/በልክ-ባይ/

በጅምላ መግዛት

Buying large quantities to save money

ገንዘብ ለመቆጠብ ሲባል በብዛት መግዛት

In Practice

"We always bulk-buy toilet paper."

"Is it cheaper to bulk-buy rice?"

Fluent Tip

Buying in large volumes.

Price-check

/ፕራይስ-ቼክ/

ዋጋ ማረጋገጥ

Confirming the cost of an item

የአንድን ዕቃ ዋጋ ማረጋገጥ

In Practice

"Can I get a price-check on this item, please?"

"The cashier called for a price-check."

Fluent Tip

Common interaction with staff.

Check the date

/ቼክ ዘ ዴት/

ቀኑን ማየት

Looking at the expiration or best-before date

የአገልግሎት ማብቂያ ቀኑን መመልከት

In Practice

"Always check the date before buying yogurt."

"I forgot to check the date and it was expired."

Fluent Tip

Crucial habit during shopping.

Aisle of life

/አይል ኦፍ ላይፍ/

የህይወት ጎዳና

The different choices or paths available in life

በህይወት ውስጥ ያሉ የተለያዩ ምርጫዎች ወይም መንገዶች

In Practice

"She is currently navigating the difficult aisles of life."

"Which aisle of life will you choose next?"

Fluent Tip

Comparing life choices to store aisles.

Shelf life

/ሸልፍ ላይፍ/

የቆይታ ጊዜ

The length of time something remains useful or popular

አንድ ነገር ጠቃሚ ሆኖ የሚቆይበት ጊዜ

In Practice

"This trend has a very short shelf life."

"Ideas also have a shelf life."

Fluent Tip

Extended from food to general usefulness.

Recipe for success

/ሬሲፒ ፎር ሰክሰስ/

ለስኬት የሚያበቃ መንገድ

A set of instructions or conditions likely to lead to success

ወደ ስኬት የሚመሩ ቅደም ተከተሎች ወይም ሁኔታዎች

In Practice

"Hard work is a key ingredient in the recipe for success."

"Do you have the recipe for success in business?"

Fluent Tip

Comparing success to a cooking recipe.

Inventory of thoughts

/ኢንቬንተሪ ኦፍ ዞትስ/

የሃሳብ ክምችት

A collection of one's current ideas or feelings

የአንድ ሰው የአሁኑ ሃሳቦች ወይም ስሜቶች ስብስብ

In Practice

"I need to take an inventory of my thoughts before deciding."

"His inventory of thoughts was quite messy."

Fluent Tip

Comparing the mind to a store's stock.

Scanning the options

/ስካኒንግ ዘ ኦፕሽንስ/

አማራጮችን መመልከት

Quickly looking through various possibilities

የተለያዩ አማራጮችን በፍጥነት መመርመር

In Practice

"He was scanning the options for a new car."

"After scanning the options, she chose the red one."

Fluent Tip

Comparing choosing to scanning a barcode.

Price of progress

/ፕራይስ ኦፍ ፕሮግረስ/

የእድገት ዋጋ

The negative consequences of advancement

ለእድገት የሚከፈል መስዋዕትነት ወይም አሉታዊ ውጤት

In Practice

"Loss of privacy is the price of progress."

"Is the price of progress too high?"

Fluent Tip

Comparing social cost to a store price.

Discount on dreams

/ዲስካውንት ኦን ድሪምስ/

በህልም ላይ የሚደረግ ቅናሽ (ተስፋ መቁረጥ)

To lower one's expectations or goals

የአንድን ሰው ተስፋ ወይም ግብ ዝቅ ማድረግ

In Practice

"Don't put a discount on your dreams; aim high."

"She felt like she was living a discount on her dreams."

Fluent Tip

Poetic way to talk about settling for less.

Bulk-buy memories

/በልክ-ባይ ሚሞሪስ/

ብዙ ትውስታዎችን ማጠራቀም

To gather many experiences in a short time

በአጭር ጊዜ ውስጥ ብዙ ልምዶችን መሰብሰብ

In Practice

"Traveling allows you to bulk-buy memories."

"We bulk-bought memories during our summer vacation."

Fluent Tip

Comparing experiences to bulk purchasing.

Checking out early

/ቼኪንግ አውት እርሊ/

ቀድሞ መውጣት (መሞት ወይም ስራ ማቆም)

To leave a situation (or life) before expected

አንድን ሁኔታ ከሚጠበቀው ጊዜ ቀድሞ መልቀቅ

In Practice

"He checked out early from the meeting."

"Some people unfortunately check out early from life."

Fluent Tip

Comparing leaving to finishing shopping.

Fresh start

/ፍሬሽ ስታርት/

አዲስ ጅምር

A new beginning like fresh produce

እንደ ትኩስ ምርት ያለ አዲስ ጅምር

In Practice

"Every morning is a fresh start."

"I need a fresh start in a new city."

Fluent Tip

Using 'freshness' to mean newness.

Expired hope

/ኤክስፓይርድ ሆፕ/

ያለፈበት ተስፋ

Hope that is no longer valid or useful

ከአሁን በኋላ የማይሰራ ወይም የማይጠቅም ተስፋ

In Practice

"He was clinging to expired hope."

"Don't let your dreams become expired hope."

Fluent Tip

Comparing lost hope to expired food.

Shopping for ideas

/ሾፒንግ ፎር አይዲያስ/

ሃሳብ መፈለግ

Looking around for new concepts or suggestions

አዳዲስ ጽንሰ-ሃሳቦችን ወይም ጥቆማዎችን መፈለግ

In Practice

"I'm just shopping for ideas for my next project."

"She went to the library to shop for ideas."

Fluent Tip

Comparing brainstorming to shopping.

Fresh as a daisy

/ፍሬሽ ኤዝ ኤ ዴይዚ/

እንደ አበባ ትኩስ

Very fresh and energetic

በጣም ትኩስ እና ንቁ

In Practice

"After a nap, I felt fresh as a daisy."

"The vegetables looked fresh as a daisy."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe freshness or energy.

Cool as a cucumber

/ኩል ኤዝ ኤ ኪውከምበር/

በጣም ረጋ ያለ

Very calm and composed, especially under pressure

በተለይ በጭንቀት ጊዜ በጣም የተረጋጋ

In Practice

"Despite the long lines, the cashier was cool as a cucumber."

"He stayed cool as a cucumber during the argument."

Fluent Tip

Describes calmness.

Selling like hotcakes

/ሴሊንግ ላይክ ሆትኬክስ/

እንደ ትኩስ ቂጣ መሸጥ

Selling very quickly and in large quantities

በጣም በፍጥነት እና በብዛት መሸጥ

In Practice

"The new iPhones are selling like hotcakes."

"These discounted snacks are selling like hotcakes."

Fluent Tip

Describes high demand.

Easy as pie

/ኢዚ ኤዝ ፓይ/

እንደ ኬክ ቀላል

Very simple to do

ለማከናወን በጣም ቀላል

In Practice

"Finding the exit was easy as pie."

"Using this self-checkout is easy as pie."

Fluent Tip

Similar to 'piece of cake'.

Flat as a pancake

/ፍላት ኤዝ ኤ ፓንኬክ/

እንደ ፓንኬክ የጠፈጠፈ

Very flat

በጣም ጠፍጣፋ የሆነ

In Practice

"The bread was accidentally crushed and became flat as a pancake."

"The landscape is flat as a pancake."

Fluent Tip

Describes extreme flatness.

Red as a beet

/ሬድ ኤዝ ኤ ቢት/

እንደ ቀይ ስር የቀላ

To have a very red face, usually from embarrassment

በተለይ በሀፍረት ምክንያት ፊት በጣም መቀላት

In Practice

"She turned red as a beet when she realized she forgot her purse."

"His face was red as a beet after the run."

Fluent Tip

Describes blushing or embarrassment.

Sour as a lemon

/ሳወር ኤዝ ኤ ሌመን/

እንደ ሎሚ የኮመጠጠ

Very sour or having a grumpy attitude

በጣም የኮመጠጠ ወይም መጥፎ ባህሪ ያለው

In Practice

"The milk had gone sour as a lemon."

"The manager's expression was sour as a lemon."

Fluent Tip

Can describe taste or personality.

Sweet as honey

/ስዊት ኤዝ ሀኒ/

እንደ ማር የጣፈጠ

Very sweet or kind

በጣም ጣፋጭ ወይም ደግ

In Practice

"These grapes are sweet as honey."

"The old lady at the store is sweet as honey."

Fluent Tip

Describes flavor or kindness.

Packed like sardines

/ፓክድ ላይክ ሳርዲንስ/

እንደ ሳርዲን የታሸገ (የተጨናነቀ)

Very crowded or cramped

በጣም የተጨናነቀ ወይም የጠበበ

In Practice

"The shoppers were packed like sardines in the small aisle."

"We were packed like sardines on the bus."

Fluent Tip

Describes crowded places.

Clean as a whistle

/ክሊን ኤዝ ኤ ዊስል/

በጣም ንጹህ

Perfectly clean or clear

ፍፁም ንጹህ የሆነ

In Practice

"The supermarket floor was clean as a whistle."

"Make sure your hands are clean as a whistle before touching produce."

Fluent Tip

Describes extreme cleanliness.

Cheap as chips

/ቺፕ ኤዝ ቺፕስ/

እንደ ድንች ጥብስ ርካሽ

Very inexpensive

በጣም ርካሽ የሆነ

In Practice

"This brand of pasta is cheap as chips."

"I got this shirt for a price that's cheap as chips."

Fluent Tip

Common in British English for low prices.

Hard as a nut

/ሀርድ ኤዝ ኤ ናት/

እንደ ለውዝ የጠነከረ

Very tough or difficult

በጣም ጠንካራ ወይም አስቸጋሪ

In Practice

"This bread is as hard as a nut; it must be old."

"He is as hard as a nut when it comes to bargaining."

Fluent Tip

Describes physical hardness or toughness.

The customer is always right

/ዘ ካስተመር ኢዝ ኦልዌይስ ራይት/

ደንበኛ ሁልጊዜ ትክክል ነው

The belief that customer complaints should be handled favorably

የደንበኞች ቅሬታ ሁልጊዜ በአዎንታዊ መልኩ መታየት አለበት የሚል እምነት

In Practice

"Even if they are wrong, remember that the customer is always right."

"The store policy is that the customer is always right."

Fluent Tip

Common retail mantra.

You get what you pay for

/ዩ ጌት ዋት ዩ ፔይ ፎር/

እንደ ከፈሉት ያገኛሉ

The quality of a product is related to its price

የአንድ ዕቃ ጥራት ከዋጋው ጋር የተያያዘ ነው

In Practice

"That cheap knife broke immediately; well, you get what you pay for."

"Don't expect luxury at this price; you get what you pay for."

Fluent Tip

Used to explain why cheap items fail.

Time is money

/ታይም ኢዝ መኒ/

ጊዜ ገንዘብ ነው

Time is a valuable resource

ጊዜ በጣም ውድ ሃብት ነው

In Practice

"Let's hurry up with the shopping; time is money!"

"I used the express lane because time is money."

Fluent Tip

Encouraging efficiency.

Every penny counts

/ኤቭሪ ፔኒ ካውንትስ/

እያንዳንዱ ሳንቲም ዋጋ አለው

Every small amount of money is important

እያንዳንዷ ትንሽ ገንዘብ አስፈላጊ ነች

In Practice

"I use coupons because every penny counts."

"We are saving for a house, so every penny counts."

Fluent Tip

Used when budgeting.

Health is wealth

/ሄልዝ ኢዝ ዌልዝ/

ጤና ሃብት ነው

Being healthy is more important than having money

ጤናማ መሆን ከገንዘብ ይበልጣል

In Practice

"I buy organic food because health is wealth."

"Don't work too hard; remember that health is wealth."

Fluent Tip

Promoting healthy choices.

Shop till you drop

/ሾፕ ቲል ዩ ድሮፕ/

እስኪደክም ድረስ መገበያየት

To go shopping for a very long time

ለረጅም ጊዜ ግዢ መፈጸም

In Practice

"It's the holiday season, time to shop till you drop!"

"We went to the mall and shopped till we dropped."

Fluent Tip

Describes a marathon shopping session.

Window shopping

/ዊንዶው ሾፒንግ/

ዕቃዎችን ለማየት ብቻ መዘዋወር

Looking at goods in store windows without intending to buy

ዕቃዎችን ለመግዛት ሳይሆን ለማየት ብቻ በመደብሮች መዘዋወር

In Practice

"I don't have money today, so I'm just window shopping."

"Window shopping can be a fun weekend activity."

Fluent Tip

Looking without buying.

Better safe than sorry

/ቤተር ሴፍ ዛን ሶሪ/

ከመቆጨት መጠንቀቅ ይሻላል

It is better to be cautious than to regret later

በኋላ ከመጸጸት አስቀድሞ ጥንቃቄ ማድረግ ይሻላል

In Practice

"Check the expiration date; better safe than sorry."

"I'll bring an extra bag; better safe than sorry."

Fluent Tip

Advice for being careful.

Buy one get one free

/ባይ ዋን ጌት ዋን ፍሪ/

አንድ ሲገዙ አንድ በነጻ

A promotion where you get a second item for no cost

አንድ ዕቃ ሲገዙ ሁለተኛውን በነጻ የሚያገኙበት ማስታወቂያ

In Practice

"The bread is on a buy one get one free offer."

"I love buy one get one free deals."

Fluent Tip

Standard marketing phrase.

Fresh from the farm

/ፍሬሽ ፍሮም ዘ ፋርም/

ከእርሻ እንደመጣ (ትኩስ)

Very fresh produce recently harvested

በቅርቡ የተሰበሰበ በጣም ትኩስ ምርት

In Practice

"These apples are fresh from the farm."

"I love the taste of eggs fresh from the farm."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe high-quality produce.

Value for money

/ቫልዩ ፎር መኒ/

ለሚከፍሉት ተመጣጣኝ ጥቅም

Getting a good quality product for the price paid

ለተከፈለው ገንዘብ ተመጣጣኝ የሆነ ጥራት ማግኘት

In Practice

"This store offers great value for money."

"Is this expensive brand really value for money?"

Fluent Tip

Evaluating a purchase.

Quality over quantity

/ኳሊቲ ኦቨር ኳንቲቲ/

ከብዛት ጥራት

It is better to have good things than many things

ከብዙ የማይረቡ ነገሮች ጥቂት ጥራት ያላቸው ነገሮች ይሻላሉ

In Practice

"I prefer to buy one good steak; quality over quantity."

"In this store, they focus on quality over quantity."

Fluent Tip

Emphasizing excellence over volume.