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food + errands

what to say at a mercado or tianguis

Markets reward short, warm Spanish: ask, point, confirm the price, and do not freeze because you forgot the name of the thing.

Use This First

  • Learn cuanto, me da, de este, medio kilo, and ¿cuánto le debo?
  • Pointing is fine if your Spanish is honest and polite.
  • Lana is slang for money, but use pesos in the actual transaction.
Street food stand in Mexico City with a cook preparing food at the counter
Photo by Daniel Lerman on Unsplash
People sitting outside a bookstore cafe in Mexico City
Photo by Dick Hoogerdijk on Unsplash

Memorize these first

ask and point

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? How much does it cost? price check safe
  • ¿Me da medio kilo? Can I get half a kilo? buying produce safe
  • De este, por favor. This one, please. pointing safe
  • ¿Tiene más grande? Do you have a bigger one? choosing goods safe

finish cleanly

  • ¿Cuánto le debo? How much do I owe you? paying safe
  • Así está bien. That is fine like that. confirming safe
  • Ahorita regreso. I will come back in a bit. soft exit safe
  • Sale, gracias. Okay, thanks. closing local

One-screen cheat sheet

🛍️
mercado / tianguis cheat sheet Screenshot this before you go.
Spanish English Use case Safety
¿Cuánto cuesta? How much does it cost? price check safe
¿Me da medio kilo? Can I get half a kilo? buying produce safe
De este, por favor. This one, please. pointing safe
¿Tiene más grande? Do you have a bigger one? choosing goods safe
¿Cuánto le debo? How much do I owe you? paying safe
Así está bien. That is fine like that. confirming safe
Ahorita regreso. I will come back in a bit. soft exit safe
Sale, gracias. Okay, thanks. closing local

the gringo trap

Do not say this by default

don't say this

Do not apologize for pointing when you do not know the noun.

say this

Say de este, por favor and keep the line moving.

The market is practical. Polite pointing beats a long translated noun hunt.

safe / local / spicy

Pick your register

safe

¿Cuánto cuesta esto?

local

¿Cuánto le debo?

spicy

¿A cómo me lo deja?

The spicy version is for light bargaining, not for every stall.

How it sounds

buying fruit

Buenas, ¿me da medio kilo de este? Hi, can I get half a kilo of this?
Claro. ¿Algo más? Sure. Anything else?
No, así está bien. No, that is fine.
Son treinta. It is thirty.

soft exit

Está bonito, ¿cuánto cuesta? It is nice, how much is it?
Doscientos. Two hundred.
Va, ahorita regreso. Okay, I will come back in a bit.
Sale. Okay.

Practice cards

three fast taps before you try it outside.

You do not know the name of the fruit, but you can point.

You need the safest version for mercado / tianguis. What do you pick first?

Which move avoids the gringo trap?

Words you'll hear

lana — Mexican Spanish for Money. Cash. The wool.
sale — Mexican Spanish for Cool. Deal. Sounds good.
chido — Mexican Spanish for Cool, awesome, the good stuff.
fresa — Mexican Spanish for Preppy. Snobby. Posh-on-purpose.
¡aguas! — Mexican Spanish for Heads up! Watch out!
ahorita — Mexican Spanish for Right now. Soon. In a bit. Maybe never.
al chile — Mexican Spanish for For real. Straight up. No filter.
cagado — Mexican Spanish for Hilarious. Dying of laughter. (Crude but very common.)
chafa — Mexican Spanish for Cheap. Crappy. Low-rent.
chela — Mexican Spanish for Beer. The cold one.
chingón — Mexican Spanish for Awesome. Badass. The best.
crudo — Mexican Spanish for Hungover. Raw. Wrecked the morning after.

Deep dives

What to Say in Mercado Medellín When You Do Not Know the Names of Things
What to Say in Mercado Medellín When You Do Not Know the Names of Things Jun 6, 2026 · 3 min read
Mercado Jamaica Spanish: Flowers, Prices, Colors, and Not Freezing at the Stall
Mercado Jamaica Spanish: Flowers, Prices, Colors, and Not Freezing at the Stall Jun 7, 2026 · 3 min read
Tianguis Spanish in Mexico City: Bargaining, Sizes, and When to Just Smile
Tianguis Spanish in Mexico City: Bargaining, Sizes, and When to Just Smile Jun 6, 2026 · 3 min read

FAQ

What should I memorize first for mercado / tianguis?

Start with ¿Cuánto cuesta?, ¿Me da medio kilo?, De este, por favor., ¿Tiene más grande?, ¿Cuánto le debo?. These cover the fastest moments on the page.

Is this mercado / tianguis Spanish safe to use as a foreigner?

Yes. Start with the safe phrases, then use the local phrases with friends or people your age. Treat spicy phrases as context-dependent, not universal.

How should I practice this situation?

Read the cheat sheet out loud, run the mini-dialogues once in Spanish and once in English, then answer the practice card before you go out in CDMX.

Related situations

Keep the same vocabulary moving through nearby CDMX moments.

taqueríaThe taco stand is not the place to compose a perfect sentence. Learn the tiny phrases that get your order out cleanly.OXXOOXXO Spanish is small talk, payment prompts, and not panicking when the cashier says three things at once.paying the billThe money moment is tiny but loaded: cuenta, propina, vaquita, transfer, cash, and who is pretending not to notice.directionsThe map says one thing, the street says another, and a stranger can fix your day if you ask cleanly.