Getting by at the supermarket

En el supermercado At the supermarket

The following information will help you when you are out and about at the supermarket.

Popular products and useful phrases

There are a few main supermarkets in the Estepona and Marbella areas, but the most popular, everyday supermarkets are Supersol and Mercadona.

Supersol - This tends to be a little more expensive than Mercadona although it carries slightly more English products. There is a Supersol supermarket about 5 minutes from the Spanish school.

Mercadona - This is a very Spanish supermarket and has a superb range of products, including a fresh fish / seafood counter and a huge selection of fruit and vegetables. There is also a Mercadona 5 minutes from the Spanish school.

Some of the main products you will need 

Let's start with some fruit and vegetables. Although some will be very familiar sounding, others will bear no resemblence what so ever.

Apple(s) - Manzana(s)

Orange(s) - Naranja(s)

Pear(s) - Pera(s)

Pineapple(s) - Piña(s)

Banana(s) - Plátano(s)

Grapefruit - Pomelo

Grapes - Uvas

Lemon(s) - Limón(es)

Peaches - (Melocotón(es)

Most supermarkets have the fruit on shelves but occasionally you might need to ask an assistant to give you a certain weight of fruit.

1 kilo of oranges please - un kilo de naranjas por favor

1/2 a kilo of apples - medio kilo de manzanas

2 grapefruits - dos pomelos

Now let's look at some of the main vegetables you might need for everyday cooking in Spain.

Carrot(s) - Zanahoria(s)

Potatoes - Patatas

Onion(s) - Cebolla(s)

Garlic - Ajo

A red pepper - un pimiento rojo

A green pepper - un pimiento verde

Tomatoes  - Tomates

Lettuce - Lechuga

Salad - Ensalada

Spinach - Espinacas

Courgettes - Calabacines

Buying meat at a supermarket can be a challenge if you do not know the different meats in Spanish.

En la Carnicería - in the butchers (meat counter)

Chicken - Pollo

Beef - Ternera

Veal - Ternera Blanca

Pork - Cerdo

Lamb - Cordero

Duck - Pato