A useful shopping list tells you both what to buy and how many packages you need. This fictional supermarket activity practises finding products and checking a simple package size. The shelf positions are invented. Read the shopping request before looking at the label exercise so you do not confuse the number of packages with their contents.
Read the supermarket exchange
| Πού είναι το γάλα; | Where is the milk? |
| Στο ψυγείο, δίπλα στο γιαούρτι. | In the fridge, next to the yoghurt. |
| Θέλω δύο μπουκάλια γάλα και ένα πακέτο ρύζι. | I want two bottles of milk and one packet of rice. |
| Το ρύζι είναι στο δεύτερο ράφι. | The rice is on the second shelf. |
| Ευχαριστώ. Πού είναι τα ταμεία; | Thank you. Where are the checkouts? |
| Εκεί, δεξιά. | There, on the right. |
Find the product
Learn το γάλα, milk; το γιαούρτι, yoghurt; and το ρύζι, rice. Πού είναι…; asks where something is. In the first answer, στο ψυγείο means in the fridge and δίπλα στο γιαούρτι means next to the yoghurt. That answer describes this fictional shop, not a universal supermarket layout.
Count the containers
Ένα μπουκάλι is one bottle; δύο μπουκάλια is two bottles. Ένα πακέτο is one packet. In δύο μπουκάλια γάλα, the number counts bottles, not litres. The dialogue does not give the bottle size. You cannot work out the total volume without that extra information. Keep the product and container together when writing your list.
Read a simplified label
For a separate reading exercise, imagine a packet marked Ρύζι — 500 g. Ρύζι names the product, rice, and 500 g gives the mass of that packet. Two such packets contain 1,000 g, or one kilogram. This does not change the original shopping request, which asks for one packet. A quantity label is not a price or a complete ingredients list.
Follow the shelf and checkout answer
Στο δεύτερο ράφι means on the second shelf. The expression names a shelf, not aisle number two. Τα ταμεία refers to the checkouts. Εκεί, δεξιά means there, on the right. In a spoken exchange, εκεί may accompany a gesture; if you cannot locate the place, ask Μπορείτε να μου δείξετε; — “Can you show me?”.
Check the list and label
- Where is the milk in the dialogue?
- How many milk bottles does the shopper want?
- Does δεύτερο ράφι mean second shelf or second aisle?
- How much rice is in two packets marked 500 g each?
See the answers
1. In the fridge, next to the yoghurt. 2. Two bottles. 3. Second shelf. 4. 1,000 g, or one kilogram; the original order is still one packet.
Write a different list
Write a new list with one bottle of milk and two packets of rice: ένα μπουκάλι γάλα, δύο πακέτα ρύζι. Then ask Πού είναι το ρύζι; and answer using the shelf phrase. Finally explain which detail is missing if you want to calculate the total amount of milk. The bottle size is not stated, so do not guess it.