Convenience Store

1. ব্যাগ লাগবে? পাঁচ টাকা।

   Bag lagbe? Panch taka.

   Do you need a bag? Five taka

   Usage

   Said by staff. At a Bangladeshi mudi dokan (family-run grocery) the bag is charged for. Thin polythene is increasingly restricted in Dhaka and some shops only stock paper or cloth bags. Decline with "lagbe na"

   Grammar Note

   "Lāgā" expresses need; the person needing it takes the dative ("amar lagbe" = I need it), though that is dropped at the counter. The form is future in shape but asks about the here and now

2. শুধু একশো গ্রাম মেপে দিন।

   Shudhu eksho gram mepe din.

   Please weigh out just a hundred grams

   Usage

   Rice, pulses, sugar, spices and tea are scooped from sacks and tins and sold loose ("khola") at a Bangladeshi grocery. You can buy tiny amounts, which suits travellers and costs less than packaged goods. Units are "keji" and "gram", though older shopkeepers still understand the traditional "ser"

   Grammar Note

   "Mepe din" is the perfective participle of "mapa" (to measure) plus "din" (give). Bengali adds "deoya" (to give) when an action is done for the hearer. "Din" is the polite imperative matching "apni" — always use it in shops

3. ছোট প্যাকেটও আছে, দুই টাকার।

   Chhoto packet-o achhe, dui takar.

   We also have a small sachet, two taka

   Usage

   Said by staff. Shampoo, soap, detergent and tea come in single-use mini packs costing two to ten taka. Ask for a bottle and the shopkeeper will often suggest the sachet instead — more economical on a short trip. Look for the strips hanging in the shop front

   Grammar Note

   The additive "o" (also) is a suffix, not a separate word: "packet-o" = the packet too. Prices use the genitive — "dui takar" (of two taka) — which alone can stand for "the two-taka one"

4. ব্যাগ লাগবে না, আমার ব্যাগ আছে।

   Bag lagbe na, amar bag achhe.

   I do not need a bag, I have my own

   Usage

   More shops now charge for polythene, and carrying a cloth bag ("thole") has become normal. Declining saves a few taka and is taken as environmentally minded. Say it before the shopkeeper starts bagging

   Grammar Note

   Bengali has no verb "to have"; possession is "amar X achhe" — genitive plus the existential verb. The negator "na" normally follows the verb, giving "lagbe na"

5. স্ট্র লাগবে?

   Stro lagbe?

   Would you like a straw?

   Usage

   Said by staff. You will be asked when buying carton mango juice (Frooto and the like) or a yoghurt drink, though a straw is often already glued to the pack. Decline with "na, lagbe na"

   Grammar Note

   Bengali yes/no questions need no change of word order — a rising intonation is enough. You may insert "ki" ("stro ki lagbe?"), but it is usually dropped in quick counter exchanges

6. গায়ের দামেই বিক্রি, কমানো যাবে না।

   Gayer dameyi bikri, komano jabe na.

   We sell at the printed price — it cannot be reduced

   Usage

   Said by staff. "Gayer dam" (literally the price on its body) is the idiom for the price printed on the pack; Bangladesh requires an MRP on packaged goods. Unlike fresh produce at a bazaar, packaged items at a grocery are not negotiable, so this reply ends the haggling

   Grammar Note

   The emphatic suffix "i" attaches to the previous word: "dame-i" is "dam" (price) + "e" (at) + "i" (precisely). "Komano jabe na" is the verbal noun plus "jaoya", the passive-potential, negated: it cannot be lowered

7. উপরের তাক থেকে ওটা একটু নামিয়ে দিন।

   Uporer tak theke ota ektu namiye din.

   Please take that down from the upper shelf for me

   Usage

   A Bangladeshi grocery is counter service, not self-service: you stand at the street-side counter and the shopkeeper fetches things from the shelves behind. You never reach in yourself, so point and ask. In supermarkets such as Shwapno or Meena Bazar you can browse freely

   Grammar Note

   Demonstratives split three ways by distance: "eta" (this, near), "ota" (that, over there), "seta" (that, already mentioned). Adding "ektu" (a little) to a request softens the tone

8. কিউআর কোডটা দেখান, স্ক্যান করে পাঠিয়ে দিচ্ছি।

   QR code-ta dekhan, scan kore pathiye dichchhi.

   Please show the QR code, I will scan it and send the money

   Usage

   Mobile financial services bKash and Nagad are ubiquitous in Bangladesh, and even tiny shops have a QR sticker on the counter which the customer scans and pays from the app. Visitors need a Bangladeshi mobile number to open an account, so keep cash too

   Grammar Note

   "Ta" is a classifier suffix that makes a noun definite, functioning much like the English article (people take "jon" instead). "Dichchhi" is the first-person present continuous, also used for something you are about to do right away

9. ফ্রিজ থেকে আমি নিজে নিতে পারি?

   Frij theke ami nije nite pari?

   May I take it from the fridge myself?

   Usage

   The drinks fridge usually stands at the shop front and customers are generally free to help themselves. The area behind the counter is the owner's, though, so it is polite to ask first. Chilled is "thanda", room temperature is "normal"

   Grammar Note

   The infinitive plus "para" expresses ability or permission: "nite pari" covers both "I can take" and "may I take", and a rising intonation turns it into a request for permission. "Nije" is the reflexive pronoun stressing that the subject acts alone

10. সিল করা পানির বোতল আছে?

    Sil kora panir botol achhe?

    Do you have a sealed bottle of water?

    Usage

    Refilled bottles are a known risk, so check that the cap seal is unbroken before you leave the counter. Ask for a major brand such as Mum, Fresh or Aquafina. Note that Bangladesh says "pani" for water, unlike "jol" in West Bengal

    Grammar Note

    "Kora", the verbal noun of "kora" (to do), attaches to a noun to form an adjectival phrase: "sil kora" (sealed), "ranna kora" (cooked). The genitive is formed with "-r / -er": "pani" becomes "panir"

11. এখানে মোবাইলে ফ্লেক্সিলোড হয়?

    Ekhane mobile-e flexiload hoy?

    Can I get a mobile top-up here?

    Usage

    Topping up a phone in Bangladesh is called "flexiload" and is offered by corner groceries and even tea stalls — just give the number and the amount. It works for Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk, and is the easiest way to refill a tourist prepaid SIM

    Grammar Note

    The locative suffix "-e" means "in / at / to", so "mobile-e" is "onto the phone". "Hoy?" literally asks "does it happen?" and is the set way to check whether a service is offered: "ekhane ticket hoy?" (do you sell tickets here?)

12. এখানে বিদ্যুৎ বিল জমা দেওয়া যায়?

    Ekhane bidyut bil joma deoya jay?

    Can I pay an electricity bill here?

    Usage

    Groceries that double as bKash or Nagad agents accept electricity (DESCO, DPDC), gas and water bills — just show the bill number; a small fee applies. The same counter sells prepaid electricity meter tokens, which is useful on a longer stay

    Grammar Note

    "Verbal noun + jay" is an impersonal potential construction — it asks whether something can be done without naming the doer. "Bidyut" is a formal Sanskritic word; in everyday speech people also say "current", from English

13. এটার মেয়াদ কবে শেষ?

    Etar meyad kobe shesh?

    When does this expire?

    Usage

    Stock lingers on the shelves of a slow-moving shop, so always check dates on milk, bread and snacks. Packs carry "meyad uttirner tarikh" or the English "Expiry Date". If it has passed, say "meyad shesh hoye gechhe" and ask for a replacement

    Grammar Note

    Bengali drops the copula in nominal predicates, so "meyad kobe shesh?" contains no verb at all. "Meyad" entered Bengali from Arabic via Persian and is also used for contract terms

14. খুচরা নেই, চকলেট দিই?

    Khuchra nei, chocolate dii?

    I have no small change — shall I give you a chocolate instead?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small shops in Bangladesh are perpetually short of one- and five-taka coins, so a chocolate, sweet or piece of gum often stands in for the odd change. You can insist with "na, taka-i din" (no, cash please), though often the coins genuinely are not there

    Grammar Note

    "Nei" is the dedicated negative of "achhe" (there is) — you never say "achhe na". "Dii" is the first-person present, but with rising intonation it offers to do something: Bengali has no separate "shall I" form and uses the present instead

15. আজ টাকা কম, বাকি রাখা যাবে?

    Aj taka kom, baki rakha jabe?

    I am short of cash today — could you put it on my tab?

    Usage

    A mudi dokan runs on neighbourhood trust, and regulars may buy on credit ("baki"), noted in the shopkeeper's ledger ("khata"). Ask only if you are on a long stay and shop there often — a first-time visitor will normally be turned down, so do not press

    Grammar Note

    "Baki" comes from Arabic bāqī (remainder) and shifted from "balance due" to "credit". "Rakha jabe" is the verbal noun plus the passive-potential "jaoya", making a polite request that something be left standing

16. খুচরা আছে আপনার কাছে?

    Khuchra achhe apnar kachhe?

    Do you have small change on you?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Hand over a 500 or 1000 taka note and this is the first question you will get. Answer "hyan" (yes) or "na" (no). ATMs dispense only large notes, so break them at a big shop or restaurant before making small purchases

    Grammar Note

    "Apni" is the most respectful second person and the default for staff addressing customers ("tumi" is familiar, "tui" intimate/inferior). Possession uses the postpositional phrase "apnar kachhe achhe" (there is with you) rather than a verb "to have"

17. একটা প্যাকেট আলাদা করে দেওয়া যাবে?

    Ekta packet alada kore deoya jabe?

    Could you sell me just one packet on its own?

    Usage

    A Bangladeshi grocery will tear a strip of biscuits, detergent or shampoo apart and sell you a single unit. Cigarettes go one at a time and eggs one at a time too, so travellers need not buy more than they can use

    Grammar Note

    Numerals fuse with a classifier — "ek" + "ta" = "ekta" — and bare "ek" rarely modifies a noun on its own. "Alada kore" is an adverbial phrase built from the adjective "alada" (separate) plus "kore" (having done)

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