What you listen for: what the customer finally buys, and how much they pay
In key-point comprehension, the question is played before the conversation and you see the options first: is it asking what was bought, how much was paid, or why something wasn’t bought? In shops, staff speak at length and very politely, but most of it is set phrases; the real information is small: whether something is in stock, how long the wait is, how the price is worked out. On the customer’s side, listen for changes of mind and the final decision.
- Read the question and options: is it asking about an item, a price or a reason? When the options are prices, first think where those numbers might come from: unit price, extra charge, total, money handed over.
- Hear the situation: what kind of shop it is, and what the customer wants at first.
- Catch the conditions staff offer: 「あいにく」 (out of stock, full), 「〜でしたら」 (if you take another one), 「プラス〜円」 (extra charge).
- Listen for the customer’s decision: 「じゃあ、それで」 and 「〜にします」 settle it; 「やっぱり〜はいいです」 means they no longer want it.
| Expression | Meaning | What to watch for when you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| あいにく〜 | unfortunately … | bad news follows: out of stock, full, not available today |
| 〜でしたら | if it’s … | staff offer an alternative or a condition |
| 〜でよろしいでしょうか | would … be all right? | staff are checking; listen for whether the customer agrees or changes |
| じゃあ、それで／〜にします | then that one / I’ll have … | the customer’s decision |
| やっぱり〜はいいです | actually, I’ll pass on … | cancelling: 「いい」 here means “no thanks” |
| 〜は大丈夫です | … is fine (no thanks) | in answer to “would you like …?”, usually a refusal |
| 全部で〜になります | that comes to … altogether | the total: keep it separate from the money handed over and the change |
How speech sounds: turning staff keigo into plain speech
Staff sentences are long because every word has been turned into keigo. As you listen, turn them back into plain speech in your head, and the sentences get short. The left column below is what you hear in shops. 「〜になります」, used for prices and items, is just a polite “is”, not “becomes”; some people feel it isn’t quite correct, but you hear it in shops every day.
| What staff say | Plain form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 〜でよろしいでしょうか | 〜でいいですか | would … be all right? |
| 八百円になります | 八百円です | it’s 800 yen |
| ただいまお持ちします | すぐ持ってきます | I’ll bring it right away |
| ただいま満席でございます | 今、席がいっぱいです | we’re full at the moment |
| あいにく切らしております | 今、ありません | unfortunately we don’t have any (sold out) |
| お取り寄せになります | ほかから取り寄せます | it will have to be ordered in |
| 一万円お預かりします | 一万円受け取ります | received 10,000 yen from you |
| 二百円のお返しです | おつりは二百円です | here’s 200 yen change |
| 〜はいかがなさいますか | 〜はどうしますか | what would you like to do about …? (whether you want it, which one) |
ただいまお持ちしますので、少々お待ちください。
I’ll bring it right away, so please wait a moment.
「ただいま」 followed by an action (「お持ちします」) means “right away”.
申し訳ございません。ただいま満席でございます。
We’re very sorry. We’re full at the moment.
「ただいま」 followed by a state (「満席」) means “at the moment”.
お会計、二点で三千四百円になります。
Your bill: two items, that comes to 3,400 yen.
「二点」 means “two items”; 「〜になります」 is just “is”.
五千円お預かりします。千六百円のお返しです。
Out of 5,000 yen. Here’s 1,600 yen change.
Two numbers in one sentence: what was handed over and the change. You work out the total yourself: 5,000 minus 1,600 is 3,400.
あいにくMサイズは切らしておりまして……。Lでしたらございます。
Unfortunately, we’re out of size M … We do have L.
Bad news follows 「あいにく」; 「〜でしたら」 then offers an alternative.
温かいお茶でよろしいでしょうか。
Would hot tea be all right?
「でしょうか」 at the end is a question to you. If you want it cold, say 「冷たいのをお願いします」. In listening questions, the customer’s answer is what decides it.
Tip
With 「ただいま」, look at what followsIf 「ただいま」 is followed by an action about to happen (「お持ちします」, 「ご案内します」), it means “right away”; by a state (「満席です」, 「〜ております」), “at the moment”; by something that has already happened (「ただいま入ったお知らせ」), “just now”. The 「ただいま」 you say on getting home is a greeting; staff don’t use it that way with customers. Listen for what follows.
Watch out
「大丈夫です」 and 「いいです」 often mean “no thanks”When staff ask whether you want something (「袋はご利用になりますか」, 「お箸はおつけしますか」), a customer saying 「大丈夫です」 or 「いいです」 usually means “no thanks”. 「やっぱりギョーザはいいです」 means “I’ll pass on the gyoza after all”. If a customer says this in a listening question, that item is not in the answer. When you do want something, 「お願いします」 is clearest.
Compare
Staff questions are long, and the question comes at the very end: 「〜でよろしいでしょうか」 is like “Is … all right?”, and only when you hear 「でしょうか」 do you know you’re being asked. Answering just 「はい」 can be misunderstood: 「袋はよろしいですか」 can mean “Would you like a bag?” or “So you don’t need a bag?”; saying 「お願いします」 or 「大丈夫です」 makes it clear.
Listen through once: what did the customer order?
Read the question first: 「客は何を頼みましたか。」 The options are four ways of ordering: the daily lunch; chicken curry on its own; the chicken curry set with the drink after the meal; the chicken curry set with the drink with the meal. The options differ in three places: what to eat, whether it’s a set, and when the drink comes. Those three are what you listen for.
- 店員
いらっしゃいませ。ご注文はお決まりでしょうか。
Welcome. Are you ready to order?
- 客
日替わりランチをお願いします。
The daily lunch, please.
- 店員
申し訳ございません。日替わりランチは、ただいま売り切れとなっておりまして……。
We’re very sorry. The daily lunch is sold out at the moment …
- 客
そうですか。じゃあ、チキンカレーにします。
I see. Then I’ll have the chicken curry.
- 店員
チキンカレーですね。サラダとお飲み物がつくセットもございますが、いかがなさいますか。
Chicken curry. We also have a set with salad and a drink. Would you like that?
- 客
セットだと、いくらですか。
How much is it with the set?
- 店員
プラス二百円で、九百五十円になります。
It’s 200 yen extra, so 950 yen.
- 客
じゃあ、セットで。飲み物はアイスティーをお願いします。
Then the set, please. Iced tea for the drink.
- 店員
かしこまりました。アイスティーはお食事と一緒でよろしいでしょうか。
Certainly. Would you like the iced tea with your meal?
- 客
あ、食後にお願いします。
Oh, after the meal, please.
- 店員
かしこまりました。ただいまお水をお持ちします。
Certainly. I’ll bring you some water right away.
Tip
How to get the answerThe daily lunch: 「ただいま売り切れ」; here 「ただいま」 means “at the moment”, and it’s sold out, so rule it out. Curry on its own: the staff member suggests the set, and after asking the price the customer says 「じゃあ、セットで」, so rule it out. The drink: the staff member asks 「お食事と一緒でよろしいでしょうか」, and the customer doesn’t answer 「はい」 but says 「食後にお願いします」. Answer: the chicken curry set, with iced tea after the meal. The last line, 「ただいまお水をお持ちします」, has another 「ただいま」; this time an action follows, so it means “right away”. You can work out the price too: the set is 「九百五十円」; take away 「プラス二百円」, and the curry alone is 750 yen.
Scene tips: ways of saying prices and discounts
Questions about how much someone pays often need one step of working out. When you hear the expressions below, get ready to calculate.
| Expression | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 税込み／税抜き | tax included / tax not included | 「税抜き千円」 means you actually pay more than 1,000 yen |
| 一割引／二割引 | 10% off / 20% off | 「二割引」 means 20% off, so you pay 80% of the price |
| 半額 | half price | divide the price by two |
| 百円引き | 100 yen off | taken straight off; not the same as 「一割引」 |
| プラス〜円 | plus … yen | large portions, sets and delivery often cost extra |
| ちょうどお預かりします | that’s exactly right | no change needed |
| サービスです | it’s on the house | in shops, 「サービス」 often means free |
Culture
At the till, staff often say each number out loud: first the total, 「〜円になります」; when taking the money, 「〜円お預かりします」; when giving change, 「〜円のお返しです」; some shops add 「お確かめください」 (please check it). This is to make sure nothing goes wrong on the spot. Listening questions use exactly this: all three numbers come up, and the question asks about only one.