Destination B1 - Unit 15 (Vocabulary): Buying and selling

advertisement (n)

a picture, short film, song, etc., that tries to persuade people to buy a product or service, or a piece of text that tells people about a job, etc. "I saw an advertisement for a new car."

afford (v)

to have enough money to buy or do something. "I can't afford a new house."

bargain (v)

to negotiate the terms of a transaction. "We bargained for a lower price."

brand (n)

a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name. “Nike is a well-known sports brand.”

catalogue (n)

a complete list of items, typically one in alphabetical or other systematic order, in particular. "I ordered a dress from a catalogue."

change (n)

the money that is returned to someone who has paid for something costing less than the amount that they gave. "The cashier gave me the wrong change."

coin (n)

a flat, typically round piece of metal with an official stamp, used as money. "I found a 50p coin on the street."

cost (v, n)

(v) to have something as its price; (n) the amount of money needed or spent to buy or do something. "This book costs £10.", "The cost of living is rising."

customer (n)

a person or organization that buys goods or services from a shop or business. "The shop assistant helped a customer."

debt (n)

a sum of money that is owed or due. "He's in a lot of debt."

demand (v)

to ask for something forcefully, not expecting refusal. "The workers demanded higher wages."

export (v)

to send goods or services to another country for sale. "This company exports cars to Europe."

fee (n)

a payment made to a professional person or to a professional or public body in exchange for advice or services. "The doctor's fee was very high."

fortune (n)

a large amount of money or assets. "She inherited a small fortune."

import (v)

to bring goods or services into a country from abroad for sale. "We import coffee from Brazil."

invest (v)

to put money into financial schemes, shares, property, or a commercial venture with the expectation of achieving a profit. "He invested all his savings in shares."

obtain (v)

to get, acquire, or secure (something). "You can obtain a visa from the embassy."

owe (v)

to be in debt to (someone) for (something). "I owe him £50."

own (v)

to have something as one's own possession. "She owns a beautiful house."

profit (n)

a financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something. "The company made a huge profit this year."

property (n)

a thing or things belonging to someone; possessions collectively. "This property is for sale."

purchase (v)

to acquire something by paying for it; buy. "She purchased a new dress."

receipt (n)

a written or printed statement acknowledging that something has been paid for or that goods have been received. "Do you have the receipt for this?"

require (v)

to need something; to depend on someone or something. "This job requires a lot of concentration."

sale (n)

the exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something. "The house is not for sale."

save (v)

to keep and store up (something, especially money) for future use. "I'm saving money for a new car."

select (v)

to carefully choose something as being the best or most suitable. "Please select an option from the list."

supply (v, n)

(v) to provide (someone) with something needed or wanted; (n) a stock or amount of something supplied or available for use. "The company supplies office equipment.", "We have a good supply of water."

variety (n)

the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity, sameness, or monotony. "The shop offers a wide variety of products."

waste (v, n)

(v) to use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose; (n) material, substance, or by

add up (v phr)

to make sense; to seem reasonable. "His story doesn't add up."

come back (from) (v phr)

to return from a place. "When did you come back from holiday?"

give away (v phr)

to give something to someone else for free. "I'm going to give away my old clothes."

hurry up (v phr)

to move or do things more quickly. "Hurry up, or we'll be late!"

pay back (v phr)

to return money that you borrowed. "I'll pay you back next week."

save up (for) (v phr)

to save money for a particular purpose. "I'm saving up for a new laptop."

take back (v phr)

to return something to the place it came from. "I need to take this book back to the library."

take down (v phr)

to write down information or a message. "Please take down my address."

by credit card/cheque

using a credit card or a cheque as a method of payment. "Can I pay by credit card?"

for rent

available to be rented. "This apartment is for rent."

for sale

available to be bought. "The house next door is for sale."

in cash

in the form of money rather than a cheque or credit card. "I prefer to pay in cash."

in debt

owing money. "Many students are in debt after university."

in good/bad condition

in a good or bad state. "The car is in excellent condition."

add (v)

to join (something) to something else so as to increase the size, number, or amount. "Please add my name to the list."

addition (n)

the action or process of adding something to something else. "The addition of a new wing improved the house."

afford (v)

to have enough money to pay for something. "I can't afford a new car."

affordable (adj)

inexpensive; reasonably priced. "The prices are very affordable."

compare (v)

to estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between. "Compare this product with that one."

comparison (n)

the act or instance of comparing. "There's no comparison between the two products."

decide (v)

to make a choice from a number of alternatives. "I decided to go home."

decision (n)

a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration. "It was a difficult decision."

expense (n)

the cost incurred in or required for something. "Buying a car is a big expense."

expensive (adj)

costing a lot of money. "That restaurant is very expensive."

inexpensive (adj)

not costing a lot of money; cheap. "She bought an inexpensive gift."

judge (v)

to form an opinion or conclusion about. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

judgement (n)

the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions. "He showed good judgement."

serve (v)

to perform duties or services for (a person or organization). "He served in the army for ten years."

service (n)

the action of helping or doing work for someone. "The customer service was excellent."

servant (n)

a person who performs duties for others, especially in a household. "The family had many servants."

true (adj)

in accordance with fact or reality. "His statement was true."

truth (n)

the quality or state of being true. "Tell me the truth."

untrue (adj)

not true. "His story was untrue."

truthful (adj)

telling or expressing the truth; honest. "She was very truthful about what happened."

use (v)

to take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing a purpose or achieving a result. "Can I use your pen?"

useful (adj)

able to be used for a practical purpose or in several ways. "This tool is very useful."

useless (adj)

serving no purpose; completely without use. "This broken machine is useless."

value (n)

the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. "What's the value of this antique?"

valuable (adj)

worth a great deal of money. "She owns many valuable jewels."

wrong about/with (adj)

incorrect or mistaken; not in working order. "You're wrong about that.", "There's something wrong with the computer."

belong to (v)

to be the property of. "This book belongs to me."

borrow sth from (v)

to take and use (something belonging to another) with the intention of returning it. "Can I borrow your car from you?"

buy sth from (v)

to obtain something by paying for it. "I bought a new shirt from the shop."

choose between (v)

to select one or more from a group of alternatives. "You have to choose between two options."

compare sth to/with (v)

to estimate, measure, or note the similarity or dissimilarity between. "Compare the cost of living in London to/with that in New York."

decide on (v)

to make a choice from a number of alternatives. "We need to decide on a date for the party."

lend sth to (v)

to allow (someone) to use (something) temporarily on condition that it is returned. "Can you lend me some money to buy food?"

pay for (v)

to give money in exchange for something. "I'll pay for the dinner."

spend sth on (v)

to use money to buy or pay for something. "I spent a lot of money on clothes."

an advert(isement) for (n phr)

a notice or display advertising something. "I saw an advertisement for a new job."