Shopping for Clothes and Goods

This unit covers shopping for clothes and goods in Bengali. You will learn clothing terms (jama, panjabi, sharee, lungi); size and fit expressions (boro, chhoto, thik); material and quality words; and comparison structures (-er cheye, shob cheye). These skills are essential for purchasing appropriate attire and goods in Bangladesh and West Bengal.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Ekta panjabi chai.	I want one panjabi.
Eta boro, chhoto ta din.	This is big, give me the small one.
Thik size ache?	Do you have the right size?
Eta ki cotton?	Is this cotton?
Eta shob cheye bhalo.	This is the best.
Sharee koto taka?	How much is the sharee?
Lungi kothay pabo?	Where can I get a lungi?
Eta-er cheye ota bhalo.	That one is better than this one.
Jama try korte parbo?	Can I try the shirt?
Eta kom daam-e din.	Give this at a lower price.

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
jama	shirt
panjabi	panjabi (traditional long shirt)
sharee	sari
lungi	lungi (wrap garment)
boro	big, large
chhoto	small
thik	right, correct, proper
size	size
cotton	cotton
silk	silk
bhalo	good
-er cheye	than (comparison)
shob cheye	than all / best
try korte parbo	can I try
kom daam	lower price
din	give

Grammar Notes

Clothing Terms: jama, panjabi, sharee, lungi

• jama – shirt (Western style)
• panjabi – traditional Bengali/Indian long shirt, often worn for formal occasions
• sharee – sari (worn by women)
• lungi – wrap garment worn by men, common for casual wear

Size and Fit: boro, chhoto, thik

• boro – big, large
• chhoto – small
• thik – right, correct, proper fit
• Thik size ache? – Do you have the right size?
• Eta boro, chhoto ta din. – This is big, give me the small one.

Material and Quality Words

• cotton – cotton
• silk – silk
• bhalo – good (quality)
• kharap – bad
• notun – new
• purono – old

Comparison: -er cheye, shob cheye

• -er cheye – than: Eta-er cheye ota bhalo – That one is better than this one
• shob cheye – than all, best: Eta shob cheye bhalo – This is the best
• Ota eta-er cheye kom daam. – That one is cheaper than this one.

Drills

Drill 1: Clothing Requests

Bengali	English
Ekta panjabi chai.	I want one panjabi.
Sharee koto taka?	How much is the sharee?
Lungi kothay pabo?	Where can I get a lungi?
Ekta jama chai.	I want one shirt.

Drill 2: Size and Fit

Bengali	English
Eta boro, chhoto ta din.	This is big, give me the small one.
Thik size ache?	Do you have the right size?
Eta thik ache.	This fits correctly.
Boro size chai.	I want a large size.

Drill 3: Material and Quality

Bengali	English
Eta ki cotton?	Is this cotton?
Silk sharee chai.	I want a silk sari.
Eta bhalo jinish.	This is good quality.
Notun jama kinlam.	I bought a new shirt.

Drill 4: Comparison

Bengali	English
Eta-er cheye ota bhalo.	That one is better than this one.
Eta shob cheye bhalo.	This is the best.
Ota eta-er cheye kom daam.	That one is cheaper than this one.
Eta kom daam-e din.	Give this at a lower price.

Narrative

Gotokal aami dokan-e gelam panjabi kinte. Prothom ekta panjabi chai bollen. Tin ta dekhalo – ekta boro, ekta chhoto, ekta thik. Aami thik ta nilam. Eta ki cotton bujlam – bollen haan, cotton. Eta shob cheye bhalo bollen. Daam koto – bollen pachash taka. Aami komiyen bollen. Tinosh taka-e dilo. Try kore dekhe nilam. Bhalo chhilo.

Yesterday I went to a shop to buy a panjabi. First I said I want one panjabi. He showed three – one big, one small, one right size. I took the right one. I asked is this cotton – he said yes, cotton. He said this is the best. I asked the price – he said fifty taka. I said reduce. He gave it for thirty taka. I tried it and took it. It was good.