Convenience Store

1. Bir çörək verin, zəhmət olmasa.

   Bir çö-rək ve-rin, zəh-mət ol-ma-sa.

   One loaf of bread, please.

   Usage

   A neighbourhood market in Azerbaijan takes in bread twice a day — flat loaves baked in a təndir oven as well as baguette-shaped çörək. It is sometimes on the shelf but often kept behind the counter, so just ask for it

   Grammar Note

   "Verin" is the polite imperative addressed to siz, the form always used with shop staff; the sən form "ver" is for close acquaintances only. "Zəhmət olmasa" literally means "if it is no trouble" and softens any request

2. Çörək təzədir, indicə gətiriblər.

   The bread is fresh — it was just delivered.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Bread is not baked on site but delivered from a nearby bakery, so how recently it arrived is the measure of freshness. Ask "Təzədir?" (is it fresh?) and this is the answer you will get

   Grammar Note

   "Gətiriblər" uses the -ıb perfect, expressing a resulting state ("it has been brought"). A third-person plural with no stated subject works impersonally, much like an English or Japanese passive

3. Yarım kilo pendir çəkin, xahiş edirəm.

   Ya-rım ki-lo pen-dir çə-kin, xa-hiş e-di-rəm.

   Please weigh out half a kilo of cheese.

   Usage

   In a small Azerbaijani shop, cheese, olives, nuts and dried fruit sit in a glass case and are sold loose by weight. Chains such as Bravo Express increasingly pre-pack things, but independent shops still weigh everything out for you

   Grammar Note

   The verb çəkmək basically means "to pull" but in shops it means "to weigh out". Swap in other quantities: "yüz qram" (100 g), "bir kilo" (1 kg)

4. Neçə qram olsun?

   Ne-çə qram ol-sun?

   How many grams would you like?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Any loose-weight order prompts this question. Answer with a number or gesture and say "Bu qədər" (about this much). Staff often cut a little over and check with "Olar?" (is that all right?)

   Grammar Note

   "Olsun" is the third-person optative of olmaq and serves as the shop-counter "shall it be …?". Change the unit freely: "Neçə ədəd olsun?" (how many pieces?)

5. Beş litrlik su varmı?

   Beş litr-lik su var-mı?

   Do you have a five-litre bottle of water?

   Usage

   Tap water is generally not drunk even in Baku, so shops stock everything from half-litre bottles to five- and nineteen-litre containers. Large sizes are much better value for stays of a few days or more. Add "soyuq" (cold) if you want it chilled

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-lik/-lıq/-luq/-lük" attaches to volumes and sums to mean "of that size or value": beş litrlik (five-litre), on manatlıq (ten manats' worth). "Noun + varmı?" is the basic way to ask if something is in stock

6. Paket lazımdırmı?

   Pa-ket la-zım-dır-mı?

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Thin single-use bags have been restricted in Azerbaijan, so shops now hand out sturdier bags for a fee, typically 10-30 qəpik. If you do not want one, answer "Lazım deyil"

   Grammar Note

   The question particle harmonises as mı / mi / mu / mü, and Azerbaijani orthography writes it joined to the preceding word (lazımdırmı, varmı) — unlike Turkish, which writes it separately

7. Paket lazım deyil, öz çantam var.

   Pa-ket la-zım de-yil, öz çan-tam var.

   No bag needed, I have my own.

   Usage

   How to turn down the chargeable bag. Locals commonly carry a cloth or tote bag, so refusing raises no eyebrows. If you do want one, say "Bir paket verin"

   Grammar Note

   "Deyil" is a separate word negating nominal and adjectival predicates, distinct from the verbal negative suffix -mə/-ma. The -m in "çantam" is the first-person singular possessive (çanta + m)

8. Xırda pulum yoxdur, saqqız götürərsiniz?

   Xır-da pu-lum yox-dur, saq-qız gö-tü-rər-si-niz?

   I have no small change — will you take chewing gum instead?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Independent shops often run short of qəpik coins and return the odd change as gum or sweets. You can decline with "Yox, sağ olun", though most people accept since it is only a few tens of qəpik

   Grammar Note

   Using the -ər future/aorist as a question ("götürərsiniz?") makes it a soft, non-committal proposal. "Xırda" basically means "fine, small", and coins are often called simply xırda

9. Xırda pulum yoxdur, ancaq əlli manatlığım var.

   Xır-da pu-lum yox-dur, an-caq əl-li ma-nat-lı-ğım var.

   I have no small money, only a fifty-manat note.

   Usage

   Say this up front when all you have is a large note. Early in the day a small shop has almost nothing in the till, and a fifty-manat note may send the owner next door to change it. ATMs readily dispense fifties, so break them at a metro machine or a larger store when you can

   Grammar Note

   Banknotes are named with a numeral plus "-lıq": əlli manatlıq (50-manat note), beş manatlıq (5-manat note). In "manatlığım" the final q shifts to ğ because a vowel-initial possessive suffix follows

10. Nağd, yoxsa kartla?

    Nağd, yox-sa kart-la?

    Cash or card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Chains such as Bravo and Araz take cards as standard, and terminals have spread to independent shops around Baku, though outside the capital and in tiny shops cash may still be the only option. A one-word "Nağd" or "Kartla" is enough

    Grammar Note

    "Yoxsa" is the exclusive "or" used between alternatives, unlike the simple conjunction "və" (and). The suffix "-la/-lə" is the instrumental "by/with": kartla (by card), nağdla (in cash)

11. Kartla ödəniş üçün minimum məbləğ varmı?

    Kart-la ö-də-niş ü-çün mi-ni-mum məb-ləğ var-mı?

    Is there a minimum amount for card payment?

    Usage

    Small shops dislike card fees and sometimes set their own floor, such as cards only above five manat. It has no basis in law, so if refused you either pay cash or add something to the basket. Paying by card for a single bottle of water is best avoided

    Grammar Note

    "Üçün" is a postposition and always follows its noun ("kartla ödəniş üçün" = for card payment). "Məbləğ" is an Arabic loanword and the formal term for a sum or amount of money

12. BakıKartı burada doldurmaq olarmı?

    Ba-kı-Kar-tı bu-ra-da dol-dur-maq o-lar-mı?

    Can I top up a BakıKart here?

    Usage

    The BakıKart used on Baku's metro and buses can be topped up not only at station machines but also at small corner shops and self-service payment terminals (ödəniş terminalı). Those terminals also handle phone credit, which makes this a handy question for travellers

    Grammar Note

    The pattern "infinitive + olar(mı)" is the impersonal way to ask whether something is possible or permitted. The verb doldurmaq means "to fill" and is used as-is for topping up cards and phone credit

13. Pulunuz çatmırsa, sonra gətirərsiniz.

    Pu-lu-nuz çat-mır-sa, son-ra gə-ti-rər-si-niz.

    If you are short of money, you can bring it later.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Selling on tab — nisyə — to neighbourhood regulars is still a living custom, and a traveller who has become a familiar face may hear this too. It runs entirely on trust, so always settle up on your next visit

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-sa/-sə" marks a conditional (çatmır + sa = if it is not enough). Buying on credit is called "nisyə"; asking "Nisyə olar?" as a customer is reserved for people the shopkeeper knows well

14. Bu südün son istifadə tarixi nə vaxtdır?

    Bu sü-dün son is-ti-fa-də ta-ri-xi nə vaxt-dır?

    What is the use-by date on this milk?

    Usage

    Stock turns over slowly in small shops, so dairy can be close to its date. Labels read "son istifadə tarixi" or "yararlılıq müddəti"; the script is Latin so the numbers are legible once you find them. As everywhere, the fresher stock is at the back of the fridge

    Grammar Note

    A possessive link puts the genitive -ın/-in/-un/-ün on the first noun and the possessive -ı/-i on the second (südün … tarixi). "Son istifadə tarixi" literally means "final use date"

15. Bu, aksiya qiymətidir?

    Bu, ak-si-ya qiy-mə-ti-dir?

    Is this the promotional price?

    Usage

    Bravo and Araz mark campaign items with yellow or red "aksiya" tags, but expired tags sometimes stay on the shelf. Use this to check when a different figure comes up at the till. Some prices are members-only and require the shop's app or card

    Grammar Note

    Colloquially a statement can be turned into a question by intonation alone, without the question particle; the fuller form would be "Bu, aksiya qiymətidirmi?". "Aksiya" is borrowed via Russian акция and is the everyday commercial term for a special offer

16. Saat neçəyə kimi işləyirsiniz?

    Sa-at ne-çə-yə ki-mi iş-lə-yir-si-niz?

    Until what time are you open?

    Usage

    Round-the-clock shops are limited to main roads and station areas; a small shop in a residential street typically closes around eleven at night. Most open on Sundays too, but closing times vary from shop to shop, so it is worth asking

    Grammar Note

    The postposition "kimi" means "until" and takes the dative (-a/-ə): saat neçəyə kimi (until what hour). "-ə qədər" is an equivalent alternative. Like Turkish, Azerbaijani uses işləmək (to work) for a shop being open

17. Səhər səkkizdən gecə on birə kimi işləyirik.

    Sə-hər sək-kiz-dən ge-cə on bi-rə ki-mi iş-lə-yi-rik.

    We are open from eight in the morning until eleven at night.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Opening hours come back in the frame "from … until …". If the shop never closes you will hear "Gecə-gündüz işləyirik" (we are open day and night)

    Grammar Note

    The starting point takes the ablative "-dan/-dən" and the end point the dative plus kimi, giving "A-dan B-ə kimi" (from A to B). Times are usually given on a twelve-hour basis with səhər (morning), günorta (midday), axşam (evening) or gecə (night) to fix the part of day

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