Día de los Muertos: Buying marigolds and incense at market

💬 If you're done, answer Es todo "That's all" or Nada más, gracias "Nothing else, thanks".

💬 Tiene is the polite "you have" that goes with usted. The same word asks a vendor about anything: ¿Tiene velas? "Do you have candles?"

🇲🇽 The home altar is usually called the ofrenda "offering". It holds photos of the dead, their favorite foods, candles, marigolds and copal.

🇲🇽 Copal is a tree resin that has been burned in Mexico since before the Spanish arrived. It's sold as chunks in small bags, and its smoke is said to purify the altar and draw the spirits.

💬 Adding -ita to bolsa "bag" makes it small. Mexicans use this ending constantly, often just to sound friendly, as in un ratito "a little while".

💬 Está a gives the current going price for an item. For a final total you'll hear es or son instead: Son cien pesos.

💬 Deme is dé "give" with me attached at the end. Una is feminine because it stands for bolsita. For a manojo you'd say deme uno.

🇲🇽 Market stalls run on cash, and vendors often lack change for big notes. Carry coins and 20s or 50s.

💬 Cien means exactly 100, but it becomes ciento when more numbers follow: ciento veinte. You never say un ciento.

💬 A usted puts the stress on "you", like saying "thank YOU" back. With a friend it's gracias a ti.

💬 It literally means "may it go well for you". Le is the polite form; with a friend it's ¡Que te vaya bien!