Phrases › At the Clothing Store › Cerco una camicia.

Cerco una camicia.

I'm looking for a shirt.

Pronunciation

'Cerco' is pronounced 'CHER-ko' — the 'c' before 'e' is soft like 'ch' in English 'cheese'.

When to use it

The simplest way to state what you need. Use immediately after greeting the assistant or in response to their offer of help.

What it means

'Cerco' (I'm looking for) comes from 'cercare', a regular -are verb. No article needed for the verb itself. 'Una camicia' — camicia is feminine, so 'una'.

Variations

Cerco un paio di pantaloni.

I'm looking for a pair of trousers.

Un paio di is always used with paired items

Cerco un vestito elegante.

I'm looking for an elegant dress.

Add adjective after the noun

Avete delle camicie?

Do you have any shirts?

More open question, lets staff show you options

Mini Dialogue

Cliente: Cerco una camicia. Commessa: Di che colore la vorrebbe? Cliente: Preferibilmente bianca o celeste. Commessa: Abbiamo diversi modelli, venga a vedere.

Customer: I'm looking for a shirt. Assistant: What colour would you like? Customer: Preferably white or light blue. Assistant: We have several styles, come and have a look.

Cultural Note

Italian men's shirts are often described by collar style ('colletto italiano', 'colletto button-down'). Sales staff may ask about formality level — office, casual or smart-casual.

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