Talking about prices and paying by card in Denmark
CEFR: B2
Read/Listen first
Last month I spent a week by the sea in a very flat countryside area of Denmark. The landscape was beautiful but also a little boring: only fields, long straight roads and almost no forests. What really surprised me was how expensive everything was. In Berlin a kebab costs around five or six euros, but in Denmark I paid ten euros for exactly the same thing. In the supermarket many basic things, like bread and fruit, were almost double the price. Another big difference was the way people pay. In Germany small shops often accept only cash, and sometimes they even refuse cards for cheap items. In Denmark it was the opposite. Even a tiny wooden farm shop in the countryside had a card reader and a sign saying “Card only”. During the whole trip I never used coins or notes. It felt modern and comfortable, but also a little strange at first.⚡ Learning goals
- Can describe a recent trip, including landscape and atmosphere, in detail.
- Can compare prices between two countries using clear, concrete examples.
- Can explain different habits for paying by card or with cash.
✨ Key language
- way more expensive than “Food there was way more expensive than in Berlin.”
- pay for everything by card “We could pay for everything by card in Denmark.”
- accept only cash “Many small shops still accept only cash in Germany.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Comparatives with more/less + adjective + than
Rule: Use more/less + adjective + than to compare two places, things or situations.Examples: Food in Denmark was more expensive than in Berlin; The countryside was less interesting than the sea; The roads were longer and straighter than at home.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often say “expensiver than” or “the most expensive than”. Use “more expensive than” instead. — Remove “-er” and use “more + adjective + than”.
Choose the correct comparative sentence about prices.
Tip: Use “more + adjective + than” for longer adjectives like “expensive”.
Fill with the best answer: In Denmark a kebab was ____ expensive than in Berlin.
Tip: Use “more” before long adjectives in comparisons.
2️⃣ Quantifiers with a lot of / not many / almost no
Rule: Use a lot of for large quantities and not many / almost no for very small quantities.Examples: There were a lot of fields and long straight roads; There were almost no forests near the sea; Small shops often have only a few cheap items.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes mix uncountable and countable nouns. Use “a lot of bread” but “not many forests”. — Choose “many” with countable nouns and “much” with uncountable nouns.
Which sentence correctly describes a very small quantity?
Tip: Use “almost no” when something is present, but only in a very small amount.
Fill with the best answer: There were ____ fields around the holiday house.
Tip: Use “a lot of” with both countable and uncountable nouns.
3️⃣ Present perfect vs past simple for experiences
Rule: Use the past simple to describe finished events at a specific time, and the present perfect to talk about experiences without focusing on when they happened.Examples: Last month I spent a week in Denmark; I have visited Denmark several times; I have never paid for everything by card before.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes mix the two tenses. For a specific time like “last month”, use past simple. — For life experiences without a time expression, use present perfect.
Which sentence correctly uses the past simple for a finished trip?
Tip: Do not use present perfect with a finished time expression like “last month”.
Fill with the best answer: I ______ for everything by card before this trip.
Tip: Use present perfect to describe life experience without saying exactly when.
4️⃣ Obligation with have to / must
Rule: Use have to and must to express rules, obligations or things that are necessary in a situation.Examples: In some German shops you have to pay in cash; In Denmark you must use your card in many places; You have to accept higher prices when you travel there.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes confuse “must not” with “do not have to”. “Must not” means it is forbidden, while “do not have to” means it is not necessary. — Choose carefully depending on the meaning.
Choose the sentence that shows an obligation.
Tip: Use “have to” or “must” when there is a clear rule or strong need.
Fill with the best answer: You ______ leave your card at home in Denmark.
Tip: “Must not” describes something that is forbidden, not just unnecessary.
✍️ Vocabulary
flat countryside
Meaning: open country with almost no hills and very gentle shapes.Synonyms: flat land, level fields, open farmland.
Chunk/Idiom: drive through flat countryside.
Example: We drove for hours through the flat countryside near the sea.
Morphology: adj. flat + noun countryside.
Self-practice: Describe the landscape near your home using this phrase.
kebab
Meaning: a fast-food dish of grilled meat, usually in bread, often with salad.Synonyms: doner kebab, grilled meat sandwich, street food snack.
Chunk/Idiom: buy a kebab on the way home.
Example: In Denmark one simple kebab cost me ten euros.
Morphology: noun; countable food item.
Self-practice: Compare the price of a kebab in two different cities.
supermarket
Meaning: a large shop where you can buy food and many everyday products.Synonyms: grocery store, food shop, large retail store.
Chunk/Idiom: go to the supermarket for basic things.
Example: The supermarket prices for bread and fruit were almost double.
Morphology: noun; compound of super + market.
Self-practice: List three basic things you usually buy in the supermarket.
basic things
Meaning: simple everyday products that you regularly need, like bread or milk.Synonyms: everyday items, essential goods, daily necessities.
Chunk/Idiom: pay more for basic things abroad.
Example: We had to pay more for basic things like bread and fruit.
Morphology: adj. basic + plural noun things.
Self-practice: Write three sentences about basic things that feel expensive to you.
card reader
Meaning: a small electronic device that reads bank cards for payments.Synonyms: payment terminal, card machine, point-of-sale device.
Chunk/Idiom: connect a card reader in a small shop.
Example: Even the tiny farm shop had a modern card reader inside.
Morphology: noun phrase; noun card + noun reader.
Self-practice: Describe a place where you were surprised to see a card reader.
coins and notes
Meaning: physical money in metal or paper form, not digital or by card.Synonyms: cash, physical money, loose change and banknotes.
Chunk/Idiom: travel without any coins and notes.
Example: During the whole trip I never used coins and notes once.
Morphology: plural nouns; coin + note in coordination.
Self-practice: Explain when you still prefer using coins and notes instead of a card.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
Last month I spent a week in Denmark by the sea.
In Denmark a simple kebab was much more expensive than in Berlin.
Even tiny farm shops there had a modern card reader.
During the whole holiday I never used any coins or notes.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence correctly compares supermarket prices?
Tip: Use “more + adjective + than” for comparisons.
Which sentence matches the description of the landscape?
Tip: The mini text says there were almost no forests.
Fill with the best answer:
Last month I ______ a week in Denmark.Tip: Use the past simple form of “spend” with “last month”.
Fill with the best answer:
I ______ cash on a holiday like that before.Tip: Use present perfect to describe a life experience with cash.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Why did the speaker feel Denmark was expensive?
Tip: Look for details about prices of bread and fruit in the text.
Which sentence correctly describes paying by card in Denmark?
Tip: Remember the “Card only” sign in the tiny farm shop.
Fill with the best answer:
In the supermarket many ______ like bread and fruit were expensive.Tip: Use the phrase that describes everyday products such as bread and fruit.
Fill with the best answer:
Even the tiny farm shop had a modern ______ inside.Tip: Think of the small electronic device used for card payments.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: I heard Denmark was beautiful. How was your trip?B: It was nice, but the flat countryside felt a bit boring sometimes.
A: Really? What surprised you the most there?
B: Honestly, the prices and the fact that we paid for everything by card.
Why this matters:
Travellers often need to talk about prices and payment habits when they go abroad. Being able to compare countries and explain how you paid helps you share useful, practical information. It also prepares you for cultural differences around money.Verb & Adjective Pack:
pay by card — We decided to pay by card for every purchase.compare prices — I like to compare prices before I choose a restaurant.
afford something — We could not afford to eat out every evening.
be worth it — The view was so beautiful that the higher price was worth it.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: The food there was ______ than in my country.
Tip: Use a comparative form to talk about prices in two places.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: In small German shops you often must to pay cash.
Tip: Do not use “must to”; use “have to” or “must” directly before the verb.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
During the whole trip I never used coins or notes.
Tip: Pay attention to connected speech in “never used coins or notes”.