Reading Labels, Prices and Packaging

A label is the easiest kind of English to read, because it is written to be understood fast. You only need a handful of words and the numbers.

Prices

• £3.99 each — three pounds ninety-nine for one item.
• 2 for £5 — two items together cost five pounds. One alone costs more.
• 50% off — half price.
• Was £10, now £6 — the old price and the new price.
• BUY 1 GET 1 FREE — pay for one, take two.

If you see two numbers, the smaller one is almost always what you pay today.

The small number that tells the truth

British and European price labels carry a unit price in small print — the price per kilo, litre or 100g. It is the only reliable way to compare two sizes.

Rice 500g — £1.80 · (£3.60/kg)

Rice 1kg — £3.20 · (£3.20/kg)

The bigger bag looks more expensive and is actually cheaper. Learn to find the number in brackets.

Words on food packages

Label	Meaning
USE BY	Do not eat after this date
BEST BEFORE	Still safe after this date, but less good
KEEP REFRIGERATED	Store it in the fridge
SERVES 4	Enough food for four people
CONTAINS NUTS	There are nuts inside
SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS	No meat or fish
ONCE OPENED, USE WITHIN 3 DAYS	The date only applies until you open it

USE BY and BEST BEFORE are not the same. Use by is about safety. Best before is about quality.

Allergies

If this matters to you, learn these exactly:

• Allergens are usually printed in bold inside the ingredients list.
• MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF… — not an ingredient, but it may have touched it. Take this seriously if the allergy is severe.
• FREE FROM… — this ingredient is definitely not present.
• Common ones: nuts, peanuts, milk, egg, wheat, gluten, soya, fish, shellfish, sesame.

Medicine labels

Small text, high stakes — and a very small vocabulary:

Phrase	Means
Take one tablet twice a day	two a day, one each time
Take with food	eat something first
Do not exceed the stated dose	never take more than it says
Not suitable for children under 12	age limit
Complete the course	finish them all, even if you feel better
EXP / Expiry	the date after which not to use it

If you are unsure of a medicine label, a pharmacist will explain it for free, and no appointment is needed: Sorry, could you explain how often I should take this?

Clothing labels

• MACHINE WASH 30 — wash in a machine at 30 degrees.
• DO NOT TUMBLE DRY — no drying machine.
• 100% COTTON — what the fabric is made of.
• S / M / L — small, medium, large.
• DRY CLEAN ONLY — do not wash it at home.

Reading a receipt

2 × Coffee ………… 5.60

Subtotal …………… 5.60

VAT 20% …………… 1.12

TOTAL ……………… 6.72

Card •••• 4417

Subtotal is before tax, VAT is the tax, TOTAL is what you actually paid. If you are checking whether you were overcharged, compare TOTAL — nothing else.

What to do with a word you don't know

Ask yourself what the label is for before you translate anything. A price tag tells you a price. A food package tells you what is inside and when to eat it. Once you know the purpose, you usually only need one or two words from it.

ORANGE JUICE

1 litre — £2.20

BEST BEFORE: 14/09

KEEP REFRIGERATED once opened

You can answer every practical question here — what is it, how much, how long, where to store it — without reading the small print.

Check the date format before you trust a date. 14/09 is 14 September in Britain and Europe, and would be read as an invalid month in the United States, where 09/14 means the same day. On food this rarely matters; on tickets, visas and bookings it very much does. When it counts, look for a date written with the month as a word.

Test yourself

The quiz below uses real labels. Look for the number or the key word, not for every word.