I can ask the price at a market and in a store, understand a price per half kilo and a total, bargain politely, and pay in cash or by QR code.
How much is it: the price, half a kilo, and bargaining
How much is it: the price, half a kilo, and bargaining
At a market or a small store you ask the price aloud and can bargain; in a supermarket the price tag is final. Ask: 这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshao qián?) or 这个怎么卖？(Zhège zěnme mài?) — “how much is this?”.
Fruit, vegetables, eggs and dumplings are sold by weight, in 斤 (jīn): 一斤 (yì jīn) is half a kilo, not a pound or a kilo. “6元/斤” means 6 yuan per half a kilo; you ask 多少钱一斤？(Duōshao qián yì jīn?).
The price tag says 元 (yuán), but aloud you say 块 (kuài), as you learned with numbers. China's money is officially called 人民币 (rénmínbì). 打折 (dǎzhé) is “to give a discount”; the sign “8折” is read 八折 (bā zhé): you pay 80% of the price, a 20% discount.
Bargain politely: 太贵了！(Tài guì le!) and right away 便宜一点儿吧！(Piányi yìdiǎnr ba!). The particle 吧 softens the request; the voice doesn't rise at the end. Before paying, ask 一共多少钱？(Yígòng duōshao qián?) — “how much altogether?”. When you hand over the money, say 给您 (gěi nín). You pay in cash (现金) or by scanning a QR code (扫码).
Common mistakes:
• ×多少钱这个？ → 这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshao qián?) — the question word stays where the answer goes, not at the front as in English.
• ×一共多少钱吗？ → 一共多少钱？(Yígòng duōshao qián?) — no 吗 with a question word.
• “八折 — 80% off” → in fact you pay 80% of the price: it's 20% off.
The price tag and how you say it
“6元/斤” is the price per half kilo, and “8折” means “you pay 80%”, even though the figure looks like “80”.
| On the price tag | How you say it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 15元 | 十五块 (shíwǔ kuài) | 15 yuan |
| 2.5元 | 两块五 (liǎng kuài wǔ) | 2.5 yuan |
| 6元/斤 (jīn) | 一斤六块 (yì jīn liù kuài) | 6 yuan per half kilo |
| 8折 (zhé) | 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) | you pay 80%, 20% off |
Bargaining at the stall
Two phrases cover the whole scene: 太贵了！ and 便宜一点儿吧！
| Who | Line | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| customer | 这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshao qián?) | How much is this? |
| salesperson | 20块。(Èrshí kuài.) | 20 yuan. |
| customer | 太贵了！(Tài guì le!) | Too expensive! |
| salesperson | 18块，好吗？(Shíbā kuài, hǎo ma?) | 18 — is that OK? |
| customer | 好，给您。(Hǎo, gěi nín.) | OK, here you go. |
Lesson notes
How much is it: the price, half a kilo, and bargaining
At a market or a small store you ask the price aloud and can bargain; in a supermarket the price tag is final. Ask: 这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshao qián?) or 这个怎么卖？(Zhège zěnme mài?) — “how much is this?”.
Fruit, vegetables, eggs and dumplings are sold by weight, in 斤 (jīn): 一斤 (yì jīn) is half a kilo, not a pound or a kilo. “6元/斤” means 6 yuan per half a kilo; you ask 多少钱一斤？(Duōshao qián yì jīn?).
The price tag says 元 (yuán), but aloud you say 块 (kuài), as you learned with numbers. China's money is officially called 人民币 (rénmínbì). 打折 (dǎzhé) is “to give a discount”; the sign “8折” is read 八折 (bā zhé): you pay 80% of the price, a 20% discount.
Bargain politely: 太贵了！(Tài guì le!) and right away 便宜一点儿吧！(Piányi yìdiǎnr ba!). The particle 吧 softens the request; the voice doesn't rise at the end. Before paying, ask 一共多少钱？(Yígòng duōshao qián?) — “how much altogether?”. When you hand over the money, say 给您 (gěi nín). You pay in cash (现金) or by scanning a QR code (扫码).
Common mistakes:
• ×多少钱这个？ → 这个多少钱？(Zhège duōshao qián?) — the question word stays where the answer goes, not at the front as in English.
• ×一共多少钱吗？ → 一共多少钱？(Yígòng duōshao qián?) — no 吗 with a question word.
• “八折 — 80% off” → in fact you pay 80% of the price: it's 20% off.