Learn · Lesson 19
Shopping and prices
Ask 多少钱, hear 块, and decide whether something is 贵 or 便宜 without freezing at the register.
Goals
- Ask the price of a pointed item
- Use 块 with numbers you already know
- Say 太贵了 and 便宜一点 as usable lines
- Keep 买 vs 卖 tones apart
Point, then price
这个多少钱？ is enough. You do not need the noun if your finger is on the object.
这个苹果多少钱？ adds the noun when pointing is rude or unclear.
Listen for 块 (kuài). 毛 and 分 exist; beginners survive on 块.
How much is this?
Three yuan.
Fifteen yuan altogether.
Pushing back politely
太贵了 is a complete reaction. 便宜一点 is a complete request. You are not required to bargain; you are allowed to have the sentences.
可以少一点吗？ is softer than a demand.
If the answer is 不行, say 好吧 and decide. Fluency includes exiting the conversation.
That’s too expensive.
A bit cheaper, okay?
I’ll buy this one.
Buy vs sell
买 mǎi (3) vs 卖 mài (4) is a pair worth a contrast-drill visit. Mixing them at a stall is a comedy sketch you can skip.
我买 is what you do. 他卖 is what the stall does.
Open the shopping deck the same day you finish this lesson so the numbers stay warm.
Do you sell fruit?
I’d like to buy two.
Is cash okay?
Takeaways
- 这个多少钱？ is the core price question.
- 块 carries beginner money talk.
- 买 dips; 卖 falls.
Quick check
1. How do you ask the price of a pointed item?
2. Which is “buy”?
3. 太贵了 means…