In this lesson
¿Cuánto cuesta? ¿Cuánto cuestan?
The question you'll use most when shopping is built from three things you already know: cuánto (how much), the boot verb costar from the stem-changing class, and este / esta from the este, ese, aquel class.
| One thing | More than one |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa? | ¿Cuánto cuestan estos zapatos? |
| How much is this shirt? | How much are these shoes? |
Cuesta for one thing, cuestan for more than one. That's the whole rule.
Asking the price
- ¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa?How much is this shirt?
- ¿Cuánto cuestan estos zapatos?How much are these shoes?
- ¿Cuánto cuesta ese?How much is that one?
- ¿Cuánto es?How much is it? (the total)
Understanding the answer
The answer usually comes with cuesta, cuestan or son:
The answer
- Cuesta trescientos cincuenta pesos.It's three hundred fifty pesos.
- Cuestan ochocientos.They're eight hundred.
- Son mil doscientos cincuenta pesos.That's one thousand two hundred fifty pesos.
- Son cuarenta pesos con cincuenta centavos.That's forty pesos and fifty cents.
You'll need the numbers from the numbers class, and you'll need them fast. Prices in pesos get big quickly: a coffee is around sesenta pesos, a dinner for two can be mil doscientos.
How prices are written in Mexico
Good news if you're from the US: Mexico writes money the same way you do.
| Written | Said |
|---|---|
| **$**80 | ochenta pesos |
| **$1,**250 | mil doscientos cincuenta pesos |
| **$45.**50 | cuarenta y cinco pesos con cincuenta centavos |
- The $ goes before the number, and in Mexico it means pesos. If a price is in dollars, it'll say USD or dólares.
- A comma separates thousands, a point separates cents: $1,250.50. (In Spain it's the opposite: 1.250,50 €.)
- Pesos con centavos: the cents come after con. In everyday talk people often just say cuarenta y cinco cincuenta.
Paying
Paying
- ¿Aceptan tarjeta?Do you take cards?
- Pago en efectivo.I'll pay cash.
- ¿Tiene cambio de quinientos?Do you have change for five hundred?
- No tengo cambio.I don't have change.
- Aquí está su cambio.Here's your change.
Cambio is "change". At small shops and taxis, a big bill can be a problem: ¿Tiene cambio? is the first thing to ask. Carry coins (monedas) and small bills (billetes) for markets and tips.
Cheap, expensive and the market
Caro y barato
- Está muy caro.It's very expensive.
- Está barato.It's cheap.
- ¿Tiene algo más barato?Do you have anything cheaper?
- ¿Me hace un descuento?Can you give me a discount?
- ¿Me lo deja en doscientos?Will you let me have it for two hundred?
When you react to a price, Mexicans usually say está: ¡Está carísimo! (with the -ísimo from the muy vs mucho class).
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.¿Cuánto ___ estos aretes? (How much are these earrings?)
2.$1,500 is…
3.Ready to pay, you ask…
Common mistakes
✗¿Cuánto costa?
✓¿Cuánto cuesta?
Costar is a boot verb: o → ue.
✗¿Cuánto cuesta estos zapatos?
✓¿Cuánto cuestan estos zapatos?
More than one thing: cuestan.
✗Ochenta dólares. (for $80 in Mexico)
✓Ochenta pesos.
In Mexico, $ means pesos unless it says USD.
✗¿Tienes cambio? (to a stranger at a shop)
✓¿Tiene cambio?
At a shop, usted.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa?
- cuánto: how much, with an accent because it's a question
- cuesta: costar, o → ue, one shirt
- esta: this one, near you, and camisa is feminine
And now at a market stand:
Buenas tardes. ¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa?
Good afternoon. How much is this shirt?
Cuesta cuatrocientos cincuenta pesos.
It's four hundred fifty pesos.
Mmm, está un poco cara. ¿Me la deja en trescientos cincuenta?
Hmm, it's a little expensive. Will you let me have it for three hundred fifty?
Se la dejo en cuatrocientos.
I'll let you have it for four hundred.
Va. ¿Y cuánto cuestan esas bolsas?
OK. And how much are those bags?
Doscientos cada una.
Two hundred each.
Entonces una camisa y una bolsa. ¿Cuánto es?
Then one shirt and one bag. How much is it?
Son seiscientos. ¿Tiene cambio de mil?
That's six hundred. Do you have change for a thousand?
¿Me la deja? uses la because camisa is feminine. ¡Va! is a quick Mexican "OK, deal".
Now make it yours: look around your room and ask the price of three things, one of them plural. Then answer with a price in pesos.
Test yourself
✍️ Six quick questions
0/6
1.¿Cuánto ___ este libro?
2.$45.50 is…
3.You have a 500 bill and the taxi is 80. You ask…
4.At a market, the Mexican way to bargain is…
5.In Mexico, $300 means…
6.No tengo lana means…
All the forms
Money: the cheat sheet
| Spanish | |
|---|---|
| How much is it? (one thing) | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| How much are they? | ¿Cuánto cuestan? |
| How much is it? (total) | ¿Cuánto es? |
| It's / that's… | Cuesta… / Cuestan… / Son… |
| change | el cambio |
| bills / coins | billetes / monedas |
| cash / card | efectivo / tarjeta |
| expensive / cheap | caro / barato |
| discount | un descuento |
| Will you let me have it for…? | ¿Me lo (la) deja en…? |
Costar: cuesto, cuestas, cuesta, costamos, cuestan (you'll mostly use cuesta and cuestan).
Writing prices in Mexico: $1,250.50 = mil doscientos cincuenta pesos con cincuenta centavos.