Chinese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 2 of 12
Numbers and prices
数字和价格Shùzì hé jiàgé
Count from 0 to 99 in Mandarin, ask what things cost, use your first measure words and bargain a little at a market stall.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Count from 0 to 99 and say phone numbers
- Ask how much something costs and understand the answer
- Use 个 (ge) and other measure words with numbers
- Bargain politely at a market stall
Listen
Zhou Yu buys a phone case and a bottle of water at a night-market stall in Xi'an. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Zhou Yu
你好！这个手机壳多少钱？
Nǐ hǎo! Zhège shǒujīké duōshao qián?
Hello! How much is this phone case?
Stallholder
三十五块。
Sānshíwǔ kuài.
Thirty-five yuan.
Zhou Yu
太贵了！便宜一点儿吧。
Tài guì le! Piányi yìdiǎnr ba.
That's too expensive! Make it a bit cheaper.
Stallholder
三十块，可以吗？
Sānshí kuài, kěyǐ ma?
Thirty yuan, OK?
Zhou Yu
二十五块吧。
Èrshíwǔ kuài ba.
Let's say twenty-five.
Stallholder
好吧，二十八。
Hǎo ba, èrshíbā.
All right, twenty-eight.
Zhou Yu
好。一瓶水多少钱？
Hǎo. Yì píng shuǐ duōshao qián?
OK. How much is a bottle of water?
Stallholder
两块。
Liǎng kuài.
Two yuan.
Zhou Yu
可以扫码吗？
Kěyǐ sǎomǎ ma?
Can I pay by scanning the code?
Stallholder
可以。三十块。给你！
Kěyǐ. Sānshí kuài. Gěi nǐ!
Sure. Thirty yuan. Here you are!
Understand
Numbers from 0 to 99
Learn the numbers from 0 to 10 and you can build every number up to 99. For 11 to 19, say ten and then the unit: (shíyī), 11; (shíwǔ), 15. For the tens, put the number before ten: (èrshí), 20, literally “two ten”; (sānshíwǔ), 35; (jiǔshíjiǔ), 99. One hundred is (yìbǎi).
Phone numbers are said digit by digit. In them, 1 is usually said yāo instead of yī, so it can't be confused with 7 (qī): 138 is yāo sān bā.
| Number | Chinese |
|---|---|
| 0 | (líng) |
| 1 | (yī) |
| 2 | (èr) |
| 3 | (sān) |
| 4 | (sì) |
| 5 | (wǔ) |
| 6 | (liù) |
| 7 | (qī) |
| 8 | (bā) |
| 9 | (jiǔ) |
| 10 | (shí) |
Measure words: 一个, 一瓶, and 二 or 两
In Chinese you can't put a number straight before a noun. You need a measure word in between, a bit like “a bottle of water” in English: number + measure word + noun. The most common one is (ge), which works for many things: (yí ge shǒujīké), one phone case. Drinks in bottles take (píng): (yì píng shuǐ). “This” and “that” also take the measure word: (zhège), this one; (nàge), that one.
The number 2 has two forms. Count and read numbers with (èr): (shí'èr), (èrshí). But before a measure word, say (liǎng): (liǎng ge), (liǎng píng shuǐ), (liǎng kuài).
(yī) also changes its tone when another syllable follows it, as before a measure word: it becomes yí before a fourth tone ( (yí ge), since is originally gè) and yì before the other tones ( (yì píng), (yìdiǎnr)). When you count, say a phone number or put it at the end of a number (, shíyī), it stays yī. Pinyin in this course always shows the tone you actually say.
- 一个手机壳yí ge shǒujīkéone phone case
- 两瓶水liǎng píng shuǐtwo bottles of water
- 这个多少钱？Zhège duōshao qián?How much is this one?
Prices: 多少钱？ and 块
Ask the price with (duōshao qián?), “how much money?”. Put the thing first: (zhège shǒujīké duōshao qián?).
China's money is the yuan. In speech, people say (kuài): (sānshí kuài), 30 yuan. On price tags and in writing you'll see (yuán) or the sign ¥. A tenth of a yuan is (máo), so ¥3.50 is (sān kuài wǔ). Once the price is clear, people often drop : (èrshíbā), 28.
More in the grammar: Measure words · Numbers and money · Pinyin and the four tones
New words
- 这个zhègethis, this one · (nàge), that, that one.
- 手机壳shǒujīképhone case · (shǒujī), mobile phone.
- 多少钱？Duōshao qián?How much is it? · Literally “how much money?”
- 块kuàiyuan (in speech) · Written (yuán).
- 太贵了tài guì letoo expensive · A fixed phrase: (tài) means “too”, (guì) means “expensive”.
- 便宜piányicheap
- 一点儿yìdiǎnra little, a bit · After an adjective: (piányi yìdiǎnr), a bit cheaper.
- 吧ba(softens a suggestion) · At the end of a sentence: (èrshíwǔ kuài ba), let's say 25. (hǎo ba), OK then.
- 可以kěyǐcan, may; OK · (kěyǐ ma?), Is that OK?
- 瓶píngbottle (measure word) · (yì píng shuǐ), a bottle of water.
- 水shuǐwater
- 两liǎngtwo (before a measure word) · (liǎng kuài), two yuan. When counting, use (èr).
- 扫码sǎomǎto scan a QR code (to pay)
- 给你gěi nǐhere you are · Literally “give you”.
Practise
1.How do you say “two bottles of water”?
2.Put the words in order to ask the price of this phone case.
Tap the words below in the right order.How much is this phone case?
3.Match the numbers.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.The price tag says ¥15. How does the stallholder say it?
5.You think the price is too high. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Make it a bit cheaper.
6. (ge) was originally a fourth tone, gè. So how is said?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
这个多少钱？
Zhège duōshao qián?
How much is this?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.