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Whenever we buy anything, it’s obvious to ask for the price. In many cases, we need to negotiate the price. And indeed, the negotiation conversation starts with “How much does this cost?” However, the way someone should ask about the cost of something may vary depending on what types of items they are buying.
We politely say, “How much is this?” to ask for the price of daily needs like food, groceries, vegetables, household items, etc. However, when it comes to making a business deal or buying something, i.e., a house, car, or a piece of land that costs substantial money, the language and approach may vary depending on the context while asking for the price.
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In this post, I will explain how you can ask for the price in different situations. The examples I will provide here will be primarily situational, which will undoubtedly help you ask for the price in better ways. You can easily use them in your real-life situations too.
How Much Is This?
“How much is this?” is the most common way of asking for the price. We frequently use this in our everyday shopping. If you are in a super shop and wondering how much the can of cashew nuts costs that you are holding or pointing to, you can ask the Sales Assistant by saying—
How much is this/that?
Or you can be more specific by uttering the name of the product. You can say—
How much is this/that cashew nuts?
A few similar examples are given below—
- How much is this bun?
- How much is this toothpaste?
- How much is that fish?
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How Much Are These?
When we ask the prices of two or more items, we should use “How much are these?” instead of “How much is this?” Let’s think of a situation where you are buying two jackets for your brothers. You can ask the salesperson pointing to the jackets—
How much are these/those?
Or you can be more specific by uttering the name of the products. You can say—
How much are these/those jackets?
Some similar examples can be—
- How much are these knives?
- How much are those vegetables?
- How much are these sunglasses?
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How Much Does This Cost?
“How much does this cost?” is frequently used for asking for the price. You can always replace “How much is this?” with this expression. However, to specifically ask for the cost or price of something, you can follow the examples below—
- How much does this/that umbrella cost?
- How much does this watermelon cost?
- How much does that football cost?
To ask for the price of more than one item, we can follow the examples below—
- How much do these biscuits cost?
- How much do those fruits cost?
- How much do these nuts cost?
What Is the Price of This?
Though we can use this expression like the above ones, we usually use “What is the price of this?” to discuss the price of something that requires a substantial amount to buy. To be specific, we can mention the name of the thing. Examples are—
- What is the price of this/that black car?
- What is the price of this bungalow?
- What is the price of that machine?
To ask the price in the plural, follow the examples below—
- What is the price of these/those cars?
- What is the price of these bungalows?
- What is the price of those machines?
What Is the Asking Price of This?
When we buy something that costs a significant amount of money or if there is any scope of negotiation, we usually ask the price this way—
What is the asking price of this/that?
You can also specifically talk about the price of that particular thing that you are about to buy by saying—
What is the asking price of this/that flat?
Let’s check some similar examples—
- What is the asking price of this house?
- What is the asking price of that piece of land?
- What is the asking price of this lot?
How Much Is the Cost of This?
“How much is the cost of this? is commonly used to ask someone about the price of something. This expression can be replaced by “How much is this?” and “How much does this cost?”.
However, in this kind of expression, you can mention the name of the specific thing that you expect to know the price. Let’s see some examples—
- How much is the cost of this/that dress?
- How much is the cost of this mobile phone?
- How much is the cost of that Bluetooth?
As a general rule, you can always replace the pronoun “this” with “these” if there is more than one thing you ask for the price.
- How much is the cost of these books?
- How much is the cost of those toys?
- How much is the cost of these chocolates?
Do You Know How Much It Costs?
We usually use this expression to ask someone directly about the price of something. Usually, when we feel like knowing the price of something from our friend or someone we already know, we use—
Do you know how much it/this/that costs?
Let’s see some examples using this expression.
- Do you know how much this laptop costs?
- Do you know how much that camera costs?
- Do you know how much this showpiece costs?
To ask the price in the plural using this expression, check the examples given below—
- Do you know how much these pens cost?
- Do you know how much those books cost?
- Do you know how much these cups cost?
Would You Please Tell Me the Price of This?
This is a very polite and formal expression of asking for a price. You can use this expression to talk to anybody about the price, even to someone you have met for the first time. You can say—
Would you please tell me the price of this/that?
You can mention the specific product in the sentence too.
- Would you please tell me the price of this microphone?
- Would you please tell me the price of that speaker?
When it comes to more than one product or something, you can say—
Would you please tell me the price of these/those?
To be specific, these examples would help—
- Would you please tell me the price of these curtains?
- Would you please tell me the price of those earphones?
However, you can use the following expression to request someone to help you with the price of something.
Would You Please Check the Price of This for Me?
When we shop from super shops, we usually check the price by ourselves, but of course, we can ask for help from others. We can politely request the salesperson to help us find the price. You can say—
Would you please check the price of this/that for me?
Let’s look at some specific examples—
- Would you please check the price of this spoon set?
- Would you please check the price of that spatula for me?
When we need the price of more than one item, we can also say—
Would you please check the price of these/those for me?
Some examples can be—
- Would you please check the price of these nuts for me?
- Would you please check the price of those cookies for me?
Would You Mind Telling Me the Price of This?
This is a polite expression for asking for the price like the previous one. Though it seems like an interrogative sentence, it is a request. To politely ask someone for the price of something, you can say—
Would you mind telling me the price of this/that?
- Would you mind telling me the price of this toy bike?
- Would you mind telling me the price of that soft toy?
In case of more than one thing, you can say—
Would you mind telling me the price of these/those?
- Would you mind telling me the price of these diaries?
- Would you mind telling me the price of those albums?
Note: To know how to make polite requests like this, you can go through my other write-up titled Making Polite Requests: Formal, Informal, and Semi-formal.
How Much Did It Cost?
When we want to know the price of something that is already bought, we use this expression. Suppose you are at your best friend’s house and you like his/her new mobile phone that s/he bought recently. You can obviously ask the price by saying—
How much did it/this/that cost?
Let’s see some similar kinds of expressions as examples—
- How much did this cost?
- How much did that mobile phone cost?
- How much did this umbrella cost?
To ask the price of more than one thing, you can use the following expression.
How much did they/these/those cost?
Let us check some examples—
- How much did they cost?
- How much did these pencils cost?
- How much did those gadgets cost?
Note: Do not ask someone about the price of something they already bought if they are not close to you. One may feel embarrassed if you ask the price of a dress s/he is wearing.
A Sample Conversation on Asking for the Price in English
The following is a conversation between a customer and a salesman in which the customer asks for prices of some products in different ways.
Customer: Hi, can you show me some waist belts?
Salesman: Sure. We have a collection of some leather and synthetic belts— which type would you like to see?
Customer: The leather ones, please.
Salesman: Here.
Customer: These are nice. How much are these?
Salesman: The price ranges from $15 to $25.
Customer: Hmmm…. Sounds good. Are they flat rates?
Salesman: Yes. They’re.
Customer: Okay. Are the synthetic ones the same? Would you mind telling me the price of those?
Salesman: Sure. The synthetics are a bit cheaper. Let me show you.
Customer: Oh, they’re vibrant! This black & blue one has no label on it — would you please check the price of this belt? I like it.
Salesman: Let me check on the computer, sir…. Yes, it’s $12 only.
Customer: Good. I’ll take it — is that a new collection of wristwatches behind you?
Salesman: Oh, those…. They came in last month. Now, only a few are left.
Customer: I see. What’s the price of those wristwatches?
Salesman: They are $50 each. May I show you one?
Customer: Mmmm…. Never mind. I’ll come tomorrow and get one.
Takeaway Words:
Synthetic (adjective) = something made of artificial or fake materials
Vibrant (adjective) = very colorful or consists of many bright colors
Label (noun) = a tag that shows necessary information, such as price, name, size, etc.
You can also take help practicing English conversation from the book titled Practice Makes Perfect: English Conversation (Amazon link). I suggest my students use this as learning material as this book introduces some real-life situations and how you deal with them in English.
In Conclusion
To satisfy our everyday needs, we need to go to the market regularly. We go shopping to buy clothes and gifts for dear ones, friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. No matter where you live, shopping is a must.
When we want to buy something, we must know the price, and at times we may need to negotiate with sellers (Amazon link). If you cannot approach the seller appropriately, it might be challenging to negotiate the price.
No matter whom you talk to about the price of anything, you are expected to use a polite voice tone and appropriate body language.
Thanks for reading.
Happy learning.
