What are Prices?

When you go shopping, you always see prices! Prices tell you how much money you need to pay to buy something. Understanding price vocabulary is super important for everyday English, especially when you are shopping or talking about money. In this lesson, we will learn some basic English words and phrases to talk about prices. This is perfect for beginners (A1+ level) who want to improve their spoken English and understand conversations about shopping and costs.

Basic Price Vocabulary

Let’s start with some essential words related to prices. These are words you will hear and use very often.

Nouns: Words for Things Related to Price

• Price: This is the amount of money you have to pay for something.
  Example: “What is the price of this book?”
• Cost: Similar to ‘price’, it refers to the amount of money needed.
  Example: “The cost of the ticket is $10.”
• Money: What we use to buy things.
  Example: “Do you have enough money to buy it?”
• Bill: A piece of paper that shows how much you need to pay, especially in a restaurant or for services.
  Example: “The waiter brought us the bill after dinner.”
• Receipt: A piece of paper you get after you pay, showing that you bought something.
  Example: “Always keep your receipt if you want to return something.”
• Discount: A reduction in the usual price. Something is cheaper than normal.
  Example: “There’s a discount on clothes this week.”
• Sale: A period when shops sell things at lower prices.
  Example: “I bought this shirt in the sale.”
• Offer: A special price or deal, often for a limited time.
  Example: “They have a special offer: buy one, get one free!”
• Bargain: Something you buy at a good price, usually cheaper than expected.
  Example: “This dress was a bargain! It was so cheap.”
• Cash: Money in the form of paper notes and coins, not cards.
  Example: “Do you want to pay in cash or by card?”
• Card: A plastic card (like a credit card or debit card) used to pay.
  Example: “I paid by card.”
• Change: The money you get back when you pay more than the price.
  Example: “Here is your change – $2.”
• Total: The final price you have to pay for everything.
  Example: “The total for your groceries is $25.”

Verbs: Actions Related to Price

• Cost: To have a price.
  Example: “How much does this phone cost?”
• Pay: To give money for something.
  Example: “I need to pay for these shoes.”
• Spend: To use money to buy or do things.
  Example: “I spent $50 on new jeans.”
• Buy: To get something by paying money for it.
  Example: “I want to buy a new bag.”
• Sell: To give something to someone for money.
  Example: “They sell fruits and vegetables at this market.”
• Charge: To ask someone to pay a certain amount of money for something.
  Example: “How much do you charge for a haircut?”
• Afford: To have enough money to buy something.
  Example: “I can’t afford to buy a new car right now.”
• Save: To keep money so you can use it later. Or, to reduce the price of something.
  Example: “I am saving money for a holiday.” or “You can save 20% during the sale.”
• Discount: To reduce the price of something. (Often used as a verb in business contexts).
  Example: “They will discount the price if you buy two.”

Adjectives and Adverbs: Describing Prices

• Cheap: Not costing much money.
  Example: “This t-shirt is very cheap.”
• Expensive: Costing a lot of money.
  Example: “That car is very expensive.”
• Affordable: Not too expensive; you can manage to pay for it.
  Example: “This restaurant has affordable prices.”
• Reasonable: Fair and not too high price.
  Example: “The price is reasonable for the quality.”
• High: A large amount or price.
  Example: “The prices here are very high.”
• Low: A small amount or price.
  Example: “They offer very low prices.”
• Free: Costing nothing.
  Example: “The water is free at this restaurant.”
• On sale: Being sold at a reduced price.
  Example: “These shoes are on sale.”
• Discounted: Having a discount.
  Example: “These items are discounted by 30%.”
• Pricey: (Informal) Expensive.
  Example: “This phone is a bit pricey.”
• Costly: (Formal) Expensive.
  Example: “Repairs can be costly.”

Asking About Prices

Here are some useful questions to ask about prices in English. These phrases are very common and easy to use.

• “How much is this?” – A simple and direct way to ask the price of something you are pointing to or holding.
  Example: (Pointing at a hat) “Excuse me, how much is this?”
• “How much does this cost?” – Another common way to ask the price.
  Example: “How much does this cost?”
• “What’s the price of…?” – Use this when you want to ask about a specific item.
  Example: “What’s the price of the red dress?”
• “Could you tell me the price, please?” – A polite way to ask for the price.
  Example: “Could you tell me the price, please?”
• “Are there any discounts?” – Ask this if you want to know if there are any special offers or lower prices.
  Example: “Are there any discounts for students?”
• “Is it on sale?” – To check if an item has a reduced price for a sale.
  Example: “Excuse me, is it on sale?”

Describing Prices

When someone tells you a price, you might want to say if it’s good, bad, or just okay. Here are some ways to describe prices.

• “It’s cheap.” – The price is low and good.
  Example: “Wow, $5 for a coffee? It’s cheap!”
• “It’s expensive.” – The price is high and maybe too much.
  Example: “$100 for a t-shirt? It’s expensive!”
• “It’s affordable.” – The price is okay, you can pay it without difficulty.
  Example: “The rent here is quite affordable.”
• “It’s reasonable.” – The price is fair and acceptable.
  Example: “The price for this service is reasonable.”
• “It’s a good price.” – You think the price is good value for what you get.
  Example: “This phone is great, and it’s a good price.”
• “It’s too expensive.” – You think the price is too high and you don’t want to pay it.
  Example: “Sorry, $200? It’s too expensive for me.”
• “It’s on sale!” – Expressing excitement that something is cheaper than usual.
  Example: “Look! This bag is on sale! Let’s buy it.”

Let’s Practice!

Fill in the blanks with the correct price vocabulary word from the box below.
Word Box: price, cost, discount, sale, money, receipt, expensive, cheap, afford, pay

1. How much does this book ___________?
2. Is there a ___________ on these shoes?
3. The ___________ of the shirt is very reasonable.
4. I don’t have enough ___________ to buy that car.
5. This market has a big summer ___________.
6. Keep your ___________ if you want to return the item.
7. This phone is very ___________. I can’t buy it.
8. This pen is very ___________. Only $1!
9. Can you ___________ for me by card, please?
10. Can we ___________ this jacket? It’s too much for our budget.

Answers to Practice

1. How much does this book cost?
2. Is there a discount on these shoes?
3. The price of the shirt is very reasonable.
4. I don’t have enough money to buy that car.
5. This market has a big summer sale.
6. Keep your receipt if you want to return the item.
7. This phone is very expensive. I can’t buy it.
8. This pen is very cheap. Only $1!
9. Can you pay for me by card, please?
10. Can we afford this jacket? It’s too much for our budget.

Practice Speaking with Lingofrnd

Now that you know some English vocabulary for prices, it’s time to practice speaking! Talking about prices is something you will do very often in English. To improve your spoken English and practice using these new words, try Lingofrnd.com.
Lingofrnd is your AI spoken English teacher. You can practice conversations about shopping, asking about prices, and much more. It’s a great way to build your confidence in speaking English. Lingofrnd.com can help you become more comfortable using English prices vocabulary in real conversations.

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