Cantonese Chinese · Cantonese Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 11
幾多錢？How much is it?
Shopping at the market: asking a price (幾多錢?) and giving one (十五蚊, 三個十五蚊); 買 maai5 "buy" and 賣 maai6 "sell", which differ only in tone; and apples, oranges and the stallholder, 老闆.
Dialogue
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喺街市— At the market
- Mike老闆，我想賣蘋果。Boss, I want to sell apples. (he means "buy", 買 maai5, but says 賣 maai6)
- LouBaan賣蘋果？你都賣蘋果？Sell apples? You sell apples too?
- Mike唔係！我想買蘋果。No! I want to buy apples.
- LouBaan哦，買！幾多個呀？Oh, buy! How many?
- Mike兩個。幾多錢呀？Two. How much is that?
- LouBaan兩個，十蚊。Two — ten dollars.
- Mike好呀。俾你十蚊。OK. Here's ten dollars.
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三個十五蚊— Three for fifteen dollars
- KaYanMike，你想買乜嘢呀？Mike, what do you want to buy?
- Mike我想買橙。老闆，橙幾多錢呀？I want to buy oranges. Boss, how much are the oranges?
- LouBaan一個六蚊，三個十五蚊。Six dollars each, three for fifteen.
- Mike三個十五蚊？好呀，我買三個。Three for fifteen? OK, I'll buy three.
- KaYan老闆，三個十蚊，得唔得呀？Boss, three for ten — is that OK?
- LouBaan唔得！No way!
- KaYan十二蚊呢？Twelve, then?
- LouBaan好啦好啦，十二蚊。All right, all right — twelve.
Vocabulary
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- 街市
nounwet market (fresh food market)
- 老闆
nounboss; owner (of a shop or stall)
- 想
verbto want to (+ verb)
- 買
verbto buy (maai5, low rising tone)
- 賣
verbto sell (maai6, low level tone)
- 蘋果
nounapple
- 橙
nounorange (the fruit)
- 錢
nounmoney
- 幾多錢
phrasehow much (money)
- 蚊
m.dollar (spoken; after a number: 十蚊 "ten dollars")
- 得
adjectiveOK; that works (得唔得？ "is that OK?")
- 唔得
phrasenot OK; no way
New characters
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- 街
street (in 街市)
- 市
market; city (in 街市)
- 闆
boss (in 老闆)
- 想
to want to; to think
- 蘋
apple (only in 蘋果)
- 果
fruit (in 蘋果)
- 買
to buy (maai5)
- 錢
money
- 蚊
dollar (spoken); the character also means "mosquito"
- 橙
orange (the fruit)
- 得
OK; can (in 得唔得)
Grammar
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Prices: 幾多錢? and N 蚊
Explanation
幾多 "how much" + 錢 "money" asks a price: 幾多錢呀? "How much is it?" To ask about one thing, put the thing first: 橙幾多錢呀? "How much are the oranges?", 蘋果幾多錢呀? "How much are the apples?" The answer is number + 蚊 "dollar": 十蚊 "ten dollars", 十五蚊 "fifteen dollars", 六十蚊 "sixty dollars". A price for one: 一個六蚊 "six dollars each". A price for several together: 三個十五蚊 "three for fifteen dollars". How many comes first, then how much.
Examples
- 蘋果幾多錢呀？How much are the apples?
- 一個六蚊。Six dollars each.
- 兩個十蚊。Two for ten dollars.
- 三個十五蚊。Three for fifteen dollars.
Grammar
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Buy or sell: 買 maai5, 賣 maai6
Explanation
買 maai5 "buy" and 賣 maai6 "sell" sound the same except for the tone: 買 is tone 5, rising from low; 賣 is tone 6, low and level. The meanings are exact opposites: the customer 買 buys, the stallholder 賣 sells. Mike says 我想賣蘋果 with tone 6, so the stallholder thinks he sells apples too. Mike then says 買, and the stallholder understands. When you listen, follow the end of the syllable: if it rises, it is 買; if it stays low and level, it is 賣.
Examples
- 我想買蘋果。I want to buy apples.
- 老闆賣橙。The stallholder sells oranges.
- 你想買乜嘢呀？What do you want to buy?
- 佢賣乜嘢呀？What does he sell?
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