太贵了 Too Expensive in Chinese

今天jīntiān，我wǒ想xiǎng买mǎi一个yí gè西瓜xīguā。

Today, I want to buy a watermelon.

我wǒ去qù商店shāngdiàn，看见kànjiàn一个yí gè人rén在zài卖mài大dà西瓜xīguā。

I went to the store and saw someone selling big watermelons.

我wǒ问wèn他tā：“这个zhège西瓜xīguā多少钱duōshao qián？”

I ask him: "How much is this watermelon?"

他tā说shuō：“三十sānshí块kuài。”我wǒ觉得juéde太tài贵guì了le。

He says: "Thirty kuai." I think it's too expensive.

我wǒ说shuō：“太tài贵guì了le，便宜piányi一点儿yìdiǎnr可以kěyǐ吗ma？”

I say: "Too expensive! Can it be a little cheaper?"

他tā笑xiào了le，说shuō：“好hǎo，二十èrshí五wǔ块kuài，可以kěyǐ吗ma？”

He smiles and says: "OK, twenty-five kuai, how about that?"

我wǒ给gěi了le钱qián，回家huí jiā了le，西瓜xīguā真zhēn好吃hǎochī，我wǒ一yí个gè人rén吃chī了le三sān块kuài。

I paid and went home. The watermelon was so good I ate three slices on my own.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

贵guìexpensive

太tàitoo

便宜piányicheap

一点儿yìdiǎnra little

多少钱duōshao qiánhow much (money)

西瓜xīguāwatermelon

太 + adj + 了（too ...）

太...了 says something is excessively so, often with feeling.

太贵了！— Too expensive!

adj + 一点儿，可以吗？（asking for a bit more/less）

Adding 一点儿 after an adjective and asking 可以吗 politely requests a small change, like a discount.

便宜一点儿可以吗？— Can it be a little cheaper?

多少钱？（asking the price）

多少钱 is the standard way to ask how much something costs.

这个西瓜多少钱？— How much is this watermelon?

1. What does the narrator want to buy?

2. What price does the seller ask first?

3. What price do they finally agree on?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.