ເທົ່າໃດ
thaodai
ເທົ່າໃດ (thaodai) is the Lao way to say "how much".
You use ເທົ່າໃດ to ask about the price of an item. To form a sentence asking for a price, you typically place ເທົ່າໃດ at the end of the sentence, often following the noun or the word for "price".
Meaning: what is the cost/price? (det)
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase ເທົ່າໃດ is used for both uncountable quantities (how much) and countable quantities (how many).
How do you pronounce it?
thaodai
Did you know?
- If a vendor responds with ເທົ່າໃດກໍໄດ້, they are not telling you the price but saying 'any amount is fine'. This is common when giving items to friends or family.
- In Lao culture, haggling after asking ເທົ່າໃດ is an expected social dance in traditional markets, rather than being considered rude or a conflict.
- Lao shares the root for ເທົ່າໃດ with Thai, meaning a traveler can use this exact phrase in both countries and be perfectly understood.
Examples in context
- ອັນນີ້ລາຄາເທົ່າໃດ?an ni la kha thao dai?How much is this?
- ໝາກກ້ວຍນີ້ກິໂລລະເທົ່າໃດ?mak kuay ni ki lo la thao dai?How much is this banana per kilo?
- ເຈົ້າຕ້ອງຈ່າຍເທົ່າໃດ?chao tong chai thao dai?How much do you have to pay?
Example conversation
A customer is asking a street vendor about the price of mangoes.
- Aໝາກມ່ວງນີ້ລາຄາເທົ່າໃດ?mak muang ni la kha thao dai?How much are these mangoes?
- Bສິບຫ້າພັນກີບຕໍ່ກິໂລ.sip ha phan kip tor ki lo.Fifteen thousand kip per kilo.
- Aຖ້າຊື້ຫຼາຍ ເທົ່າໃດ?tha seu lai thao dai?How much if I buy a lot?
- Bຫຼຸດໃຫ້ໄດ້ເລັກນ້ອຍ.lut hai dai lek noi.I can give you a small discount.
