cuánto cuesta
/kwanto kwesta/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'how much something costs' is expressed in Spanish as cuánto cuesta.
You can use several phrases to inquire about the price of an item or service. ¿Cuánto cuesta? is a common way to ask 'How much does it cost?' If you want to ask 'What is the price?', you can say ¿Cuál es el precio? Other variations include ¿Cuánto vale? to ask 'How much is it worth?' and ¿Cuánto sale? to ask 'How much is it going for?' For a very short and common alternative when asking for a total price, you can use ¿Cuánto es?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase cuánto cuesta is composed of cuánto (how much) and cuesta (it costs), which is the third-person singular form of the verb costar.
Which one should you use?
Use cuánto cuesta when referring to a single item. If you are asking about multiple items, use the plural form cuánto cuestan.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries like Mexico and Argentina, you will commonly hear ¿Cuánto sale esto? to ask for a price. In Spain, it is common to use ¿Cuánto vale esto? instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
When the items you are asking about are plural, you must change the verb to the plural form cuestan.
Did you know?
- The word cuesta shares the same linguistic root as the English word 'coast'. This is because both words evolved from the Latin costa, meaning a side, edge, or shoreline.
- In some contexts, me cuesta is used not for money, but to describe a mental or physical struggle, meaning 'it is difficult for me'.
- While cuánto cuesta asks for the price, the phrase está caro is often used as a negotiation tactic to signal that the speaker expects a lower price.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuánto cuesta este libro?How much does this book cost?
- No sé cuánto cuesta el viaje.I don't know how much the trip costs.
- ¿Sabes cuánto cuesta la entrada?Do you know how much the entrance ticket costs?
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are at a local market.
- SofíaJavier, ¿cuánto cuesta esa sandía?Javier, how much does that watermelon cost?
- JavierCreo que cuesta cinco euros.I think it costs five euros.
- SofíaEs un buen precio.It is a good price.
- JavierSí, vamos a comprarla.Yes, let's buy it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuesta, cuánto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
