Learn Italian - How Much Does it Cost?

Learn Italian - "Quanto Costa?" means "How much does it cost?" 

Do you like to barter? Did you know that the merchants in the piazzas of Italy (and some stores) actually expect you to barter with them? Don't pay full price for your Italian treasure if you don't have to! And the sellers always appreciate it if you pepper your English with a few friendly Italian phrases to help the deal go through!

The next time you go to Italy, ask the shopkeeper "Quanto costa?" If the price doesn't seem just right, continue the conversation and  see how you do bartering Italian -style!

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                                   Quanto Costa?

When asking a shopkeeper in Italy how much one thing costs, you can point to the item and ask:
Quanto costa? =  How much does (it ) cost?

When asking a shopkeeper in Italy how much more than one thing costs, you can point to the items and ask:
Quanto costano? = How much do these things cost?

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Start a conversation with a shopkeeper by asking:
Quanto costa…      How much is…   (literally: How much costs…)

Maybe the article is:
in vendita/in saldo, saldi        on sale / on sale for a reduced price
in svendita                                  in a closeout sale
sconto/scontato                        discount / discounted
a prezzo basso                            at low/lowered price

If the price is right, you can pay for the item, and tell the shopkeeper, "Thank you," or  "Grazie."

But, if you are in the mood to barter, then...  Of course, the listed price will be:
troppo caro                                      too expensive
costoso                                              expensive / costly
proprio costoso                               really expensive
Costa un occhio della testa!        Costs an arm and a leg!
                                                             (lit. Costs an eye out of the head!)

And here we go with bartering... If you've tried this in Italy, leave a comment describing your method and let us know how it worked! 

Quanto costa?                  How much (does it) cost?
Venti euro.                        (It costs) 20 euro.
Troppo caro! Quindici euro, invece!            (That is) too expensive! 15 euros instead!
Non è in saldo… ma, diciannove va bene. (It) is not on sale… but 19 is good.
No, è costoso! Forse diciassette?                 No, (it) is expensive! Perhaps 17?
Diciotto. Non posso fare più sconto!          18. (I) can’t discount it any more!
                                                                              (lit. I can’t make it (any) more discounted!)
D’accordo.                          Agreed.

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