Shopping and Prices | Farsi Grammar

Shopping Persian relies on reusable frames rather than literal English questions. این چقدر است؟ asks a price, چند تا می‌خواهید؟ asks for a count, کیلویی چند است؟ asks the price per kilogram, and تخفیف دارد؟ asks whether a discount is available. Choosing the right frame tells the seller whether you mean money, number of items, or measurement.

In Iran, everyday prices are commonly discussed in تومان even where formal labels or receipts may use ریال. Always listen for the named unit; never convert silently. This page uses Persian digits in Persian examples and treats the complete shopping chunks as vocabulary-in-grammar units.

For the noun patterns behind expressions such as سه تا لیوان, see Numbers with Nouns. Here the focus is the whole exchange a shopper needs.

A shopping construction map

Purpose	Useful frame	What fills the open slot	Register
ask price	این چقدر است؟	item can replace این	careful-spoken standard
ask price casually	این چنده؟	item or demonstrative	informal Tehran
state a priced value	... تومان قیمت دارد	amount before قیمت دارد	formal/commercial
ask count	چند تا؟	countable items	neutral conversation
ask unit price	کیلویی چند است؟	fruit, nuts, produce	market conversation
ask about discount	تخفیف دارد؟	item or purchase	neutral polite

Asking and stating a price

چقدر asks “how much” on a scale: price, money, weight, time, or degree. In a shop, این چقدر است؟ is complete because است links the item with its price. Tehran speech normally reduces the copula: این چنده؟ (informal, regional: Tehran).

ببخشید، این دفتر چقدر است؟

bebakhshid, in daftar cheqadr ast?

Excuse me, how much is this notebook? (polite careful speech)

این مدل چنده؟

in model chande?

How much is this model? (informal, regional: Tehran)

قیمت داشتن describes an item's price or price level. With an amount, it is natural in formal descriptions and comparisons: این دستگاه ده میلیون تومان قیمت دارد. In a quick shop exchange, چند است/چنده is lighter.

این دستگاه ۱۲٬۵۰۰٬۰۰۰ تومان قیمت دارد.

in dastgâh davâzdah milyon-o pânsad hezâr tumân qeymat dârad.

This device costs 12,500,000 tomans. (formal/commercial description)

قیمت این کفش با مالیات چقدر می‌شود؟

qeymat-e in kafsh bâ mâliyât cheqadr mi-shavad?

How much does this pair of shoes come to with tax? (polite standard)

💡

قیمت داشتن is a predicate about an item; قیمتِ X is a noun phrase meaning “the price of X.” Do not translate English price the same way in both structures.

چقدر versus چند تا

Use چند تا for a count of separable items. The classifier-like تا is common in conversation and can stand alone when the noun is obvious. Use چقدر for an amount or a scale, including money and total price.

چند تا از این لیوان‌ها لازم دارید؟

chand tâ az in livân-hâ lâzem dârid?

How many of these glasses do you need? (polite conversation)

سه تا می‌خوام، اگه رنگ آبی هم دارین.

se tâ mi-khâm, age rang-e âbi ham dârin.

I want three, if you have them in blue too. (informal, regional: Tehran)

برای همه‌ی خریدها چقدر پرداخت کردید؟

barâ-ye hame-ye kharid-hâ cheqadr pardâkht kardid?

How much did you pay for all the purchases? (careful standard)

The noun can appear after چند تا—چند تا پرتقال—or before a partitive—چند تا از این‌ها. With a mass such as rice, ask for weight or packaging: چند کیلو برنج؟ or چند بسته برنج؟

Unit prices with کیلویی

کیلویی means “per kilogram” in price expressions. The item establishes what is measured, and the amount states the unit price. Similar forms include متری “per meter,” دانه‌ای “per piece,” and بسته‌ای “per package,” but availability depends on the product and commercial convention.

پسته کیلویی ۸۴۰٬۰۰۰ تومان است.

peste kiluyi hashtsad-o chehel hezâr tumân ast.

Pistachios are 840,000 tomans per kilogram. (neutral market pricing)

پرتقال کیلویی چنده؟

porteqâl kiluyi chande?

How much are oranges per kilo? (informal market speech)

اگر نیم کیلو بخواهم، همان قیمت کیلویی حساب می‌کنید؟

agar nim kilu bekhâham, hamân qeymat-e kiluyi hesâb mi-konid?

If I want half a kilo, will you charge the same per-kilo price? (polite standard)

The amount bought and the rate are different slots. نیم کیلو is quantity; کیلویی ۸۴۰٬۰۰۰ تومان is rate.

Discounts: seller gives, buyer gets

Persian organizes discount language around several conventional predicates. A product تخفیف دارد “has a discount”; a seller تخفیف می‌دهد “gives a discount”; a buyer تخفیف می‌گیرد “gets a discount.” The choice determines the subject.

این مانتو تخفیف دارد یا قیمتش ثابت است؟

in mânto takhfif dârad yâ qeymat-ash sâbet ast?

Is this coat discounted, or is its price fixed? (polite neutral)

اگه دو تا بردارم، می‌شه کمی تخفیف بدین؟

age do tâ bardâram, mi-she kami takhfif bedin?

If I take two, could you give me a small discount? (informal polite Tehran speech)

برای خرید نقدی ده درصد تخفیف گرفتم.

barâ-ye kharid-e naqdi dah darsad takhfif gereftam.

I got a ten-percent discount for paying cash. (neutral)

Politeness comes from an opening such as ببخشید, a possibility frame می‌شود/می‌شه, and an appropriate plural verb—not from demanding a lower price. Fixed-price shops and markets differ in how expected bargaining is.

A short shop dialogue

— ببخشید، این شال چقدر است؟ — ۳۸۰٬۰۰۰ تومان. — اگر دو تا بخواهم، تخفیف دارد؟ — بله، دوتایش ۷۰۰٬۰۰۰ تومان می‌شود.

— bebakhshid, in shâl cheqadr ast? — sisad-o hashtâd hezâr tumân. — agar do tâ bekhâham, takhfif dârad? — bale, do-tâ-yash haftsad hezâr tumân mi-shavad.

— Excuse me, how much is this scarf? — 380,000 tomans. — If I want two, is there a discount? — Yes, two come to 700,000 tomans. (polite shop exchange)

This dialogue keeps count, unit, and total distinct. It also names تومان, preventing the tenfold misunderstanding that can arise when a printed amount is in rials.

Deciding without sounding abrupt

ممنون، یک دور دیگر نگاه می‌کنم و اگر خواستم برمی‌گردم.

mamnun, yek dowr-e digar negâh mi-konam va agar khâstam bar-mi-gardam.

Thanks, I'll look around once more and come back if I decide I want it. (polite refusal to commit)

همین را می‌برم؛ لطفا داخل یک کیسه بگذارید.

hamin râ mi-baram; lotfan dâkhel-e yek kise begozârid.

I'll take this one; please put it in a bag. (polite standard)

Common Mistakes

1. Using چند تا for a monetary amount

⚠️ این کیف چند تاست؟

in kif chand tâ-st?

How many is this bag? (well formed as an odd count question, but it does not ask the price of one bag)

✅ قیمت این کیف چقدر است؟

qeymat-e in kif cheqadr ast?

How much is this bag?

2. Confusing total quantity with the unit rate

⚠️ دو کیلو سیب، کیلویی دو کیلو.

do kilu sib, kiluyi do kilu.

Two kilos of apples, at two kilos per kilo. (words are pronounceable, but the rate slot incorrectly contains a weight rather than a price)

✅ دو کیلو سیب می‌خواهم؛ کیلویی چند است؟

do kilu sib mi-khâham; kiluyi chand ast?

I want two kilos of apples; how much are they per kilo?

3. Giving the buyer the seller's verb

❌ اگر دو تا بخرم، من به فروشنده تخفیف می‌دهمم.

Incorrect — the first-person ending is doubled, and the participant roles are reversed for the intended request.

✅ اگر سه تا بخرم، از فروشنده تخفیف می‌گیرم.

agar se tâ bekharam, az forushande takhfif mi-giram.

If I buy three, I get a discount from the seller.

4. Omitting the currency when it is not shared knowledge

⚠️ قیمت روی برچسب ۵۰۰ است.

qeymat ru-ye barchasb pânsad ast.

The price on the label is 500. (grammatical, but potentially unusable when rial versus toman is not established)

✅ قیمت روی برچسب ۵۰۰٬۰۰۰ ریال است.

qeymat ru-ye barchasb pânsad hezâr riyâl ast.

The price on the label is 500,000 rials.

Key Takeaways

Use چقدر/چند است for price and چند تا for a count of items.
قیمت داشتن describes an item's priced value; casual questions usually prefer چنده؟
کیلویی introduces the unit rate, while دو کیلو states the amount bought.
A seller تخفیف می‌دهد; a buyer تخفیف می‌گیرد; an item تخفیف دارد.
Name تومان or ریال whenever the unit is not already unmistakable.

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