Buying something in Greek begins with Πόσο κάνει; or Πόσο κοστίζει; “How much is it?” The answer is structurally simpler than English: the price is a bare accusative measure with no preposition—Κάνει δέκα ευρώ. This page builds that question-and-answer exchange, then adds prices per unit, decimals, and the words needed at the till.
Asking the price
Πόσο κάνει; is the most everyday question. Πόσο κοστίζει; is equally neutral but names cost more explicitly. The verb agrees with the item: use singular κάνει / κοστίζει for one item and plural κάνουν / κοστίζουν for several.
Πόσο κάνει αυτό το πουκάμισο;
póso káni aftó to pukámiso
How much is this shirt?
Πόσο κάνουν οι ντομάτες σήμερα;
póso kánun i domátes símera
How much are the tomatoes today?
Πόσο κοστίζει το εισιτήριο για το μουσείο;
póso kostízi to isitírio ya to musío
How much does the museum ticket cost?
Πόσο σας οφείλω; “How much do I owe you?” is (formal) or especially courteous. It suits a professional service, a hotel desk, or a situation where the amount has not yet been stated. In ordinary conversation, Πόσο σου χρωστάω; is (informal).
Πόσο σας οφείλω για την επισκευή;
póso sas ofílo ya tin episkeví
How much do I owe you for the repair?
The questions look similar, but their subjects differ. In Πόσο κάνει το πουκάμισο;, the shirt is the subject, which is why several shirts trigger κάνουν. In Πόσο σας οφείλω;, the speaker is the unexpressed first-person subject, while σας is the person owed. Greek normally omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already identifies the person. This is why changing the merchandise from singular to plural affects κάνει, but never changes first-person οφείλω.
The price is a bare accusative measure
A price follows κάνει or κοστίζει directly: δέκα ευρώ, not a phrase meaning “at” or “for ten euros.” Greek treats price like distance, weight, and duration—a measured extent expressed by the accusative without a preposition. The same system is explained on the accusative of motion and measure.
Το βιβλίο κάνει δεκαοχτώ ευρώ.
to vivlío káni dhekaochtó evró
The book costs eighteen euros.
Οι δύο καφέδες κοστίζουν έξι ευρώ.
i dhío kafédhes kostízun éksi evró
The two coffees cost six euros.
Μου έμειναν μόνο πέντε ευρά μέχρι την Παρασκευή.
mu éminan móno pénde evrá méchri tin Paraskeví
I've only got five euros left until Friday. (informal)
One euro contains one hundred λεπτά. In money contexts, λεπτό / λεπτά means “cent / cents”; context separates it from the same word meaning “minute.”
Prices per unit: the article means “per”
Everyday Greek normally puts the accusative definite article before the unit: το κιλό, το κομμάτι, το άτομο. English uses per or a; Greek uses the article. Its gender follows the unit noun, so other common rates include την ώρα “per hour” and τη νύχτα “per night.”
Οι φράουλες κάνουν τρία ευρώ το κιλό.
i fráules kánun tría evró to kiló
The strawberries cost three euros a kilo.
Τα μπλουζάκια κοστίζουν πέντε ευρώ το κομμάτι.
ta bluzákia kostízun pénde evró to komáti
The T-shirts cost five euros each.
Η είσοδος είναι τριάντα ευρώ το άτομο.
i ísodhos íne triánda evró to átomo
Admission is thirty euros per person.
The alternative ανά κιλό / ανά άτομο is (formal) and common on labels, menus, and official price lists. See distributive expressions for the full register contrast.
Decimals and paying
Greek writes a decimal comma where English normally writes a point: 2,50 ευρώ. A mathematical decimal can be read with κόμμα, but a shop price is normally read δύο ευρώ και πενήντα λεπτά, or simply δύο και πενήντα when the currency is obvious.
Το νερό κάνει δύο ευρώ και πενήντα λεπτά.
to neró káni dhío evró ke penínda leptá
The water costs two euros fifty.
At the till, use πληρώνω με κάρτα / με μετρητά “pay by card / in cash,” τα ρέστα “change,” and ο λογαριασμός “the bill.” Λεφτά is the everyday (informal) word for money; χρήματα is neutral and preferred in formal writing. Χρωστάω is everyday “owe”; οφείλω is its more formal counterpart.
Μπορώ να πληρώσω με κάρτα ή θέλετε μετρητά;
boró na pliróso me kárta i thélete metritá
Can I pay by card, or would you like cash?
Έχετε ρέστα από πενήντα ευρώ;
échete résta apó penínda evró
Do you have change for fifty euros?
These words describe different stages of the transaction. Ο λογαριασμός is the amount presented for payment, especially at a restaurant or for a service. Πληρώνω τον λογαριασμό settles it. If someone pays more cash than required, τα ρέστα is the money returned. If payment remains outstanding, χρωστάω or formal οφείλω expresses the debt. English bill can also mean a banknote; Greek normally uses χαρτονόμισμα for that object, so ο λογαριασμός should not be stretched to every meaning of English bill.
Ποιος θα πληρώσει τον λογαριασμό απόψε;
pios tha plirósi ton loghariazmó apópse
Who's going to pay the bill tonight?
Σου χρωστάω ακόμα τα λεφτά για τα εισιτήρια.
su chrostáo akóma ta leftá ya ta isitíria
I still owe you the money for the tickets. (informal)
Two shop exchanges
At a market stall:
Πόσο κάνουν αυτά τα πορτοκάλια; Κάνουν δύο ευρώ το κιλό.
póso kánun aftá ta portokália; kánun dhío evró to kiló
How much are these oranges? They're two euros a kilo.
At the till:
Μπορώ να πληρώσω με κάρτα; Βεβαίως. Θέλετε απόδειξη;
boró na pliróso me kárta; vevéos. thélete apódhiksi;
Can I pay by card? Certainly. Would you like a receipt?
Common Mistakes
❌ Πόσο κάνει οι ντομάτες;
Incorrect—the plural subject οι ντομάτες requires κάνουν.
✅ Πόσο κάνουν οι ντομάτες;
póso kánun i domátes
How much are the tomatoes?
❌ Το εισιτήριο κάνει δέκα ευρού.
Incorrect—neutral and formal ευρώ is indeclinable.
✅ Το εισιτήριο κάνει δέκα ευρώ.
to isitírio káni dhéka evró
The ticket costs ten euros.
❌ Οι πατάτες κάνουν δύο ευρώ η κιλό.
Incorrect—κιλό is neuter, so the per-unit article is το.
✅ Οι πατάτες κάνουν δύο ευρώ το κιλό.
i patátes kánun dhío evró to kiló
The potatoes cost two euros a kilo.
Key Takeaways
- Ask Πόσο κάνει; / Πόσο κοστίζει;, with plural κάνουν / κοστίζουν for plural items.
- State the price as a bare accusative measure: Κάνει δέκα ευρώ.
- Neutral/formal ευρώ is indeclinable; ευρά is a real (informal) plural.
- Everyday rates use an accusative article: δύο ευρώ το κιλό.
- Greek writes 2,50, and a price is naturally read δύο και πενήντα.
Related Topics
- Tens, Hundreds, ThousandsA1 — Build Greek cardinals with tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions while applying εκατόν and the gender agreement of hundreds and χίλιοι.
- Accusative for Extent and MeasureB1 — Distance, weight, price and height all stand in a bare accusative with no preposition — Περπάτησα πέντε χιλιόμετρα, Ζυγίζει δύο κιλά, Κόστισε δέκα ευρώ — plus the one measurement that escapes it (age takes the genitive: τριάντα χρονών) and the colloquial article-less destination accusative behind πάμε σπίτι and πάω δουλειά.
- Distributives: ανά, ο καθέναςB2 — How Greek says per, apiece and one by one — the learned preposition ανά (ανά κιλό, ανά άτομο), the everyday accusative article that replaces it in speech (δύο ευρώ το κιλό), distributive από (πήραμε από δύο), the appositive ο καθένας, and reduplicated pairs like ένας ένας and λίγο λίγο. The point of the page is the register split: ανά and το κιλό say the same thing in two different worlds.
- Fractions, Decimals, PercentagesB1 — Form everyday fractions, read decimal commas, express percentages with τοις εκατό, and make half agree correctly in Greek.