Learn Spanish (Spain): Cuando vi el precio, me quedé de piedra.

In Spanish, the reflexive verb quedarse is often used as a verb of change to express a sudden emotional or physical reaction. While estaba describes a background state you were already in, me quedé emphasizes the exact moment you became stunned right after seeing the price.

What does de piedra literally mean in this context?

It literally translates to 'of stone.' The idiom quedarse de piedra (to turn to stone) is very common in Spain to describe being so shocked, surprised, or stunned by something that you physically cannot react or move.

Both vi and quedé are in the preterite tense. Why not use the imperfect for one of them?

Both actions—seeing the price and becoming stunned—are sudden, completed events that happen in a chain. You saw the price, and as a direct result, you became shocked. If you used the imperfect here (like veía), it would sound like you were in the middle of looking at the price over a period of time when something else interrupted you.

Are there other common ways to express this same feeling of shock in Spanish?

Yes! You can use other similar expressions like me quedé de hielo (I turned to ice), me quedé helado (I froze), or me quedé boquiabierto (my mouth fell open). They all perfectly capture that feeling of being frozen in surprise.