Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? — Asking the price

What you will learn

This lesson teaches the core question Cái này bao nhiêu tiền?, shorter market versions, and enough number language to understand common prices.

1. The full question

Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? — How much is this?

• cái này — this thing / this one
• bao nhiêu — how much / how many
• tiền — money

2. Useful shorter questions

When the object is obvious, Vietnamese can be shorter:

• Cái này bao nhiêu? — How much is this?
• Bao nhiêu tiền? — How much?
• Bao nhiêu? — How much?, when context is very clear

3. A market conversation

Khách: Chị ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền?

Người bán: Năm mươi nghìn.

Khách: Còn cái này?

Người bán: Ba mươi lăm nghìn.

Khách: Cho em lấy cái này.

4. Nghìn and ngàn

Nghìn and ngàn both mean “thousand”. Regional preferences differ. You may hear:

• năm mươi nghìn
• năm mươi ngàn

Both can refer to 50,000 đồng.

5. When the unit disappears

In a familiar context, speakers may shorten a price. A seller might say năm mươi when both people understand that the amount is fifty thousand đồng. Learners should not assume the missing unit until the context is clear.

6. Useful vocabulary

• bao nhiêu — how much / how many
• tiền — money
• đồng — Vietnamese currency unit
• nghìn / ngàn — thousand
• cái này — this one
• cái kia — that one
• lấy — take; often used when deciding to buy
• mua — buy
• đắt — expensive
• rẻ — cheap/inexpensive

7. A useful buying phrase

Cho em lấy cái này. can mean “I’ll take this one” in a shopping situation. As always, em changes according to the relationship between speaker and seller.

8. Vietnam in real life

Traditional markets, street stalls, shops and modern stores have different interaction styles. Bargaining is possible in some contexts and inappropriate in others. Do not treat “Vietnamese shopping” as one single behavior. Observe the setting first.

9. Common beginner mistake

Numbers can be difficult because the linguistic form may be correct while the unit is misunderstood. When a price sounds surprisingly low or high, confirm: ... nghìn phải không? — “... thousand, right?”

Try it

1. Ask the price of “this one”.
2. Say 25,000 đồng.
3. Say 50,000 đồng using both nghìn and ngàn.
4. Say “I’ll take this one.”

Quick recap

Bao nhiêu tiền? is the core price question. Learn nghìn/ngàn, listen for shortened amounts, and use context before assuming an omitted currency unit.