01
这个多少钱？
Zhège duōshao qián?
Point to the choice
How much is this one?
Use 这 / 那 / 哪 with 个 to identify a general item before asking its price.
BEGINNER MANDARIN · SHOPPING & CHOICES
Make the choice audible.
A source-backed guide to asking about items, size, colour, price, alternatives, final choice, and payment.
THE PURCHASE CHAIN
Browsing is not buying.
Shopping in Mandarin is a decision chain, not a vocabulary quiz. You need to identify the item, ask which option is available, check a size or colour, ask the price, reject a poor fit, and make the final choice clear. A learner who knows 买 (buy) but cannot say “this one is too small; do you have a larger one?” still has a gap at the moment the purchase changes.
This guide teaches the language of that change. It separates 这个 / 那个 / 哪个, 想买 / 要, 太……了, 有没有, 多少钱, and 还有别的吗？ by the action each one performs. The products and prices are fictional practice data. They are not a live shop, recommendation, size chart, or consumer guarantee.
CONTROLLED PRACTICE
Let the first choice fail.
Three fictional purchases test price, properties, replacement, final choice, and payment as distinct decisions.
FICTIONAL PURCHASE · 1 OF 3
Correct first passes: 0
Let the choice change.
Choose the shopping moves in the order they become useful. These are fictional practice prompts.
YOUR DECISION
Start with the first shopping question.
FIVE SHOPPING STAGES
Each phrase changes the next move.
02
有大一点的吗？
Yǒu dà yìdiǎn de ma?
Ask for a property
Do you have one that is a little larger?
Ask whether an alternative exists instead of assuming the first item is the only option.
03
这个太小了。
Zhège tài xiǎo le.
Name the problem
This one is too small.
太……了 marks an excessive degree. Add the property that makes the item unsuitable.
04
我不要这个，要那个。
Wǒ bú yào zhège, yào nàge.
Choose and contrast
I don’t want this one; I want that one.
Make the replacement explicit. The contrast frame prevents a rejected item from being mistaken for the final choice.
05
我买这个。
Wǒ mǎi zhège.
Close the purchase
I’ll buy this one.
A clear final choice is different from browsing, asking the price, or expressing a temporary preference.
SIX PRACTICAL DECISIONS
A product question is not a purchase.
01
Pointing words are a distance-and-discourse system
这个 means this one, 那个 that one, and 哪个 which one. The “distance” can be physical, but it can also track which item is currently under discussion. Repeat the noun only when the pointing context is unclear.
02
想买 is a plan; 买 is the purchase action
我想买这个 says “I want to buy this” or “I’m thinking of buying this.” 我买这个 makes the final purchase choice more direct. Neither sentence alone tells the cashier how payment will work; it only clarifies the buyer’s language action.
03
太……了 gives a reason for changing
这个太大了, 这个太贵了, and 这个颜色太亮了 all present a property as excessive for the speaker’s purpose. The pattern does not mean that the item is objectively bad. It explains why this buyer is moving to another option.
04
Size questions need a noun or visible context
有大一点的吗？ can work when the item and relevant dimension are obvious. In clothing, ask for the shop’s actual size labels or try-on guidance; in another product, larger may mean physical size, capacity, or a different version. Do not treat one adjective as a universal sizing system.
05
Price and choice are separate checks
多少钱？ asks how much something costs. 这个多少钱？ asks the price of this item. You can ask 这是最后的价格吗？ when the context supports it, but do not turn a language lesson into a claim that every shop negotiates or that a posted price is always final.
06
A replacement must be audible
When the first option fails, use 不要这个，要那个 or 这个不合适，有别的吗？. The first clause removes ambiguity; the second gives the next direction. A vague 好的 can sound like acceptance even when you meant “I’m still looking.”
ONE COMPLETE EXCHANGE
Inspect, replace, commit.
01
Customer
请问，这个多少钱？
Qǐngwèn, zhège duōshao qián?
Excuse me, how much is this one?
Identify one visible item and ask its price.
02
Shop staff
一百二十块。你要什么颜色？
Yìbǎi èrshí kuài. Nǐ yào shénme yánsè?
120 kuai. What colour do you want?
Answer the price and ask for the next selection.
03
Customer
黑色的。这个太小了，有大一点的吗？
Hēisè de. Zhège tài xiǎo le, yǒu dà yìdiǎn de ma?
The black one. This one is too small; do you have a larger one?
Choose a property, state the problem, and request an alternative.
04
Shop staff
有，这个大一点。
Yǒu, zhège dà yìdiǎn.
Yes, this one is a little larger.
Present the replacement without assuming the customer has accepted it.
05
Customer
好的，我买这个。
Hǎo de, wǒ mǎi zhège.
Okay, I’ll buy this one.
Turn inspection into a clear final choice.
06
Customer
可以用手机付款吗？
Kěyǐ yòng shǒujī fùkuǎn ma?
Can I pay by phone?
Ask about a payment method as a separate practical question.
REPAIR THE CHOICE
Say what changed.
01
The first item is rejected
Give the reason and point to a replacement.
这个太大了，我要那个。
This one is too large; I want that one.
02
The size alternative is missing
Ask whether a slightly smaller one exists.
有小一点的吗？
Do you have one that is a little smaller?
03
The choice is still only a plan
Make the final purchase explicit.
我买这个。
I’ll buy this one.
04
The price belongs to the wrong item
Point to the item before asking again.
那个多少钱？
How much is that one?
BEGINNER QUESTIONS
The boundaries around “this one.”
How do I ask “How much is this?” in Chinese?
这个多少钱？ means “How much is this one?” Use 那个 for that one and 哪个 for which one. The price question identifies an item; it does not itself express that you will buy it.
How do I ask for a different size?
有大一点的吗？ asks for one a little larger, while 有小一点的吗？ asks for one a little smaller. In real clothing or equipment purchases, confirm the shop’s actual size label and fit rather than relying on a vague translation.
What does 太……了 mean while shopping?
这个太贵了 means “This is too expensive” for the speaker’s purpose; 这个太小了 means “This is too small.” The pattern explains a change of choice and does not claim that the item is universally bad.
What is the difference between 我想买 and 我买?
我想买这个 expresses an intention or desire to buy this. 我买这个 is a more direct final choice: I’ll buy this one. Use the latter when you want the transaction to move forward.
Can I bargain everywhere?
No. A market, a posted-price store, a chain, and a service counter can have different norms. Ask a context-appropriate price question and observe the setting; Mandarin does not turn every purchase into a negotiation.
Language practice, not shopping advice.
All products, sizes, colours, prices, and payment prompts in this guide are fictional practice. They are not a live catalogue, current currency information, product recommendation, consumer-rights statement, or payment guarantee. For a real purchase, verify the item, condition, price, size policy, return policy, and payment method with the current seller.
ChineseNuance is AI-only. Software provides the explanation, controlled practice, feedback, and next repair. There is no human teacher, live class, manual shopping assistant, or merchant behind this page.
METHOD SOURCES
- Michigan State University OER · Shopping and currency
Provides beginner shopping exchanges and supports asking prices, quantities, and the distinction between spoken and formal money language.
- Michigan State University OER · Choose what to buy
Supports 这个/那个/哪个, 想买, asking a price, comparing choices, and changing a purchase decision.
- MIT OpenCourseWare · Learning Chinese Unit 3
Provides foundation-course material for quantities, selection, and practical transactional language.
- OpenLearn · Beginners’ Chinese: buying and selling
Frames buying and selling as a beginner communicative role-play rather than a word-list exercise.