How to Say ‘I thought I would pay a little less.’ in Italian
Pensavo di pagare un po' meno.
pen-SAH-voh dee pah-GAH-reh oon poh MEH-noh
[pen-SAH-voh dee pah-GAH-reh oon poh MEH-noh]
Phrase Breakdown
Pensavo
[pen-SAH-voh]
I thought / I was thinking
A polite way to express surprise or disagreement about a price.
Pensavo di pagare un po' meno, visto il percorso.
I thought I would pay a little less, considering the route.
Di pagare
dee pah-GAH-reh
to pay
Infinitive construction after verbs like 'pensare'.
Devo pagare subito.
I have to pay right away.
Words in this phrase
di
[dee]
to / of
Connects the first verb to the infinitive 'pagare.'
Pensavo di pagare in contanti.
I thought I would pay in cash.
pagare
[pah-GAH-reh]
to pay
Used when discussing the fare or final amount owed.
Devo pagare adesso, ma pensavo di pagare un po' meno.
I have to pay now, but I thought I would pay a little less.
Un po' meno
oon poh MEH-noh
a little less
Means slightly less than expected or than another amount.
Vorrei pagare un po' meno.
I would like to pay a little less.
Words in this phrase
un
[oon]
a / one
Part of the phrase 'un po',' meaning 'a little.'
Pensavo di pagare un po' meno dopo lo sconto.
I thought I would pay a little less after the discount.
po'
[poh]
a bit
Used with 'un' to soften a comparison: 'a bit less.'
Il totale è un po' alto; pensavo di pagare un po' meno.
The total is a bit high; I thought I would pay a bit less.
meno
[MEH-noh]
less
Expresses a lower amount than expected.
Pensavo di pagare un po' meno per arrivare qui.
I thought I would pay a little less to get here.
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