Basic numbers: Paying the grocery bill
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Key Phrases
需要袋子嗎？
xū yào dài zi ma
Do you need a bag?
總共三百二十五元
zǒng gòng sān bǎi èr shí wǔ yuán
325 dollars in total
找您一百八十元
zhǎo nín yī bǎi bā shí yuán
Your change is 180 dollars
Skills You'll Learn
Learning to ask if someone needs a bag
學會詢問是否需要袋子
xué huì xún wèn shì fǒu xū yào dài zi
Learning to express the total amount
學會表達總金額
xué huì biǎo dá zǒng jīn é
Learning to calculate and state the change amount
學會計算並說明找零金額
xué huì jì suàn bìng shuō míng zhǎo líng jīn é
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're at a convenience store checkout in Taiwan. You want to pay for your items and get a bag.
您好！需要袋子嗎？
nín hǎo xū yào dài zi ma
Hello! Do you need a bag?
要一個，謝謝。
yào yī gè xiè xiè
Yes, one please. Thanks.
袋子一塊，總共三百二十五元。
dài zi yī kuài zǒng gòng sān bǎi èr shí wǔ yuán
The bag is one dollar. That's 325 dollars in total.
好，給你五百。
hǎo gěi nǐ wǔ bǎi
Okay, here's 500.
請問有五塊嗎？
qǐng wèn yǒu wǔ kuài ma
Do you happen to have five dollars?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
袋子
dài zi
Bag
需要袋子嗎？
xū yào dài zi ma
Do you need a bag?
💬 Add 嗎 (ma) to the end of a statement and it becomes a yes/no question. The word order stays the same: 你要袋子 "you want a bag" becomes 你要袋子嗎？ "do you want a bag?"
🇹🇼 Shops in Taiwan must charge for plastic bags, so cashiers ask this at almost every checkout. Many locals bring their own bag.
See breakdown →要一個，謝謝。
yào yī gè xiè xiè
I want one, thank you.
💬 一 changes to a rising tone before 個, so 一個 is said (yí ge), not (yī ge).
See breakdown →袋子一塊
dài zi yī kuài
The bag is one dollar.
💬 Prices don't need a verb. Just put the item and then the amount: 咖啡五十塊 "the coffee is fifty dollars". 塊 (kuài) is the everyday spoken word for a dollar.
See breakdown →總共
zǒng gòng
In total
三百二十五元
sān bǎi èr shí wǔ yuán
325 dollars
💬 Read big numbers digit by digit, adding the place word after each digit: 三百 "three hundred", 二十 "twenty", 五 "five". 元 (yuán) is the written form of 塊 and shows up on price tags and receipts.
See breakdown →總共三百二十五元
zǒng gòng sān bǎi èr shí wǔ yuán
325 dollars in total
好，給你五百。
hǎo gěi nǐ wǔ bǎi
Okay, here's 500.
💬 When it's clear you're talking about money, you can drop the word for dollars and just say the number: 給你一千 "here's 1,000".
See breakdown →請問有五塊嗎？
qǐng wèn yǒu wǔ kuài ma
May I ask, do you have five dollars?
🇹🇼 Cashiers often ask for a few extra coins so they can give your change back in round bills. If you have them, handing them over is the polite thing to do.
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