Shopping and Money in Urdu

In Brief

Ask the price of a masculine item with یہ کتنے کا ہے؟ (yeh kitne kā hai?, “How much is this?”). Change کا to کی for a feminine item and to کے for plural items. Prices normally use روپے (rupaye, “rupees”): یہ پانچ سو روپے کا ہے means “This costs five hundred rupees.”

Overview

Shopping language is one of the most immediately useful A1 topics in Urdu. A short exchange may require only a demonstrative such as یہ (“this”), a price question, a number, and a polite request. With those pieces, you can ask what something costs, say that it is expensive or cheap, request another item, and complete a purchase.

Urdu does not usually express prices with a direct equivalent of English “cost” in a basic question. Instead, it commonly asks what price-category an item belongs to: literally, یہ کتنے کا ہے؟ is close to “This is of how much?” The word کا is a postposition (a word placed after a noun or phrase) that often marks a relationship similar to English “of.” Its form agrees with the item being discussed.

This topic builds directly on Numbers and Counting. You do not need perfect command of every number before shopping, but you should recognize common tens and hundreds and know that Urdu speech and shop signs may use different numeral systems.

How It Works

The basic price question

The most useful pattern is:

item + کتنے + کا/کی/کے + ہے/ہیں؟
item + kitne + kā/kī/ke + hai/haiṅ?
“How much is the item?”

Here, ہے (hai) means “is,” while ہیں (haiṅ) means “are” and is also used with respectful forms. The ending کا/کی/کے agrees with the grammatical gender and number of the noun—the noun’s Urdu category, which does not always match anything in English.

Urdu pattern	Romanization	English	Use
یہ کتنے کا ہے؟	yeh kitne kā hai?	How much is this?	One masculine item
یہ کتنے کی ہے؟	yeh kitne kī hai?	How much is this?	One feminine item
یہ کتنے کے ہیں؟	yeh kitne ke haiṅ?	How much are these?	Masculine or mixed plural items
یہ کتنے کی ہیں؟	yeh kitne kī haiṅ?	How much are these?	Feminine plural items

English gives no clue that “this” might require a different form depending on the object. In Urdu, the hidden noun still controls agreement. For example, کرتا (kurtā, a long shirt) is masculine, so you ask یہ کرتا کتنے کا ہے؟ A قمیص (qamīṣ, shirt) is feminine, so you ask یہ قمیص کتنے کی ہے؟ When you do not know the noun or its gender, یہ کتنے کا ہے؟ is a widely useful default for a single object, but listening to the seller’s wording will help you learn the expected form.

Why is it کتنے, not the dictionary form کتنا (kitnā)? Before the postposition کا, the interrogative changes to an oblique form—a special form used before many postpositions. At A1, it is easiest to learn کتنے کا؟ as one shopping unit.

Saying a price in rupees

The Pakistani currency unit is روپیہ (rupayā, one rupee). With amounts above one, use روپے (rupaye).

Urdu	Romanization	English	Note
ایک روپیہ	ek rupayā	one rupee	Singular
دس روپے	das rupaye	ten rupees	Plural amount
پانچ سو روپے	pāṅch sau rupaye	five hundred rupees	سو means “hundred”
دو ہزار روپے	do hazār rupaye	two thousand rupees	ہزار means “thousand”

A seller can simply state the amount: پانچ سو روپے (“five hundred rupees”). A full sentence may use the same agreement pattern as the question:

• یہ پانچ سو روپے کا ہے۔ — This masculine item costs 500 rupees.
• یہ پانچ سو روپے کی ہے۔ — This feminine item costs 500 rupees.
• یہ دونوں ہزار روپے کے ہیں۔ — These two cost 1,000 rupees.

You may see Western digits such as 500 or Eastern Arabic digits such as ۵۰۰. Both can occur in Urdu-language settings, and a price may also be written with the currency abbreviation Rs rather than the word روپے.

Describing prices: expensive and cheap

مہنگا (mahangā, expensive) and سستا (sastā, cheap) are adjectives—words that describe nouns. Their endings change for gender and number.

Form	Romanization	Meaning	Agreement
مہنگا / سستا	mahangā / sastā	expensive / cheap	Masculine singular
مہنگی / سستی	mahangī / sastī	expensive / cheap	Feminine singular
مہنگے / سستے	mahange / saste	expensive / cheap	Masculine plural or respectful masculine
مہنگی / سستی	mahangī / sastī	expensive / cheap	Feminine plural; the verb shows plurality

Thus, کرتا مہنگا ہے means “The kurta is expensive,” but قمیص مہنگی ہے means “The shirt is expensive.” In casual shopping speech, the noun is often left out because everyone can see the item: بہت مہنگا ہے (“It is very expensive”).

The phrase کچھ سستا can mean “something cheaper” in a request such as کچھ سستا دکھائیں. Urdu often uses the basic adjective where idiomatic English prefers a comparative ending such as “-er.” You can make the comparison explicit with اس سے سستا (is se sastā), literally “cheaper than this.”

Requesting an item politely

A shop interaction usually sounds better with a polite verb rather than a bare command. Useful forms include:

Urdu	Romanization	English	Function
دکھائیے / دکھائیں	dikhāiye / dikhāeṅ	Please show (me)	Respectful request
دیجیے	dījiye	Please give (me)	Respectful request
کم کریں	kam kareṅ	Please reduce it	Polite bargaining request
مجھے یہ چاہیے۔	mujhe yeh chāhiye	I would like/need this.	States your choice
میں یہ لوں گا / گی۔	maiṅ yeh lūṅ gā / gī	I’ll take this.	گا for a male speaker, گی for a female speaker

English often requires an explicit “me,” but Urdu can leave the recipient understood in دکھائیے or دیجیے. Add مجھے (mujhe, “to me”) when you need emphasis or clarity.

A simple shopping exchange

A beginner can build an entire exchange from four moves:

1. Get attention politely: سنیے (suniye, “Excuse me / please listen”).
2. Ask the price: یہ کتنے کا ہے؟
3. React or negotiate: کچھ کم کریں۔ (“Please lower it a little.”)
4. Accept or decline: ٹھیک ہے، دیجیے۔ (“All right, I’ll take it.”) or نہیں، شکریہ۔ (“No, thank you.”)

Examples in Context

Urdu	Romanization	English	Note
یہ کتنے کا ہے؟	yeh kitne kā hai?	How much does this cost?	One masculine item
یہ قمیص کتنے کی ہے؟	yeh qamīṣ kitne kī hai?	How much is this shirt?	قمیص is feminine
یہ جوتے کتنے کے ہیں؟	yeh jūte kitne ke haiṅ?	How much are these shoes?	Masculine plural agreement
یہ پانچ سو روپے کا ہے۔	yeh pāṅch sau rupaye kā hai	This costs five hundred rupees.	A complete price statement
صرف دو سو روپے۔	sirf do sau rupaye	Only two hundred rupees.	Natural short seller response
بہت مہنگا ہے، کم کریں۔	bahut mahangā hai, kam kareṅ	It is very expensive; please reduce the price.	Polite plural/respectful verb
کچھ سستا دکھائیں۔	kuch sastā dikhāeṅ	Show me something cheaper.	The desired object is unstated
اس سے سستا ہے؟	is se sastā hai?	Is there anything cheaper than this?	Literally, “cheaper than this?”
کوئی اور رنگ دکھائیے۔	koī aur rang dikhāiye	Please show me another color.	Useful when comparing items
کیا آپ کے پاس چھوٹا سائز ہے؟	kyā āp ke pās choṭā sāiz hai?	Do you have a smaller size?	Respectful آپ
میں یہ لوں گی۔	maiṅ yeh lūṅ gī	I’ll take this.	Female speaker
پانچ سو روپے دیجیے۔	pāṅch sau rupaye dījiye	Please give me five hundred rupees.	A request involving money, not a price statement
کیا میں کارڈ سے ادائیگی کر سکتا ہوں؟	kyā maiṅ kārḍ se adāigī kar saktā hūṅ?	Can I pay by card?	Male speaker; سکتی ہوں for a female speaker
میرے پاس نقد ہے۔	mere pās naqd hai	I have cash.	نقد means cash
ٹھیک ہے، رسید بھی دیجیے۔	ṭhīk hai, rasīd bhī dījiye	All right; please give me a receipt too.	A polite checkout request

Notice that پانچ سو روپے دیجیے does not normally mean “It costs 500 rupees.” It literally asks someone to give 500 rupees, so context determines whether it is a customer asking for change, a cashier requesting payment, or another money exchange. For stating the price, use the amount alone or یہ پانچ سو روپے کا/کی ہے.

Common Mistakes

Keeping کا for every item

• Wrong: یہ قمیص کتنے کا ہے؟
• Right: یہ قمیص کتنے کی ہے؟
• Why: قمیص is feminine, so both کی and ہے form the feminine-singular price pattern. The English sentence gives no gender clue, but Urdu requires agreement.

Using singular روپیہ after a larger number

• Wrong: پانچ سو روپیہ
• Right: پانچ سو روپے
• Why: Use روپیہ for one rupee and روپے for ordinary amounts greater than one.

Treating مہنگا and سستا as unchanging words

• Wrong: یہ ساڑی مہنگا ہے۔
• Right: یہ ساڑی مہنگی ہے۔
• Why: ساڑی is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine ending ـی: مہنگی.

Giving a bare command to a stranger

• Too abrupt: کم کرو۔
• Better: کچھ کم کریں۔ or قیمت کچھ کم کر دیجیے۔
• Why: کرو is an informal command. With a shopkeeper you do not know, respectful کریں or دیجیے is safer and more courteous.

Translating “cheaper” word for word

• Unnatural beginner strategy: searching for a special comparative ending equivalent to English “-er”
• Natural: کچھ سستا دکھائیں۔ or اس سے سستا دکھائیں۔
• Why: Urdu can use سستا with context, or اس سے (“than this”), without changing the adjective into a separate comparative form.

Confusing a request for money with a price

• Wrong for “It costs 500 rupees”: پانچ سو روپے دیجیے۔
• Right: پانچ سو روپے۔ or یہ پانچ سو روپے کا ہے۔
• Why: دیجیے means “please give”; it does not mean “cost.”

Usage Notes

Bargaining depends on the setting

Bargaining can be normal in bazaars, street markets, and some independent shops, but it is not expected everywhere. Supermarkets, chain stores, pharmacies, and places with clearly fixed prices generally do not invite negotiation. Watch what local customers do and keep your tone friendly. کچھ کم کریں (“Please reduce it a little”) is more tactful than simply declaring بہت مہنگا ہے in a confrontational tone.

A seller may ask آپ کتنے دیں گے؟ (āp kitne deṅ ge?, “How much will you pay?”) or say آخری قیمت (ākhirī qīmat, “final price”). These are useful to recognize, even if your active A1 response is only a number.

Respectful speech is the safest default

Use آپ (āp, respectful “you”) with unfamiliar adults, and choose requests ending in ـیں or ـیے, such as کریں, دکھائیں, and دیجیے. In familiar speech, you may hear دکھاؤ (“show”) and دو (“give”), but copying these forms with a stranger can sound too direct.

Script, digits, and spoken prices

Urdu is written from right to left, but prices may combine Urdu words, Western digits, Eastern Arabic digits, and Latin currency abbreviations. For example, Rs 500, 500 روپے, and ۵۰۰ روپے can all represent the same amount. Spoken numbers require separate practice because many Urdu number words from 21 to 99 are not formed by a completely predictable rule.

“Cheap” can describe quality as well as price

Like English “cheap,” سستا may sometimes suggest low quality, depending on tone and context. When asking for a lower-priced option, کم قیمت (kam qīmat, “lower-priced”) or میرے بجٹ میں (mere bajaṭ meṅ, “within my budget”) can sound more neutral. At A1, however, کچھ سستا دکھائیں is normal and useful.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but you will encounter them in real transactions.

Exact totals and change

کل (kul) means “total,” and بقایا (baqāyā) or everyday phrases involving واپس (vāpas, back) can refer to the amount due back. Useful questions include کل کتنے ہوئے؟ (kul kitne hue?, “What is the total?”) and باقی پیسے؟ (bāqī paise?, “What about the remaining money/change?”). In quick conversation, speakers often omit words that are obvious from the situation.

پیسہ (paisā) historically names a smaller currency unit, while the plural پیسے (paise) also functions broadly as “money” in everyday Urdu. Compare میرے پاس پیسے نہیں ہیں (“I don’t have any money”) with a precise amount in روپے.

More explicit comparison

The postposition سے (se) marks the comparison point:

• یہ اُس سے سستا ہے۔ — This is cheaper than that.
• کون سا زیادہ اچھا ہے؟ — Which one is better?
• سب سے سستا کون سا ہے؟ — Which one is the cheapest?

In سب سے سستا, literally “cheap compared with all,” سب سے creates a superlative sense (“the cheapest”). The adjective still agrees: سب سے سستی قمیص means “the cheapest shirt.”

Formal commercial vocabulary

In receipts, advertising, and business settings, you may see قیمت (qīmat, price), ادائیگی (adāigī, payment), رعایت (riʿāyat, discount), رسید (rasīd, receipt), and واپسی (vāpasī, return). Everyday shop speech may prefer shorter phrases such as کتنے کا؟, while written notices use more formal vocabulary. For example, قیمت مقرر ہے means “The price is fixed.”

Agreement remains active when the noun disappears

Advanced listening becomes easier once you notice that endings can reveal an omitted item. If a customer points to a feminine noun and asks کتنے کی؟, the missing noun is still grammatically present in the conversation. A seller’s answer may likewise preserve agreement: یہ والی سستی ہے (“This one is cheap,” feminine). These endings carry information that English usually leaves to context.

Practice Tips

1. Build price drills with real objects. Choose five items, learn each noun’s gender, and ask the correct question: کتنے کا؟, کتنے کی؟, or کتنے کے؟ Answer with a different amount each time.
2. Practice numbers as prices, not only as a list. Read ۱۵۰, ۳۷۵, 500, and 1200 aloud with روپے. Then listen to number recordings and write down the amount you hear.
3. Rehearse a three-line exchange. Say a price question, a polite negotiation phrase, and a decision: یہ کتنے کا ہے؟ — کچھ کم کریں۔ — ٹھیک ہے، دیجیے۔ Replace the item and adjust gender agreement on each round.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Numbers and Counting — recognize and produce the amounts used in prices.