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fug

Jan 20, 2012, 12:54 PM

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cuanto cuesta?

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For several years I have been using the word cuanto to ask the cost of an item for sale, as my Spanish dictionary defines cuanto as "how much". I have recently been told by a Mexican friend that I should say "cuanto cuesta" as cuanto by itself is rude. Came home looked up "cuesta" in my dictionary and it means "slope" or "downhill". I don't get it. HELP. Thanks, fug

karenanron

Jan 20, 2012, 12:58 PM

Post #2 of 40 (10018 views)

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Re: [fug] cuanto cuesta?

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I put it in my translator and your friend is correct

karenanron

Jan 20, 2012, 1:00 PM

Post #3 of 40 (10017 views)

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Re: [karenanron] cuanto cuesta?

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But then again, I put in cuanto and it shows correct also. Looks to me that both ways is okay.

fug

Jan 20, 2012, 1:23 PM

Post #4 of 40 (10013 views)

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Re: [karenanron] cuanto cuesta?

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That is the reason for my question. Which is correct and why? Cuesta is a separate word that seems to be totally unrelated to cuanto. Guess we will wait for folks that know and understand Spanish rather than you and I who have to run to our translator and dictionary. Thanks for trying. fug

karenanron

Jan 20, 2012, 1:27 PM

Post #5 of 40 (10010 views)

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Re: [fug] cuanto cuesta?

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There is a gal in here who I think teaches Spanish/English and I'm surprised she hasn't popped in. I think her name is La Ista. She's pretty up on this language thing.

fug

Jan 20, 2012, 1:56 PM

Post #6 of 40 (9999 views)

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Re: [karenanron] cuanto cuesta?

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What happens when you put "cuesta" into your translator? fug

norteño

Jan 20, 2012, 1:57 PM

Post #7 of 40 (9998 views)

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Re: [karenanron] cuanto cuesta?

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"Cuesta" is the present tense conjugated form of the verb "costar" (to cost) in the second and third person singular. When you say "Cuanto?" you are just saying "How much?", which some may take as being a bit brusque. The subject (it, this, whatever) is understood and not spoken in this case.

Pure coincidence that the noun for "slope" happens to be "cuesta".

mazatman

Jan 20, 2012, 1:57 PM

Post #8 of 40 (9996 views)

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Re: [fug] cuanto cuesta?

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http://www.wordreference.com/...tion.asp?spen=cuesta

fug

Jan 20, 2012, 2:45 PM

Post #9 of 40 (9991 views)

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Re: [norteño] cuanto cuesta?

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Thank you so much. You explained and answered all of my questions. "Cuanto cuesta" from now on for me. fug

fug

Jan 20, 2012, 2:47 PM

Post #10 of 40 (9990 views)

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Re: [mazatman] cuanto cuesta?

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Thank you , also. fug

La Isla

Jan 20, 2012, 4:10 PM

Post #11 of 40 (9977 views)

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Re: [norteño] cuanto cuesta?

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In Reply To

Good explanation, especially the bit about saying just "¿Cuánto?¨being too brusque in Spanish, though it's perfectly correct grammatically. One minor correction needed, though - "cuesta" is the third person singular form of "costar" in the simple present tense. The second person of any verb is the form with "you" as the subject, which makes no sense with this particular verb.

mazbook1

Jan 20, 2012, 5:17 PM

Post #12 of 40 (9971 views)

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Re: [La Isla] cuanto cuesta?

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I quite agree with La Isla, but I've heard, all my life, and spoken, for over 10 years, "norteño" Spanish, and just asking ¿cuanto? doesn't sound a bit brusque or rude to me. Certainly not as brusque or rude (or politically incorrect) as the universal Mexican method of getting a waiter's attention, i.e., "¡Joven!", even if the waiter is a graybeard or asking a waiter for something you want by saying, "Quiero…" – I want… – rather than the oh-so-polite, "¿Quisiera…?" – May I have…? – used elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

Certainly NOT remotely as rude as using "tú" for "you" (or its verb conjugations) rather than "Usted", something considered totally rude (actually disrespectful) where I live, something nearly 100% of expats and tourists do without thinking.

¡FLAME AWAY! vatos.

sparks

Jan 21, 2012, 5:52 AM

Post #13 of 40 (9948 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] cuanto cuesta?

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¿cuánto vale? is more common around here

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

cbviajero

Jan 21, 2012, 8:13 AM

Post #14 of 40 (9934 views)

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Re: [sparks] cuanto cuesta?

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Or (que cuesta?) or (que precio tiene) I don't use cuanto vale because in my mind the value and the price of an item are often different.
Chris

La Isla

Jan 21, 2012, 8:27 AM

Post #15 of 40 (9931 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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Or (que cuesta?) or (que precio tiene) I don't use cuanto vale because in my mind the value and the price of an item are often different.
Chris

In Mexico City I've noticed people using "¿Qué precio tiene?" quite a bit. Rather than trying to figure out which phrase to use based on how logical it seems to my English-shaped mind, it makes more sense to speak the way the natives do.

cbviajero

Jan 21, 2012, 9:53 AM

Post #16 of 40 (9923 views)

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Re: [La Isla] cuanto cuesta?

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Or (que cuesta?) or (que precio tiene) I don't use cuanto vale because in my mind the value and the price of an item are often different.
Chris

I agree that it's best to try to speak like the locals,I tend to use "¿que precio tiene?"more often than the other options.
One thing that made me laugh in Mexico City was the way a vendor would tell a potential client to"coge el que te gusta"they definetly wouldn't phrase it that way in Guadalajara
Chris.

(This post was edited by cbviajero on Jan 21, 2012, 10:39 AM)

tonyburton

Jan 21, 2012, 10:56 AM

Post #17 of 40 (9917 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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Your're far more likely to be hearing:
"Escoge el que te gusta"...

mazbook1

Jan 21, 2012, 11:39 AM

Post #18 of 40 (9907 views)

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Re: [tonyburton] cuanto cuesta?

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Either cbviajero's slangy phrase or Tony's less slangy one works, but for sure, I would NOT use cbviajero's, just because of the vulgar "double entendre" it contains. It can be pretty embarrassing for a non-native Spanish speaker if he/she uses the verb coger for ANYTHING in México. It's best to avoid it entirely, commonly replacing it with tener, as most Mexicans do, but in this case escoger is the best verb to use, just as Tony says.

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Jan 21, 2012, 11:44 AM)

esperanza

Jan 21, 2012, 11:46 AM

Post #19 of 40 (9903 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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Goodness, you're missing the 'es' before the 'coge'...even if the vendor is actually saying 'coge', it's a bad idea--a REALLY bad idea--to copy his/her sloppy speech. It could get you in big trouble.

At my neighborhood tianguis, I hear all the choices given in the thread and a few more:

cuánto cuesta
cuánto vale
qué precio tiene
a cómo sale
me dice el precio
qué valor tiene
and all followed by your mother's magic words: por favor.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

mazbook1

Jan 21, 2012, 11:59 AM

Post #20 of 40 (9899 views)

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Re: [esperanza] cuanto cuesta?

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esperanza, No, he may not be "missing the es". His phrase translates as "pick the one you like" in the Google translator, but I totally agree with everything else you wrote about it. It is a really, really bad idea to ever use the verb coger in México (and in Argentina also!).

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Jan 21, 2012, 12:02 PM)

cbviajero

Jan 21, 2012, 12:24 PM

Post #21 of 40 (9888 views)

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Re: [tonyburton] cuanto cuesta?

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Beg to differ but I have heard merchants in el DF say coge instead of escoge or recoge, my wife Maria Guadalupe who is a Tapatia pointed it out to me the first time we were there and she found it rather amusing,I don-t think we were both not hearing the *es*.I-m using my kids computer right now thats why the puntuation isn-t working
Chris

cbviajero

Jan 21, 2012, 12:44 PM

Post #22 of 40 (9881 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] cuanto cuesta?

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Ive never used that phrase nor would I,we just heard it together there and had a laugh,its also possible they substituted the verb agarrar with coger.
Chris

(This post was edited by cbviajero on Jan 21, 2012, 1:05 PM)

GringoCArlos

Feb 16, 2012, 11:45 AM

Post #23 of 40 (9443 views)

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Re: [fug] cuanto cuesta?

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Asking a female "¿Cuanto?" is much like asking "¿Tienes leche?" If you're somewhere in Latin America that has any population of prostitutes, it's like asking her "How much" for you-know-what, or asking her if she is lactating, instead of asking if she has milk. It's rude.

¿Cuanto cuesta? is the polite way to ask "How much?" If you're in a taxi approaching your destination, or ordering food delivery to your home, then ask ¿Cuanto hacer? - how much will it be?

cbviajero

Feb 16, 2012, 12:13 PM

Post #24 of 40 (9435 views)

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Re: [GringoCArlos] cuanto cuesta?

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I would suggest that you agree on a fare before you even get in the cab,"Cuanto hacer"? maybe you mean "cuanto va a ser?"
Chris

GringoCArlos

Feb 16, 2012, 9:25 PM

Post #25 of 40 (9399 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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Yes, you are correct, it is "¿cuanto va a ser?".

I agree on asking upfront how much a taxi will charge in the cities and for tourists with no local knowledge.

I live here in MX and know the local fares, but about once a month take a taxi to do all of my errands/pay bills. I ask the taxi driver to wait for me at each stop. An hour or two later when we've finished running around, I ask him how much it will be.

(This post was edited by GringoCArlos on Feb 16, 2012, 9:29 PM)

esperanza

Feb 17, 2012, 8:03 AM

Post #26 of 40 (5153 views)

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Re: [GringoCArlos] cuanto cuesta?

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GringoCarlos, what if your taxista tells you it is 1000 pesos, or some other sum that is way beyond normal? How do (or would) you handle it? Seems to me that you'd still want to know the price in advance.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

mazbook1

Feb 17, 2012, 5:12 PM

Post #27 of 40 (5132 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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And even better, ask, "¿Cuánto me cobra hasta (destination)? Generally speaking, things either cuesta or cuestan (verb costar - to cost) depending on whether they are singular or plural. Services, e.g., rent, taxi, doctor, barber and many many others, have a "charge" and commonly use the verb cobrar - to charge - so it's, "How much will you charge me to/for/etc.?" Naturally, the hasta I used in the example applies to taxis, since that was the discussion.

This, of course, is a generalization, but in most cases it's the normal usage.

At least in north and northwest where I live, "¿Cuánto?" accompanied with a pointing finger, is perfectly OK. No one would consider it rude at all.

mazbook1

Feb 17, 2012, 5:31 PM

Post #28 of 40 (5130 views)

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Re: [esperanza] cuanto cuesta?

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esperanza, I live in a tourist town (but not in a "gringo gulch"!!) :-) , and I find that if the price quoted by the taxista is totally ridiculous, I come back with an offer of 50% of what I "think" it should be (or what I'm willing to pay). Then we negotiate. Tourists who don't know any better get overcharged ALL the time. All of our taxis, pulmonias, safaris and aurigas are flat-rate, so even the locals ask first and negotiate if necessary. The municipio has "approved" prices by zone, but only if you know them and know where the zones begin and end do you have any idea of what the charge "should" be.

Oh, pulmonias and safaris are two types of open-air taxis built on a VW bug chassis and are unique to Mazatlán. Aurigas are small pickups with bench seats in the back for 6 to 8 persons (and sometimes more!), also possibly unique to Mazatlán..

La Isla

Feb 17, 2012, 10:44 PM

Post #29 of 40 (5115 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] cuanto cuesta?

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I´m glad I live in Mexico City where all the taxis have meters, so there's no need to haggle over the cost of a ride.

GringoCArlos

Feb 17, 2012, 11:04 PM

Post #30 of 40 (5109 views)

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Re: [La Isla] cuanto cuesta?

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I live in a small quiet city with only a rare tourist or gringo, and know the fares. There is no gringo pricing in effect here. If a taxista here said 1000 pesos to me, I'd either laugh and hand him the right amount, or if they tried to push it, I'd go to his dispatcher or the transit police and settle it.

If I'm going to use the same taxi for many errands/stops, we have an arranged cost/hour.

mazbook1

Feb 18, 2012, 11:54 AM

Post #31 of 40 (5090 views)

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Re: [La Isla] cuanto cuesta?

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La Isla, But in tourist areas, even drivers of metered taxis often take the looooooong way to the destination! Very common everywhere in the world.

One really nice thing about a negotiated taxi ride is that, at least in México, it's understood that any tip is included, unless, of course, you ask the taxista for some sort of extra, e.g., carrying a lot of luggage to your door, waiting while you stop at a store or a bank, etc.

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Feb 18, 2012, 11:58 AM)

La Isla

Feb 18, 2012, 12:18 PM

Post #32 of 40 (5087 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] cuanto cuesta?

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La Isla, But in tourist areas, even drivers of metered taxis often take the looooooong way to the destination! Very common everywhere in the world.

That can happen in Mexico City, if you don´t know the best route for the driver to take. It happened to me once when I was taking a taxi to my dentist before I was sure of the best way to go. In general, though, I have found the taxistas here to be honest. Often I will be asked if the route they have chosen is ok by me!

cbviajero

Feb 18, 2012, 12:34 PM

Post #33 of 40 (5080 views)

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Re: [La Isla] cuanto cuesta?

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If you notice being driven by the same building twice,you might be being taken for a ride.
Chris

sparks

Feb 18, 2012, 1:13 PM

Post #34 of 40 (5070 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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My favorite is my second day staying in Tlaquepaque and asked one of the plaza taxis how much to centro historico - 130 pesos. I had no idea how far it was. Flagged a taxi on the way back and it was 70 pesos.

Needless to say I was not there for the airport trip I had arranged with the first guy

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

La Isla

Feb 18, 2012, 2:03 PM

Post #35 of 40 (5064 views)

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Re: [cbviajero] cuanto cuesta?

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If you notice being driven by the same building twice,you might be being taken for a ride.
Chris

Cute!

eyePad

Feb 18, 2012, 10:58 PM

Post #36 of 40 (5041 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] cuanto cuesta?

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¿Auriga? ¿Safari? Son palabras chistosas, por cierto. Nunca he oído "auriga" en este contexto de un taxi. Pero para el colmo has puesto "pulmonia" y me imagino que quieras escribir "pulmonía" (¿?) Hablando de preguntas capciosas que es el idioma español, y no es me lengua materna, si no me equivoco hayas puesto el nombre de una enfermedad. ¿Estás seguro que es el nombre de un taxi?
apáñatelas como puedas

esperanza

Feb 19, 2012, 7:39 AM

Post #37 of 40 (5030 views)

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Re: [eyePad] cuanto cuesta?

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En Mazatlán así se llaman los taxis en el malecón: pulmonía.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/...nly.In.Mazatlan.html

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

eyePad

Feb 19, 2012, 1:32 PM

Post #38 of 40 (5007 views)

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Re: [esperanza] cuanto cuesta?

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Qué chistoso. ¿Por tanto, vas a tener problemas con los pulmones por estar en el aire libre? Entonces Maz tiene la razón pero no pude creerlo. JeJe
apáñatelas como puedas

mazbook1

Feb 19, 2012, 10:24 PM

Post #39 of 40 (4991 views)

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Re: [eyePad] cuanto cuesta?

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You're correct, eyePad. pulmonia was a typo, pulmonía is correct. Originally, the local populace thought that you could, in fact, get pneumonia by riding in an open air taxi of this sort. The name, pulmonía, is trademarked and can only be used for the ones made in Mazatlán by the pulmonía union-approved builders.

Here is a website that shows an auriga (pictures 3 and 4), an older pulmonía (picture 5) and a Safari (picture 6):

http://www.leejacobs.org/MAZATLAN/Getting-Around/122450_jhsdTg/4467897_iNEAF#!i=4467901&k=dJ9T2

All the dictionaries now seem to translate auriga as a charioteer, but when I first came to Mazatlán (nearly 20 years ago as a tourist), the older dictionaries translated it as a chariot.

If you Google pulmonía, you will see that the newer ones have some pretty fancy new fiberglass bodies, compared to the older one in the photo.

The original Safaris were the VW model Safari (sold in the U.S. as the Thing) with the roof. There are very, very few of those original metal-body ones still on the street. The newer ones have sleek fiberglass bodies. The main (only) difference between a Safari and a pulmonía is that the Safari has 4 doors, rather than being completely open like a pulmonía.

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Feb 19, 2012, 11:12 PM)

zaragemca

Feb 24, 2012, 8:46 AM

Post #40 of 40 (4953 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] cuanto cuesta?

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Greetings. The definition have been properly corrected. What I would like to add is that this verbal mode of, (costar), could be used the same way in any person, singular, or plural. For singular first person, ( cuanto me (cuesta), second person, ( cuanto te (cuesta), third person, ( cuanto le (cuesta). For plural, first person, ( cuanto nos (cuesta), second person and third person ( cuanto les (cuesta). Of curse there are more complex, past and future tense, with the infinitive, ( costar).
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