Lesson 07
Buying Something
Let's visit the market
15-20 minutes
Buying bananas
Listen and read aloud
Understand each expression
Words, meaning and grammar
1. Magandang umaga po!
Greeting the seller
2. Magandang umaga!
Returning the greeting
3. Magkano po ang saging?
Asking the price
4. Dalawampung piso po.
Understanding the price
5. Pabili po ng saging.
Asking to buy something
6. Ilan po?
Asking how many
7. Dalawa po.
Giving the quantity
8. Heto po. Salamat!
Completing the purchase
9. Salamat po!
Thanking the seller
Three useful shopping patterns
Speak with confidence
Pattern A — Ask the price
Magkano po?
Pattern B — Ask to buy something
Pabili po ng...
Pattern C — Say how many
Numbers + po
Understanding prices
Pesos and numbers
Saying quantities with nouns
One banana, two bananas
Essential vocabulary
Remember these words
Your turn
Answer before revealing
Practise together
Act out a market purchase
Next lesson
Today and Tomorrow
Lesson 07
Let's visit the market
In the Philippines, small shops and market stalls are part of everyday life. You'll often buy fruit, vegetables, drinks, and other essentials directly from a seller.
Today, Ana and Ben visit a market stall to buy bananas.
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to ask how much something costs, politely request an item, say how many you want, and understand some simple prices in Philippine pesos.
How to study: Listen to the conversation, follow the translations, and practise each phrase aloud. Then imagine you're standing at a real market stall and try asking the questions yourself.
Buying bananas
Ana and Ben approach a fruit stall. Rosa is selling bananas.
Ana Magandang umaga po!
Good morning! (respectful)
Rosa Magandang umaga!
Good morning!
Ben Magkano po ang saging?
How much are the bananas?
Rosa Dalawampung piso po.
Twenty pesos.
Ana Pabili po ng saging.
I'd like to buy some bananas, please.
Rosa Ilan po?
How many?
Ana Dalawa po.
Two, please.
Rosa Heto po. Salamat!
Here you go. Thank you!
Ben Salamat po!
Thank you!
Understand each expression
1. Magandang umaga po!
Magandang umaga po!
What does Ana say when approaching the stall? Why does she use po?
2. Magandang umaga!
Magandang umaga!
How does Rosa respond? Does she need to repeat po?
3. Magkano po ang saging?
Magkano po ang saging?
Which word means how much? What is Ben asking about?
4. Dalawampung piso po.
Dalawampung piso po.
How much does Rosa say the bananas cost?
5. Pabili po ng saging.
Pabili po ng saging.
What is Ana requesting? How is this different from asking the price?
6. Ilan po?
Ilan po?
Why does Rosa ask this question? Where have you heard ilan before?
7. Dalawa po.
Dalawa po.
How many bananas does Ana want?
8. Heto po. Salamat!
Heto po. Salamat!
What does Rosa say when handing over the bananas?
9. Salamat po!
Salamat po!
How does Ben finish the conversation politely?
Three useful shopping patterns
Pattern A — Ask the price
Magkano po? — How much, please?
Magkano po ang saging? — How much are the bananas?
Use the shorter version when pointing at an item. Use the longer version when you want to name it.
Pattern B — Ask to buy something
Pabili po ng saging. — I'd like to buy bananas, please.
Pabili po ng mangga. — I'd like to buy mangoes, please.
Pattern C — Say how many
Isa po. — One, please.
Dalawa po. — Two, please.
Tatlo po. — Three, please.
Understanding prices
The Philippine currency is the peso, commonly written with the symbol ₱.
Here are three useful amounts:
| Amount | Tagalog | English |
|---|---|---|
| ₱10 | sampung piso | ten pesos |
| ₱20 | dalawampung piso | twenty pesos |
| ₱50 | limampung piso | fifty pesos |
Sampung piso. — Ten pesos.
Dalawampung piso. — Twenty pesos.
Limampung piso. — Fifty pesos.
Notice how the number changes slightly when joined to piso. For now, learn these common price expressions as complete phrases.
Saying quantities with nouns
In Lesson 05, you learned isang kapatid (one sibling).
The same pattern works when buying fruit:
Isang saging. — One banana.
Dalawang saging. — Two bananas.
The forms isang and dalawang include the linker -ng, which connects the number to the noun.
Essential vocabulary
| Tagalog | English |
|---|---|
| magkano | how much |
| saging | banana |
| mangga | mango |
| pabili | request to buy |
| ilan | how many |
| isa | one |
| dalawa | two |
| tatlo | three |
| piso | peso |
| sampu | ten |
| dalawampu | twenty |
| limampu | fifty |
| heto | here it is / here you go |
| po | respectful particle |
| salamat | thank you |
Your turn
1. How do you ask How much are the bananas?
2. Say I'd like to buy some bananas, please.
3. How do you answer Two, please?
4. What does Dalawampung piso mean?
5. What's the difference between magkano and ilan?
6. Translate Isang saging and Dalawang saging.
Practise together
One person is the seller. The other is the customer.
Use these expressions:
- Magandang umaga po!
- Magkano po ang saging?
- Pabili po ng saging.
- Dalawa po.
- Salamat po!
Then swap roles.
One-minute challenge: Greet the seller, ask a price, request two bananas, and thank them—all in Tagalog.
Next lesson
In Lesson 08 [ID:1792732141408], Ana and Ben will make plans for today and tomorrow. You'll learn ngayon (today), bukas (tomorrow), and how to ask what time something will happen.