Here are the most common items you find at the market. Practice writing these words:

These are the actions people do at the market:

When you want to know how much something costs, use this phrase:

多少钱？ (duōshao qián?) — How much money?

Examples:

• 大米一公斤多少钱？ — How much is one kilogram of rice?
• 这双鞋子多少钱？ — How much are these shoes?

The Tanzanian shilling is called 先令 (xiānlìng) in Chinese.

Here is an example of how to write a simple conversation at the market. This is similar to the dialogues in your textbook.

Situation: A child wants to buy shoes at the market.

Chinese Writing:

孩子： 你好！这双鞋子多少钱？ Háizi: Nǐ hǎo! Zhè shuāng xiézi duōshao qián? (Child: Hello! How much are these shoes?)

老板： 三千先令。 Lǎobǎn: Sān qiān xiānlìng. (Seller: 3,000 shillings.)

孩子： 我要试一下。 Háizi: Wǒ yào shì yíxià. (Child: I want to try them on.)

老板： 好的。 Lǎobǎn: Hǎo de. (Seller: Okay.)

孩子： 好看！我要买这双鞋子。 Háizi: Hǎokàn! Wǒ yào mǎi zhè shuāng xiézi. (Child: Nice! I want to buy these shoes.)

老板： 给你的鞋子。 Lǎobǎn: Gěi nǐ de xiézi. (Seller: Here are your shoes.)

In Chinese, you need a word to count each type of item:

Try writing the correct words:

1. A: 这件_____多少钱？（外套） B: 五千先令。

2. A: 我要买两_____裤子。 B: 好的。

3. A: 我可以_____一下吗？（试） B: 可以。

4. A: 大米一_____多少钱？（公斤） B: 两千先令。

• 我去市场买... — I go to the market to buy...
• 多少钱？ — How much?
• 我要买... — I want to buy...
• 试一下 — Try it on
• 好看 — Good-looking / Nice
• 给钱 — Give money

Imagine you are visiting a Chinese market (such as the one in Dar es Salaam's Kariakoo or a Chinese supermarket). You can use these phrases to ask for prices, try on clothes, and buy items. For example, if you want to buy 2 kilograms of rice at a local market in Tanzania, you can say in Chinese: "大米两公斤多少钱？" — "How much is 2 kilograms of rice?" This skill helps you communicate when traveling to China or when interacting with Chinese traders in Tanzania.