Everyday English · Read, listen and speak
Buying Fruit and Vegetables by Weight
Ask a price per kilogram, request a quantity and confirm the weight and total before paying.
Your speaking goal
Buy produce using a weight or number and check whether a price is per item or per kilogram.
Before you start: Choose two kinds of produce and an imaginary quantity. Use the model prices for practice, not as real price information.
Your six-step practice plan
- Understand: Read the goal and check the useful phrases.
- Listen or read: Follow both roles. Audio is optional.
- Repeat: Say one short line at a time, then join the words smoothly.
- Change details: Replace two details with imaginary ones.
- Role-play: Read the other person’s question, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles.
- Review: Use the “I can” checks below. Repeat any part that still needs help.
Work at your own pace. A clear message matters more than copying a particular accent.
Listen, read and notice
Roles: Customer and Seller
Browser-generated English voice; availability and sound vary by device. Use the written dialogue if audio is unavailable.
Customer: Good morning. How much are the tomatoes?
Seller: They’re three pounds per kilogram.
Customer: Half a kilo, please.
Seller: Of course. That’s one pound fifty. Anything else?
Customer: Yes, two cucumbers, please. How much are they?
Seller: Eighty pence each.
Customer: So that’s one pound sixty for the two?
Seller: That’s right. The total is three pounds ten.
Customer: Thank you. Could you put them in this bag?
Seller: Certainly. Here you are.
Customer: Thanks. Here’s the payment.
Useful phrases and what they do
- How much are the ___? — Ask the price of plural items.
- Half a kilo, please. — Request 500 grams by weight.
- Is that per item or per kilogram? — Check what quantity a price applies to.
- How much is that altogether? — Ask for the combined total.
Say it clearly
Separate the quantity and unit: ‘HALF a kilo’ and ‘TWO cucumbers’. In the prices, make ‘one pound FIFTY’ and ‘one pound SIXTY’ easy to distinguish.
Build your own replies
Could I have ___ kilos of ___, please? → Certainly. Anything else?
Ask and check
Is eighty pence the price for one or for both? → For one cucumber.
Common mistakes and alternatives
‘Kilo’ is a common short form of ‘kilogram’. ‘Each’ means for one item, while ‘per kilogram’ gives a price by weight. Say ‘How much are the tomatoes?’ with the plural verb; ‘How much is a cucumber?’ uses the singular.
Check what you understood
Answer aloud before revealing each explanation. Natural replies with the same meaning also count.
Question 1
How much do the tomatoes cost in this purchase?
Show answer 1 and explanation
One pound fifty. Half a kilogram at three pounds per kilogram costs half of three pounds.
Question 2
Does eighty pence buy both cucumbers?
Show answer 2 and explanation
No. It is the price for each cucumber. Two cost one pound sixty.
Question 3
What is the total for the example purchase?
Show answer 3 and explanation
Three pounds ten: one pound fifty plus one pound sixty. You can ask the seller to repeat the total if you are unsure.
Your turn: make it a real exchange
Practise alone: read the other person’s line, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles. No partner is needed.
Role A
Ask the price of produce, request a weight and a number of items, and check the total.
Role B
Give fictional prices clearly. Explain whether each price is per item or per kilogram.
Make it easier: Keep the model visible and change one detail at a time.
Add a challenge: The weight is slightly more than you requested. Ask what it weighs and how much it costs before deciding whether to accept it.
Ready to move on?
Try again with less reading. Use these checks and repeat any part that needs more practice.
- I can request produce by weight or number.
- I can check which quantity a price applies to.
- I can confirm the combined total.