At a Brazilian Market: Ask the Price per Kilo in Portuguese — Practice

Ask how much a kilo costs

At a market or produce counter, quanto custa o quilo? asks ‘how much is it per kilo?’ Name the item to be precise: quanto custa o quilo da manga? (how much is a kilo of mangoes?). The actual price changes with the place, season, and seller, so use the phrase to ask rather than relying on a memorized amount.

Brazilian markets may sell by weight, by unit, or in a prepacked amount. If you want only a few pieces, ask whether the item is sold by the kilo or unidade (each). Polite wording with por favor keeps the exchange friendly.

Specify the amount and check the total

Useful quantities include meio quilo (half a kilo), um quilo (one kilo), and duzentos gramas (two hundred grams). The verb pesar means to weigh. If the clerk asks mais alguma coisa? (anything else?), you can answer só isso, obrigado/obrigada (that’s all, thank you).

Before paying, confirm the final amount if you did not catch it: quanto ficou? (how much did it come to?). This gives you a natural chance to practise number listening and make sure you understand the transaction.

Remember: Ask quanto custa o quilo? to learn a price, name the amount you want, and confirm quanto ficou before paying when you need to hear the total again.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. How much is a kilo of tomatoes?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quanto custa o quilo do tomate?

2. Are bananas sold by weight or by the piece?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A banana é vendida por quilo ou por unidade?

3. Could you weigh half a kilo, please?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode pesar meio quilo, por favor?

4. I’d like three hundred grams of cheese, please.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quero trezentos gramas de queijo, por favor.

5. That’s all. How much did it come to?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   É só isso. Quanto ficou?

6. Could you repeat the amount more slowly?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Pode repetir o valor mais devagar?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Ask quanto custa o quilo? to learn a price, name the amount you want, and confirm quanto ficou before paying when you need to hear the total again.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our At a Brazilian Market: Ask the Price per Kilo in Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.