Negotiate & Bargain in Spanish: Get Cheap Local Prices in Mexico

Mis amigos, ¿saben lo que es el “tourist tax”? (My friends, do you know what the tourist tax is?)

It isn’t an official tax, but it’s what you get for not speaking Spanish properly and not knowing como regatear en español (how to bargain in Spanish) like the locals. 

But… that stops today! 

Yo soy María Fernanda, in today’s lesson, we will do an interactive role play, and you will learn the Spanish chunks that you need to never pay this tax again. Will you be able to convince me to lower my price?

1. A real-life scenario: What is the lowest?

So, here is the scenario… You are at the local market, and you try to convince me to reduce the price for you. 

MARÍA FERNANDA
Pásele, pásele, güerito, pásele.
(Come in, come in, blondie, come in.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
Gracias, buenas tardes.
(Thanks, good afternoon.)

MARÍA FERNANDA
Por preguntar no se cobra. ¿Andaba buscando algo en particular?
(We don’t charge for asking. Are you looking for something in particular?)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
No no, solo ando viendo.
(No, no, I am just looking.)

MARÍA FERNANDA
Güero, puede preguntar sin compromiso.
(Blondie, you can ask without obligation.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
¿Tiene artesanías que tenga las 3 B’s?
(Do you have handicrafts with the 3 B’s?)

MARÍA FERNANDA
Claro, aquí solo bueno, bonito y barato. Mire, en la esquina de allá tenemos hartas artesanías mexicanas.
(Of course, here only the good, the pretty and the cheap. Look, there in the corner we have lots of Mexican handicrafts.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
Ah, pero esas están recaras. Ando buscando artesanías con precio para paisanos.
(Oh, but those are very expensive. I am looking for handicrafts with local prices.)

MARÍA FERNANDA
Híjole güero, me la pone difícil, además usted no parece mexicano. Mire, está más blanquito que yo. 
(Damn blondie, you’re making it hard for me, besides you don’t look like a Mexican. Look, you are whiter than me.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
Bueno, a ver, me gustó este. ¿Cuánto es lo menos?
(Alright, let’s see, I liked this one. What is the lowest?)

MARÍA FERNANDA
Ay joven, de por sí ya está rebarato, pero se la puedo dejar en quinientos pesos.
(Oh young man, it is already very cheap, but I can leave it for you for 500 pesos.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
¡Nombre! En el otro puesto tenían algo similar en trescientos cincuenta pesos.
(No way! At the other shop they had something similar for 350 pesos.)

MARIA FERNANDA
Seguro está hecho en China. Este es producto 100 % mexicano.
(Surely it is made in China. This product is 100% Mexican.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
Ala, es que no me alcanza, ¿me podría dar algún descuento?
(Man, I don’t have enough money, could you give me a discount?)

MARIA FERNANDA
Újule joven, le voy a perder, pero mire ni usted ni yo. ¿Qué le parece cuatrocientos cincuenta pesos?‘
(Damn young man, I am going to lose money here, but look neither you nor me. What about 450 pesos?)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
¿Sabe qué? Mejor voy a seguir viendo, apenas es la segunda tienda que visito.
(You know what? It is best to keep looking, this is just the second shop I am visiting.)

MARIA FERNANDA
Espere joven, es que con uno no me sale, pero si se lleva dos se los puedo dejar en cuatrocientos cada uno.
(Wait young man, if you buy only one I don’t profit, but if you take two I can leave you both in 400 each.)

SPRING SPANISH STUDENT
Yo solo quiero uno, pero ya aquí en caliente, le doy los 400 por ese.
(I only want one, but here without thinking about it, I’ll give you 400 for this one.)

MARIA FERNANDA 
Sale, le acepto los cuatrocientos.
(Ok, I will take the 400 pesos.)

You made it! Well done!

Let’s have a look at more chunks to bargain in Spanish now. 

2. Chunks to bargain in Spanish

By the way, you may download the list of essential chunks from the link that you can find in the description below to get even more useful chunks in Spanish that you can use in conversations right away.

Now, let’s take note of the following:

For this chunk in particular, you need to use the correct noun gender. So if you’re buying, let’s say una mascada (a scarf), then you will have to say Me la dejaría en diez pesos. But if you’re buying let’s say… un teléfono (a mobile phone), then you must change it to Me lo dejaría en diez pesos. That’s actually a very cheap phone!

Alright, let’s move on!

By the way, you can say tienda or puesto, those are synonyms, same as barato or económico.

• Déjeme seguir viendo a ver si lo encuentro más económico por ahí. (Let me keep looking to see if I find it somewhere else cheaper.)
• Sale gracias, voy a seguir viendo pero si no encuentro nada, regreso contigo. (Okay thanks, I will keep looking but if I don’t find anything, I will come back with you.)

And your lifesaver…

• ¿Cuánto es lo menos? Y si llevo dos, ¿cuánto? (What is the lowest? And if I take 2, how much?)