American Numbers and Prices

American Numbers and Prices

Here are some phrases and expressions using numbers and American prices.

Remember that in English, we divide prices at the decimal point.

For example:

$4.59

four dollars (and) fifty-nine cents

four / fifty nine

(long way)

(short way)

(Time is also divided in a similar way: 12:47 is said "twelve / forty-seven")

Americans often say large numbers in "phrases" of two digits.

For example:

267

4381

two hundred sixty-seven
two / sixty seven
four thousand three hundred eighty-one
forty-three / eighty-one

(long way)
(short way)

Some people also use two-digit phrasing with telephone numbers:

565-8347

five-six-five // eighty-three / forty-seven

Practice the following prices (both long and short ways) with a partner:

$59.65
$27.95
$14.40

$1.79*
$6.75
$77.17

$29.00**
$82.03
$70.50

$425.78
$781.34
$211.54

$231.49
$690.42
$380.18

$3,657.88
$9,405.31
$1,550.15

*Also: a dollar seventy-nine
**Also: twenty-nine (dollars) even.