Lesson 7 Up and down prices

If you’ve ever travelled to developing countries, you’ll know that street vendors typically expect to negotiate the price with a customer, so they start by setting a high price. Let’s see whether Jun can get a lower price.

Street vendor: This T-shirt costs $30.
Jun: That’s too expensive! Can you price down?

Jun’s meaning is clear, but “price down” as a verb phrase is Japanese English. He should ask, “Can you bring the price down?” So remember to ask street vendors to bring prices down to avoid spending too much while travelling.