[Grammar] How much did/does it cost?

[kadioguy]

[My original conversations]

(a.)

Tom: Oh, you bought a new car! It looks great! How much did it cost? (not How much does it cost?)

Bob: About 2,0000 dollars.

(b.)

Tom: Oh, this car looks great! How much does it cost? (not How much did it cost?)

Ann (saleswoman): About 2,0000 dollars.
----
Is that right?

 

[tedmc]

Both are correct but the simple present tense is more natural.
I thought you have asked similar questions like this before.

 

[Tdol]

If Tom is simply interested in how much you spent, then he may use the past. If he's thinking about buying one, the present makes more sense to me.

 

[5jj]

2,0000 dollars.

If you mean twenty thousand dollars, then the figure is written 20,000.

 

[emsr2d2]

Both are correct but the simple present tense is more natural.*

I [STRIKE]thought[/STRIKE] think you have asked similar questions [strike]like this[/strike] before. (Using "similar" and "like this" is tautologous.)

*The simple present is more natural only in sentence 2. In sentence 1, it's wrong.

 

[Tarheel]

For sentence #1, "How much did it cost?" is not wrong, but I would probably say, "How much did you pay for it?" For the other one, I would say, "How much are they selling for?" (Or: "What are they selling for?")

 

[kadioguy]

... For the other one, I would say, "How much are they selling for?" (Or: "! What are they selling for?")

Interestingly, the active voice is used. (I thought that cars are being sold. :roll

And what does this "!" mean?

 

[jutfrank]

Yes, what you've said in post #1 is right.

Sentence a. uses the past tense because the speaker is thinking about the past act of buying the car. As Tarheel says, the meaning is equivalent to 'How much did you pay for it?' Another way of saying this is 'How much did it cost you?'

 

[Tdol]

Interestingly, the active voice is used. (I thought that cars are being sold. :roll

And what does this "!" mean?

It's correct. Cars are selling for 20.000 dollars = they are selling cars for 20,000 dollars. Some people call this a Middle Verb, or middle voice.

 

[Tarheel]

And what does this "!" mean?

I think you know what a goof looks like. (Fixed.)
:-D

 

[kadioguy]

If you mean twenty thousand dollars, then the figure is written 20,000.

Why isn't there "as" before "20,000" (i.e., the figure is written as 20,000)? Is that optional?

(Oxford)
The ‘b’ had been wrongly written as a ‘d’.

 

[Tarheel]

You could put "as" there, but it's not necessary. So yes, it's optional.

 

[Tdol]

And what does this "" mean?

It means fat fingers, small keys.