Five pounds fifty

[Rachel Adams]

Do all these sound natural and are there any other options to prounce them?

£5.50 1. "Five pounds fifty"

2. "Five pounds and fifty pence."

3. "Five pounds fifty pence"

4. "Five pounds and fifty."

5. "Five fifty."

6. "Five and sixty pence."

£10.20 1. "Ten pounds twenty."

2. "Ten pounds and twenty pence."

3. "Ten pounds twenty pence."

4. "Ten pounds and twenty."

5. "Ten twenty."

6. "Ten and twenty pence."

 

[Rover_KE]

The #1s are most natural; the #2s and #3s are OK; the #4s are rarely heard; the #5s are OK if the context is clear; the #6s are not used (even if you'd written 'fifty' instead of 'sixty').

 

[Rachel Adams]

The #1s are most natural; the #2s and #3s are OK; the #4s are rarely heard; the #5s are OK if the context is clear; the #6s are not used (even if you'd written 'fifty' instead of 'sixty').

If I have euros and dollars are there a few ways to pronounce them too?

For example,


€ 5.20

1. "Five euros and twenty cents."

2. "Five euros twenty."

3. "Five euros twenty cents."

4. "Five twenty".

5. "Five euros and twenty."

6. "Five and twenty cents."

$ 5.20


1. "Five dollars and twenty cents."

2. "Five dollars twenty."

3. "Five dollars twenty cents."

4. "Five twenty".

5. "Five dollars and twenty."

6. "Five and twenty cents."

 

[Rachel Adams]

We treat dollars and euros in the same way as we treat pounds.

So the same explanations apply to these examples too. The sixth sentence is wrong. Right?

 

[Rover_KE]

Right – it's wrong.

 

[GoesStation]

$5.20


1. "Five dollars and twenty cents.":tick:

2. "Five dollars twenty.":cross:

3. "Five dollars twenty cents.":cross:

4. "Five twenty.":tick:

5. "Five dollars and twenty.":cross:

6. "Five and twenty cents.":cross:

I've marked American usage above. You didn't ask about $1.20, which follows a different pattern: "one twenty" or "a dollar twenty". None of this has changed since the last time we discussed it. :-?

 

[Rachel Adams]

I've marked American usage above. You didn't ask about $1.20, which follows a different pattern: "one twenty" or "a dollar twenty". None of this has changed since the last time we discussed it. :-?

Sorry, but I don't understand. Piscean said BrE speakers treat dollars and euros in the same way. Are my examples correct in BrE but wrong in AmE? The examples in post #3.

"$1.20, which follows a different pattern: "one twenty" or "a dollar twenty".

If I remember correctly "one" is used only if the cost of something is 1 as in $1in AmE. BrE speakers use "one" not "a" for example in £1.30 "one pound thirty" not "a pound thirty." If the price is £1 or $1 or €1 a native BrE speaker would use either "one" or "a". I am trying to find this in my notes.

 

[GoesStation]

Sorry, but I don't understand. Piscean said BrE speakers treat dollars and euros in the same way. Are my examples correct in BrE but wrong in AmE? The examples in post #3.

"$1.20, which follows a different pattern: "one twenty" or "a dollar twenty".

If I remember correctly "one" is used only if the cost of something is 1 as in $1in AmE. BrE speakers use "one" not "a" for example in £1.30 "one pound thirty" not "a pound thirty." If the price is £1 or $1 or €1 a native BrE speaker would use either "one" or "a". I am trying to find this in my notes.

I believe Piscean, a speaker of British English, when he says that he treats dollars and euros the same. Americans probably tend to do so as well until they learn that other English speakers have a wider variety of saying currency amounts than they're accustomed to.

Americans have a special pattern for amounts between $1.01 and $1.99: a dollar one, a dollar ninety-nine, etc.

 

[Rover_KE]

Rachel, you don't need to know this stuff until you actually visit countries which use these currencies, and even then, you soon pick up the variations when you're there.

 

[GoesStation]

I agree emphatically. The time you've spent repeatedly examining these nuances could have been spent far more productively.

 

[Glizdka]

Not a teacher
------
Just to say one of my favorite YouTubers is Two Dollars Twenty. He's Australian.

I think I've heard all possible combinations except for a subunit without the main unit, e.g., "Two twenty cents".

I agree with Rover_KE. You don't need to know these minute differences unless you need them (ha!)

 

[Rachel Adams]

Not a teacher
------
Just to say one of my favorite YouTubers is Two Dollars Twenty. He's Australian.

I think I've heard all possible combinations except for a subunit without the main unit, e.g., "Two twenty cents".

It's like my sixth example: "five and twenty cents" and "ten and twenty pence" or "ten twenty pence." They are just wrong and not used.

 

[Ryan the Lion]

If I have euros and dollars are there a few ways to pronounce them too?

For example,


€ 5.20

1. "Five euros and twenty cents."

2. "Five euros twenty."

3. "Five euros twenty cents."

4. "Five twenty".

5. "Five euros and twenty."

6. "Five and twenty cents."

$ 5.20


1. "Five dollars and twenty cents."

2. "Five dollars twenty."

3. "Five dollars twenty cents."

4. "Five twenty".

5. "Five dollars and twenty."

6. "Five and twenty cents."

I can't speak for our friends across the pond and AmE, but only 2, 4 and 5 sound natural and correct in BrE.
I was taught not to use pence when saying pounds or euro - only if I bought something or received change that was under a pound/euro.
4 and 5, well, I would say 4 is a trifle informal but not exactly a major transgression, so they're all fine to use.

BTW: It might only be in German and Germany, but euros as far as I know is actually incorrect. I would only say euro e.g. 200 euro.

not a teacher