Money and prices in Spanish in Peru
Peru uses the sol, plural soles, divided into céntimos. The constant practical problem is sencillo — small change — which almost nobody has, so "¿tiene sencillo?" is asked of you as often as by you. Phone payment through Yape is accepted almost everywhere, including street stalls.
Draft copy. Every claim needs a native-speaker check before publishing — the byline is what makes this citable, so it has to be earned.
The currency, and how to say it
- el sol — one sol. dos soles, veinte soles
- el céntimo — a hundredth. cincuenta céntimos
- la luca — slang for one sol. “Cinco lucas” is five soles
- el billete — a note. la moneda — a coin
Prices get said the way you would expect, with one shortcut: the word soles is often dropped when the number is obvious. “Quince” at a market stall means fifteen soles. And “quince cincuenta” is 15.50 — the two numbers in sequence, no word between them.
Writing it, Peruvians use S/ before the number: S/ 15.50.
Sencillo: the real daily problem
El sencillo is small change, and the shortage of it is a permanent feature of Peruvian life. You will hear, and need, all of these:
- “¿Tiene sencillo?” — do you have change? Asked of you constantly
- “No tengo sencillo.” — I don’t have change
- “¿Tiene algo más chico?” — do you have anything smaller
- “Le falta un sol.” — you’re a sol short
- “Quédese con el vuelto.” — keep the change. El vuelto is the change owed back to you, which is a different word from el sencillo
Practical consequence: break large notes in supermarkets and pharmacies, which have change, and keep coins for taxis and stalls, which do not. Arriving at a fruit stall with a hundred-sol note is a small social problem, not just an inconvenience.
Paying
- “¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?” — by card
- “¿Aceptan Yape?” — Yape is a phone-number-based transfer app, and yapear has become a verb: “te yapeo” — I’ll Yape you the money. Plin is the same idea from a different bank
- “En efectivo” — in cash
- “¿Me da boleta?” — the receipt. La factura is the version with a tax number on it, which you only need if you are claiming it as a business expense
- “¿Está incluido el servicio?” — is service included. Tipping is not obligatory and is much smaller than in the United States; ten per cent in a sit-down restaurant is generous
Asking a price three ways
Which one you use tells people a lot:
| Phrase | Where it fits |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | A shop with price tags. Neutral and always correct |
| ¿A cómo está? | A market, for something sold by weight |
| ¿Cuánto me cobra? | A person providing a service — a taxi, a porter, a workshop |
The third one is the one learners miss, and it is the one you need most, because it opens a negotiation rather than asking for a fact. See taking a taxi in Lima for where that goes next.
Numbers that trip people up
Quinientos (500), setecientos (700) and novecientos (900) are the three hundreds that are not formed the way you would guess from cinco, siete and nueve. They come up in prices constantly. The full set is in numbers, time and dates.
Topics Money and bargainingGetting aroundPeruvian Spanish
Soles, sencillo and Yape
Eight on paying for things in Peru — the three ways to ask a price, the change nobody has, and the app everyone uses.
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1A stallholder says *quince cincuenta*. What do you owe?
Answer
S/ 15 and 50 céntimos — Prices run the two numbers together with no word between them, so *quince cincuenta* is 15.50. The word *soles* gets dropped whenever the amount is obvious.
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2You hand over a note and the seller asks *¿tiene sencillo?* What does she want?
Answer
Something smaller — coins or a small note — *El sencillo* is small change, and the shortage of it is a permanent feature of Peruvian life. You will be asked this at least as often as you ask it.
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3You are negotiating with a man who will carry your bags. Which question do you use?
Answer
*¿Cuánto me cobra?* — *¿Cuánto me cobra?* asks a person what they charge, which opens a negotiation rather than asking for a fact. It is the one learners miss and the one they need most.
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4You are in a chemist's with printed price labels on the shelf. Which question fits?
Answer
*¿Cuánto cuesta?* — *¿Cuánto cuesta?* is neutral and always correct where there is a fixed, printed price. The other two open a negotiation that is not on offer in a pharmacy.
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5Your friend says *te yapeo*. What is about to happen?
Answer
She will transfer you the money through the Yape app — *Yapear* has become a verb. Yape moves money between phone numbers and is accepted almost everywhere, including street stalls; Plin is the same idea from a different bank.
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6*El vuelto* and *el sencillo* both translate as “change”. What is the difference?
Answer
*Vuelto* is the change owed back to you; *sencillo* is small change in general — *Quédese con el vuelto* is keep the change from this transaction. *No tengo sencillo* says I have nothing small, which is a different problem entirely.
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7You have arrived with a hundred-sol note and a day of small purchases ahead. What do you do?
Answer
Break it in a supermarket or pharmacy and keep coins for stalls and taxis — Supermarkets and pharmacies have change; stalls and taxis do not. Turning up at a fruit stall with a hundred is a small social problem, not just an inconvenience.
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8Which three hundreds are not built the way you would guess from *cinco*, *siete* and *nueve*?
Answer
*quinientos*, *setecientos*, *novecientos* — *Quinientos*, *setecientos* and *novecientos* are the irregular three, and they turn up in prices constantly. The other hundreds behave predictably.