¿A cómo son? / ¿a cómo están?

[poli]

I believe I have heard both when someone asks the price of something. Do they have a different meanings?

[Luna Azul]

Yes, there's a slight difference, Poli.

We say ¿a cómo son los tomates? when we know prices are stable.

We say ¿a cómo están los tomates? when we know prices are unstable.

In countries where inflation is bad, "estar" is the commonly used verb.

However, you may use either one, there won't be confusion whatsoever.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree... inflation is not so badly felt in Mexico lately, but as produce prices tend to change anyway, it's true that "estar" gives a slight idea of that change.


In the market we use indifferently "¿A cómo son...?", "¿A cómo están...?", or simply "¿A cómo...?"

·¿A cómo está el kilo de papas? = ¿A cómo son las papas? (for some reason this structure doesn't sound right to me in singular) = ¿A cómo las papas/el kilo de papas?

·¿A cómo el jitomate? = ¿A cómo son los jitomates? = ¿A cómo está el jitomate?

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

I agree... inflation is not so badly felt in Mexico lately, but as produce prices tend to change anyway, it's true that "estar" gives a slight idea of that change.

I was going to answer your question and it seems you edited your reply . Were you agreeing with me at first?

Edited: Ok. This is your definite answer

Anyway, in my mind there's always a slight difference between "ser" and "estar" even in cases like this one where it doesn't matter much which verb you use..

[poli]

Thank you.
Interesting: a cómo está for one thing
and
a cómo son for more than one.

[aleCcowaN]

Here those "a cómo son" or "a cómo están" are discouraged by education. It's not considered vulgar but it's not a way education likes to promote. It's not heard much -it isn't rare either-.

About prices changing, inflation is not needed. Prices change following supply and demand and with vegetables there is Winter and Summer, and even in tropical places there are dry seasons. Prices change by definition and people using "ser" mean "estar" from our practical point of view.

About singular of plural, you may refer vegetables as uncountable or countable; it's only uncountable when you can't discern the unit:

un kilo de tomate / un kilo de tomates / ¿a cuánto está el tomate? / ¿a cómo están los tomates?

medio kilo de cerezas / medio kilo de cereza / ¿a cómo están las cerezas? / ¿a cúanto es la cereza?

un cuarto de perejil (not "perejiles" --->not discernible unit)

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

Here those "a cómo son" or "a cómo están" are discouraged by education. It's not considered vulgar but it's not a way education likes to promote. It's not heard much -it isn't rare either-.

About prices changing, inflation is not needed. Prices change following supply and demand and with vegetables there is Winter and Summer, and even in tropical places there are dry seasons. Prices change by definition and people using "ser" mean "estar" from our practical point of view.

About singular of plural, you may refer vegetables as uncountable or countable; it's only uncountable when you can't discern the unit:

un kilo de tomate / un kilo de tomates / ¿a cuánto está el tomate? / ¿a cómo están los tomates?

medio kilo de cerezas / medio kilo de cereza / ¿a cómo están las cerezas? / ¿a cúanto es la cereza?

un cuarto de perejil (not "perejiles" --->not discernible unit)

No kidding.. Where is "here"? I really would love to know what you're trying to say.. I'm not trying to be horrible.. just trying to understand .

[poli]

Here for Aleccowan is Argentina. Here in New York a veces no vende por la libra sino por la cantidad. ¿A como son los kiwis? Cuatro por un dolar.

[aleCcowaN]

You can hear anything in "el barrio".

Anyone would realise that randomly hearing:

¿a cómo están los...
¿a cómo está el ...
¿a cómo es el ...
¿a cómo son los ...
¿a cómo sen los ...
¿a cómo va el ...
¿a cómo van los ...
¿a cómo el ... (verbless)
¿a cómo los ... (verbless)

when "cómo" doesn't relate with quantities, is fishy to say the least. And it applies that Bertolt Brecht's "millions of flies ...." when quantities come to the debate. And as I told, the Argentine "word" inconducta will never reach the dictionary no matter millions use it. Dictionaries don't care about "sen" and "semos" either, but pervasive uses like Mexican ver (look) and Argentine escuchar (hear), they -regrettably- do. So one should trust in good judgment an some phrase that uses "ser" and "estar" indistinctly is quickly ruled as "popular talk".

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by poli

Here for Aleccowan is Argentina. Here in New York a veces no vende por la libra sino por la cantidad. ¿A como son los kiwis? Cuatro por un dolar.

I'm still confused. Never mind..

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by poli

I believe I have heard both when someone asks the price of something. Do they have a different meanings?

Yes you can use them when you are asking the cost of some product in the store, these phrase are authentic from México.


Greetings.

[Luna Azul]

I sent a question to the Spanish Royal Academy about these expressions, asking them if they were inappropriate or incorrect. I got the answer today. This is it:


Consulta RAE (gramatical | construcciones | ser/estar 'valer': ¿A cómo/a cuánto...?)
FROM: consu1
TO: _________
Message flagged
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 6:22 A

En relación con su consulta, le remitimos la siguiente información:

La actual edición del Diccionario académico recoge, en la entrada del verbo ser, como octava acepción, la intransitiva 'valer, costar', e incluye el siguiente ejemplo: ¿A cómo es la merluza?

Por otra parte, la fórmula interrogativa ¿a cuánto? se emplea para interrogar sobre el precio de algo: «¿A cuánto está el pescado?» (RRosa Sebastián [Guat. 1994]).

Como puede usted comprobar, se trata, por tanto, de dos construcciones asentadas en nuestro idioma y que se pueden considerar perfectamente normales y admisibles desde el punto de vista de la norma culta del español general estándar.

Reciba un cordial saludo.
__________
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