“The price tag says 20 dollars”: how to say it and when to complain

The sign says one price, the till shows another. In one neat sentence you can describe this and complain politely: “The price tag says 20 dollars, but the cashier charged me 25.”

The price tag says, not “is written”

The natural choice is the price tag says. Here say means “show or state”: the tag “says” the price. Ukrainian «на цінникові написано» translates best this way, not word for word. It is written on the price tag is correct too, but it sounds clumsy in conversation.

• The price tag says 20 dollars.The price printed on the label.
• The sign says ‘Sale’.Written text on a sign, not a spoken message.

Don’t put an amount after is written. “The price tag is written 20 dollars” is wrong: write takes the text itself, while the tag shows the number.

“The cashier charged me”: the verb you need

Charge means to ask someone to pay for something. The pattern is charge somebody an amount for something.

• The cashier charged me 25 dollars for it.Both the amount and the item are named.
• The cashier charged me 25.Shorter version, when the item is clear from context.
• I was charged 25 dollars.Passive: the focus is on the money taken from you.

To say you were charged too much, use overcharge: The cashier overcharged me. Took is possible in everyday speech, but charged is more precise when the topic is price.

Why says is present and charged is past

• The price tag says (Present Simple): the tag shows the price right now, so the information is still true.
• the cashier charged me (Past Simple): a finished action; the money has already been taken.

The word but contrasts the two facts: what the tag shows and what was actually charged. For a refresher on regular and irregular forms, see Past Simple: regular and irregular verbs.

Common mistakes

• The price tag is written 20 dollars. → The price tag says 20 dollars.
• The cashier charged 25 from me. → The cashier charged me 25. The person comes straight after charge, with no “from”.
• The cashier charged me for 25. → The cashier charged me 25. After for comes the thing you bought, not the amount.

More useful phrases

• Could you check the price? It says 20 here.A polite request to look again at the label.
• I think you’ve charged me too much.A polite complaint.
• I think I was overcharged.A clear, neutral complaint.
• Is this the right price? It’s 20 on the tag.Pointing to the label while asking.

For more phrases about prices and value, see our post on worth the price.

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