Is that price per person or in total? How to ask in English

The Language Portal of Canada's guidance on per and each explains that per means for each. In a price, "per person" connects the amount to one person. You do not need to combine the two words into "per each person."

For a fictional activity with the same rate for every participant, these statements mean different things:

What the seller says	What it means for two people, before any other stated charges
Twenty-four dollars per person	Forty-eight dollars for two
Twenty-four dollars each	Forty-eight dollars for two
Twenty-four dollars for both of you	Twenty-four dollars for the pair
Twenty-four dollars	The unit is still unclear

Do not multiply an amount until you know what the seller meant. Equally, do not assume a price becomes a group total because you mentioned two people earlier in the conversation.

The same habit helps when a price is per hour or per item. Ask what one quoted unit covers instead of focusing only on the number.

Start with the relevant booking details: "There are two of us. What would we pay altogether?" If the seller asks which ticket categories apply, answer before asking them to confirm the total. Do not assume everyone receives the same rate.

You can use a short exchange like this. All amounts are invented:

Customer: "How much is the activity for two adults?"

Seller: "It's twenty-four."

Customer: "Is that twenty-four each, or for both adults?"

Seller: "Each. Forty-eight for the two tickets."

Customer: "Thanks. Is forty-eight the full amount we'd pay for those two tickets?"

That final question checks a different thing. The first clarification established the rate per person. The second asks whether the quoted total is the amount payable for the specified booking.

If you miss the answer, repeat only the unresolved part. "Sorry, did you say each?" is enough when the number itself was clear. If you missed the number too, use the fifteen-or-fifty number-check exercise to practise asking for digits separately.

A seller may offer something alongside the tickets. Keep asking for information separate from accepting an offer.

"How much would a printed guide cost?" asks for a price. It does not communicate that you have decided to buy one. Once you hear the answer, say whether you want it.

For example: "Just the two tickets, please. No printed guide." Then confirm the total for that choice. You can also ask "What does that amount include?" if the description is unclear.

The booking section of Aula54's sightseeing lesson combines price questions with checking what an activity includes. The narrower task here is to make the people count, pricing unit and chosen extras explicit in the same exchange.

This is conversation practice. It does not establish which charges a real seller may apply or what a business must include. Ask for the actual total rather than filling in a policy you expect.

Use these original role cards with a partner. The customer wants two adult tickets and has not agreed to any extras. Only the seller sees the selected card.

• Card A: tickets cost twenty-four dollars each. There are no additional charges in this fictional round.
• Card B: a pair of tickets costs twenty-four dollars in total. There are no additional charges in this round.
• Card C: tickets cost twenty-four dollars each. One optional printed guide costs six dollars for the whole group. The customer does not want it.

The seller opens with "It's twenty-four dollars." The customer asks questions until they can state the booking and its total. The seller must answer from the card, without adding a surprise discount or fee.

The final ticket totals are forty-eight for A, twenty-four for B and forty-eight for C. If the customer chooses one guide in a new version of C, the total becomes fifty-four. It is not sixty: the guide is one group purchase, not one per person.

After the exchange, the listener should be able to say what they are buying, how many people it covers and the amount they would pay. Check those details before swapping roles. Memorising the three totals is not the point; change the figures when you repeat the activity.

For a broader decision between two suitable options, try the English comparison exercise. Keep its different question in mind: choosing an option comes after understanding what each offer actually means.