"Son diez pesos"

Question

I was reading a dialogue about shopping. There was this exchange: Cuanto es? (answer) Son diez pesos. The translation of "Son diez pesos" was given as "It is ten pesos" Why isn't it "They are ten pesos"? Doesn't the use of "son" indicate multiple items are being purchased. If only one item cost ten pesos wouldn't it be "Es diez pesos"?

Thanks

If you hear : ( The price ) es 10 pesos , is easier to understand ? he isn't talking about coins , he speaks about a price . - Bunbury, Apr 17, 2010

price -singular - Es diez pesos / coins -plural - son 10 pesos - Bunbury, Apr 17, 2010

I agree with you, Bunbury - Fidalgo, Apr 17, 2010

Answer 1

We say "Son diez pesos", not "Es diez pesos". It is similar to when we talk about hours. Es la una = It's one o'clock but Son las dos =It's 2 o'clock. We use son when there are two or more in term of quantity. The form of the verb "ser" depends on the number. This is a difference between English and Spanish.