Spanish Phrase
Si los excedes, te sale más caro.
Meaning
The sentence warns that if you go beyond a certain limit (the ‘los’), the price you have to pay will increase. It’s a typical way to point out a penalty for exceeding a quota, a speed limit, a budget, etc.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to caution someone about the consequences of surpassing a limit – for example, a bank telling a client about overdraft fees, a landlord about extra utility charges, or a friend warning about a traffic fine.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Silosexcedes,tesalemáscaro.
Si + present indicative
The 'si' clause uses the present indicative to talk about a possible condition that may happen in the present or future.
Direct object pronoun 'los'
‘Los’ replaces a masculine plural noun already mentioned (e.g., los límites, los minutos).
Verb ‘exceder’ (2nd person singular)
‘Excedes’ is the present tense form for ‘tú’, meaning ‘you exceed’.
Indirect object pronoun ‘te’
‘Te’ indicates that the result (the cost) affects the listener: ‘it will cost you…’
Comparative ‘más caro’
‘Más’ + adjective forms a comparative meaning ‘more expensive’.
🗨In Conversation
¿Cuántos minutos tienes en tu plan de datos?
How many minutes do you have in your data plan?
Tienes 500, pero si los excedes, te sale más caro.
You have 500, but if you exceed them, it will cost you more.
✕Common Mistakes
Si lo excedes, te sale más caro.
‘Lo’ is singular; the sentence refers to a plural object, so ‘los’ is required.
Si los excedo, te sale más caro.
The subject is ‘tú’, so the correct form is ‘excedes’, not ‘excedo’.
Si los excedes, te sale más caros.
When comparing cost, the adjective must stay singular: ‘más caro’, not ‘más caros’. The plural would refer to multiple items, not the price.
↔Alternatives
Si los sobrepasas, te costará más.
If you go over them, it will cost you more.
Si los superas, tendrás que pagar más.
If you surpass them, you’ll have to pay more.
Si los pasas, te saldrá más caro.
If you pass them, it will turn out more expensive.
Cultural Tip
The construction ‘te sale + adjective’ is very common in colloquial Spanish, especially in Latin America, to express that something will cost the listener a certain amount. The direct‑object pronoun ‘los’ must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces; otherwise the sentence sounds ungrammatical.