Learn how to ask "How much is..." questions
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| INTRODUCTION |
| This lesson covers a phrase for all of you shoppers out there, as we’ll look at the phrase "how much?" |
| Depending on your shopping habit, this phrase might just be the most useful phrase we cover. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| In French, "how much" is combien. |
| Combien |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: combien |
| Now let's hear it once again: combien |
| Depending on your spending habits, you may be an extremely high frequentcy phrase! The most rudimentary way of using "how much" is pointing at something while saying combien? But let's try and build this up a bit, shall we? |
| Let's start with the expression "How much is this?" which in French is combien ça coûte? |
| The first word, combien, means "how much" as we have seen. |
| This is followed by ça, which we covered in lesson 3, which in English means "this” or “that." |
| Ça |
| ça |
| This is followed by coûte, which in English means "cost." |
| Coûte |
| Coûte |
| So all together, we have combien ça coûte? This literally translates as "how much does that cost?" |
| Another more common and easier way to say this phrase is c'est combien? |
| This literally means "it's how much?" |
| The first word, c'est, as we have learned in an earlier lesson, means "it's." |
| C'est |
| c'est |
| All together, we have c'est combien? |
| If you have a choice between these three phrases, “c'est combien” Is probably the most common and useful. |
| Good for us, as it is quite easy to say, but it may not be so good for our wallets. |
Outro |
|---|
| Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so bonne chance, that means “good luck” in French. Ok, here we go! |
| “How much?” - Combien? |
| Combien? |
| Combien? |
| “How much is it?” - Combien ça coûte? |
| Combien ça coûte? |
| Combien ça coûte? |
| “How much is it?” (easier) - C'est combien? |
| C'est combien? |
| C'est combien? |
| This is the end of today’s lesson. See you soon! À bientôt! |
Comments
HideOn of my uncle in the 50's used to "keep" one piece of silverware when staying in a hotel! It was (maybe still is) a trademark of my fellow French citizen! Our excuse: we pay enoug for the service! What is a miserable teaspoon or fork! What kind of souvenirs do you buy or got back home with when traveling on foreign soil? What have you brought from France?
Bonjour Kazuo, bonjour Tim,
I've checked this lesson too and it's working fine again.
Please let me know if you have this issue again.
Thank you for your comments!
Regards,
Mélanie
Team FrenchPod101.com
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Bonjour,
First of all, let me tell you I love Playa Del Carmen in Mexico (if that is where you are) I went there a few years back. You live in a real nice place.
I m not sure what your question is about. Are you asking about the menu bar to search for a lesson? or are you talking about the menu of drinks (la carte des boissons) you can get in a bar ? :shock:
Lol
I'm lost. :cry:.
I'll be happy to help you. So try your question again so I can assist you! :)
Angèle
Hello. This is kind of an "unconventional" question , but have other visitors asked you how get the menu bar to look like you've got it? I also have a blog and am really looking to alter around the theme, however am scared to death to mess with it for fear of the search engines punishing me. I am very new to all of this ...so i am just not positive exactly how to try to to it all yet. I'll just keep working on it one day at a time Thanks for any help you can offer here
Je n'ai pas été en France, mais je veux aller bientôt ! J'ai acheté une couverture tissée de Tulum quand j'étais au Mexique.
Oh you went there!
Did you enjoy the famous "crêpe au sarazin"?
Talking about yummy foods from "Bretagne", I even found the butter cookies made in the Mt St Michel in Mexico! I bought the whole stock!
When I was 8 or so, I went to Paris for the first time with my classmates and teacher. I bought a Eiffel tower key chain! The snowy Eiffel tower must have been too expensive for my small allowance!
What other souvenirs have you bought from other worldwide known sightseeing?
Haha that's outrageous!
The only thing I bought on my trip to France (that I still have) is a little statue I got on the climb up Mont St-Michel.