‘How much’ in French: a comprehensive guide

Do you know how to say ‘how much’ in French? Here it is: combien.

But…do you know all the contexts in which it is used?

If you read this article, you’ll kow how to use PROPERLY the French word combien.

You’ll know

Maybe you don’t know anything about it now, but after reading it and completing the several exercises, IT WILL BE CLEAR.

I’m Thomas Ricomard, since 2018, I wrote many articles on this blog to help you to learn and improve your French.

Understanding the word ‘combien’ in French

What is the basic understanding of expressing quantities and costs in French?

In thats section we will focus on

The fundamentals of quantities in French

The word combien is commonly used to ask questions of quantity in French.

Asking about cost: ‘combien ça coûte ?’

Here are 2 scenarios to practice.

Person A	Bonjour, j’aime beaucoup cette robe. Combien coûte-t-elle, s’il vous plaît ? Hello, I really like this dress. How much does it cost, please?
Person B (the seller)	Bonjour ! Cette robe est à 90 euros. Hello! This dress is 90 euros.
Person A	Je trouve qu’elle est chère. Avez-vous des remises sur des robes du même type ? I find it expensive. Do you have any discounts on dresses of the same type?
Person B (the seller)	Oui, nous avons une remsie sur une robe similaire, elle est à 60 euros. Yes, we have a discount on a similar dress; it’s priced at 60 euros.

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Scenario 2 – Combien de + a noun

Person A	Bonjour, je suis intéressé par cette voiture électrique. Combien de kilomètres est-ce qu’elle peut parcourir avec la batterie pleine ? Hello, I’m interested in this electric car. How many kilometers can it travel on a full battery?
Person B (the seller)	Bonjour ! Cette voiture électrique a une autonomie d’environ 50 kilomètres avec une batterie pleine. Hello! This electric car has a range of approximately 50 kilometers on a full battery.

Exercise

Handwrite and write in the comments (i’ll give you a feed-back) 2 sentences:

• One with Combien + a verb

……………………………………………

• One with Combien + de + a noun

……………………………………………

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To remember

The fundamentals of quantities in French

• Combien + a verb

Combien + a verb is used to ask questions about quantity, usually when you already know the quantity you’re asking for.

• Combien + de + a noun

Combien + de + a noun is used to ask for a specific quantity. The very useful sentence

• Combien cela coûte ? / Combien ça coûte ?

How much does it cost?

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Never spend your money before you have earned it.

Thomas Jefferson

Expressing prices and money in French

Here are 3 very famous French money-related expressions

• Avoir de l’argent comme s’il en pleuvait. To have money as if it were raining.

It means to have a lot of money.

• Jeter l’argent par les fenêtres. To throw money out of the window.

It means spending money excessively and irresponsibly.

• Être dans le rouge. To be in the red. It means to have a negative balance on your bank account.

From euros to cents: talking about currency

Here are 3 practical examples of money-related conversations.

Scenario 1 – At the market

Person A	Quel est le prix pour 1 kilo de pommes ? What is the price for 1 kilo of apples?
Person B (the seller)	C’est 2 euros le kilo. It’s 2 euros per kilo.
Person A	Je prends deux kilos, donc ça coûte 4 euros. Voici la monnaie. I’ll take two kilos, so that’s 4 euros. Here’s the change.

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Scenario 2 – At the restaurant

Person A (the waiter)	Le plat principal est à 15 euros. The main dish is 15 euros.
Person B (the client)	Ok, je le prends, et je laisserai 2 euros de pourboire en espèces. Okay, I’ll take it, and I’ll leave a 2-euro tip in cash.

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Scenario 3 – At the bakery shop

Person A (the client)	Combien côute un pain au chocolat, s’il vous plaît ? How much does a chocolate croissant cost, please?
Person B (the seller)	C’est 1 euro et 30 centimes. It’s 1 euro and 30 cents.

Colloquial expressions for money

I’ll give you here some colloquial French expressions for money. Pay attention that the English translation is not always completely accurate (because it’s not possible to have one).

Fric (’Bucks’ in English)	Je veux du fric pour les vacances. I want some cash for the holidays.
Pognon	Il a pas mal de pognon chez lui. He has quite a bit of money at home.
Blé (Literally it means ‘wheat’)	Ça c’est beaucoup de blé ! That’s a lot of dough!
Oseille (It refers to cash or money)	Tu as de l’oseille sur toi ? Do you have any cash on you?
Tune	Je n’ai pas trop de tune en ce moment. I don’t have much money at the moment.

Exercise

Handwrite and write in the comments (i’ll give you a feed-back) 3 sentences with the words: prix, kilos, euros, la monnaie, pourboire en espèces.

• Sentence 1: ……………………………………………

• Sentence 2: ……………………………………………

• Sentence 3: ……………………………………………

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To remember

At least, 2 very famous French money-related expressions

• Avoir de l’argent comme s’il en pleuvait.
• Jeter l’argent par les fenêtres.

At least, 3 colloquial French expressions for money

• Fric
• Pognon
• Blé

There is no technique, there is just the way to do it. Now, are we going to measure or are we going to cook?

Frances Mayes

Measurements and weight in French conversations

Talking about weight and mass

Here is a basic recipe for pancakes (les crêpes) with measurements

• 250 grammes de farine 250 grams of flour

• 2 œufs 2 eggs

• 500 ml de lait 500 ml of milk

• Une pincée de sel A pinch of salt

• 1 cuillère à soupe de sucre 1 tablespoon of sugar

• 1 cuillère à soupe d’huile végétale 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

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Watch this video to go deeper in your knowledge.

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Here are 2 scenarios to practice.

Scenario 1 – Choosing fruits at the market

Person A	Combien pèse ce melon ? How much does this melon weigh?
Person B	Il fait environ 4 kilos. It’s about 4 kilograms.

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Scenario 2 – Buying meat at the supermarket

Person A	On va prendre 500 grammes de viande, s’il vous plaît. We’ll take 500 grams of meat, please.
Person B	500 grammes de viande, ok. Je vous rajoute 20 grammes de saucisses, c’est gratuit. 500 grams of meat, okay. I’ll add 20 grams of sausages for you, it’s free.

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Discussing length, distance and volume

Here are 3 scenarios to practice.

Scenario 1 – Planning a trip

Person A	C’est un voyage de combien de kilomètres ? How many kilometers is the journey?
Person B	Le trajet fait environ 800 kilomètres. The trip is approximately 800 kilometers.

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Scenario 2 – Preparing luggage for a flight

Person A	Quelle est la limite de poids pour les petits bagages ? What is the weight limit for small luggage?
Person B	Le maximum est de 25 kilos. The maximum is 25 kilograms.

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Scenario 3 – Choosing fabric for curtains

Person A	Quelle est la longueur de tissu à acheter pour les rideaux du salon ? What is the length of fabric to buy for the living room curtains?
Person B	On prendra 5 mètres pour être sûr. Let’s take 5 meters to be sure.

Exercise

Choose an English recipe from a cookbook or on the Internet and translate it into French. Handwrite it and write it in the comments and i’ll correct it if needed.

• Ingredient 1 + quantity or volume: ……………………………………………

• Ingredient 2 + quantity or volume: ……………………………………………

• Ingredient 3 + quantity or volume: ……………………………………………

• Ingredient 4 + quantity or volume: ……………………………………………

• etc. ……………………………………………

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To remember

To measure the quantity

• Volume
  • Une tasse (cup)
  • Une cuillère à soupe (tablespoon)
  • Une cuillère à café (teaspoon)
  • Millilitre (milliliter)

• Weight
  • Kilogramme (kilogram)
  • Gramme (gram)

Some words

• la longueur
• kilomètres
• mètres
• le poids
• kilos

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FAQ

How do you say ‘how much’ in French?

‘How much’ in French is combien.

What is the French translation for ‘how much does it cost’?

The French translation for ‘how much does it cost?’ is Combien cela coûte ?

Can you give examples of sentences with ‘how much’ in French?

Combien coûte les bananes ? How much do the bananas cost?

Combien pèse le poulet ? How much does the chicken weigh?

Combien de kilomètres doit-on marcher pour arriver chez toi ? How many kilometers do we have to walk to get to your place?

Resources

https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2023/08/24/les-prix-alimentaires-restent-au-plus-haut-en-aout_6186383_3234.html

https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/infographies-les-prix-de-l-alimentaire-continuent-de-grimper-2617710

https://www.capital.fr/conso/comment-sont-fixes-les-prix-des-aliments-dans-les-supermarches-1465029