Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| bon marché | /bɔ̃ maʁ.ʃe/ |
| pas cher | |
| peu cher | |
| économique | /e.kɔ.nɔ.mik/ |
These terms are used to describe goods or services that are low in price or reduced in cost. While all these forms refer to low costs, they carry different nuances: économique implies something is efficient or provides good value for money, whereas pas cher is a very common way to express that something is not expensive in daily life.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bon marché literally translates to "good market".
Which one should you use?
Pas cher is the more common choice for spoken, everyday French compared to the more formal bon marché. Économique differs from the others because it describes something that is economical or cost-effective, focusing on the saving of resources or efficiency rather than just a low price tag.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase bon marché is invariable, meaning it does not change its form to agree with gender or number.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔ̃ maʁ.ʃe/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- C'est très bon marché.This is very cheap.This sentence is useful for stating that something is very cheap using bon marché.Tatoeba #5963181 by Aiji, translation #3825782 by CK
- Cela semble bon marché.It looks cheap.This sentence shows how to describe the appearance of something being cheap with bon marché.Tatoeba #336150 by sysko, translation #2248767 by CK
- Waou ! C'est pas cher !Wow! That's cheap!This sentence demonstrates an exclamation of surprise regarding a low price using pas cher.Tatoeba #966216 by sacredceltic, translation #42587 by CK
- Ce produit est très abordable, il offre un excellent rapport qualité-prix.This product is very affordable, it offers an excellent value for money.
- Allons dans ce restaurant, il est pas cher et propose de bons plats.Let's go to this restaurant, it's cheap and offers good dishes.
- J'ai trouvé un super discount sur ce produit, c'est vraiment pas cher!I found a great discount on this product, it's really cheap!
- 94 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are looking at clothes in a boutique.
- LéaCe pull est bon marché.This sweater is cheap.
- NathanOui, il est vraiment bon marché.Yes, it is really cheap.
- LéaJe vais le prendre, Nathan.I am going to take it, Nathan.
- NathanC'est une bonne idée.That is a good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheap” translations and entries bon marché, économique, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, bon marché, cher, marché, pas, peu, économique, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
