combien
/kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/
The French phrase combien means how much or how many.
combien can be translated as 'how much' or 'how many' in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking about the number of countable items, use combien de followed by the noun. When followed by a noun, combien must be followed by the preposition de. In this context, combien de translates to 'how many' or 'how much of'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/.
Did you know?
- The word combien is actually a blend of comme ('as') and bien ('well'), originally meaning 'as much as well'.
- French uses combien not just for quantity, but to express intensity in exclamations like combien je t'aime, which translates to 'how much I love you'.
- When used in the phrase combien mieux, the word combien is used to compare degrees of quality rather than a numerical count.
Examples in context
- Combien coûte cette robe?How much does this dress cost?
- C'est combien?How much is it?
- C'est combien ce sandwich?How much is this sandwich?
- Ça coûte combien?How much does it cost?
- Ça coûte combien ces chaussures?How much do these shoes cost?
- Combien de livres avez-vous?How many books do you have?
- Combien de frères et sœurs as-tu?How many brothers and sisters do you have?
- Combien ça coûte cette montre?How much does this watch cost?
- Combien coûte ce livre ?How much does this book cost?
- Combien de pommes veux-tu ?How many apples do you want?
- Tu as combien d'amis ici ?How many friends do you have here?
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are at a bakery.
- EmmaCombien coûte ce croissant, Hugo ?How much does this croissant cost, Hugo?
- HugoIl coûte seulement un euro.It only costs one euro.
- EmmaC'est très bon marché.It is very cheap.
- HugoOui, je vais en prendre deux.Yes, I am going to take two.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry combien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries combien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
