dollars et cents
The English phrase "dollars and cents" is translated into French as dollars et cents.
This phrase refers to the specific units of currency used in the United States and Canada. In French, 'cents' can be translated as centimes.
Did you know?
- In French, the word cent is a homonym that means both 'hundred' and 'cent'. A speaker must rely entirely on the context of the sentence to distinguish between a large sum and a small coin.
- When writing dollars in French, the currency symbol is placed after the number rather than before it. For example, 10 dollars is written as 10 $.
- The 't' in the word et was actually a deliberate restoration in the 12th century to make the word look more like its Latin ancestor, 'et'.
Examples in context
- J'ai payé cent dollars pour ce livre.I paid one hundred dollars for this book.
- Les frais s'élèvent à cent vingt-cinq dollars et cinquante centimes.The fees amount to one hundred twenty-five dollars and fifty cents.
- Le prix du café est trois euros cinquante, soit trois euros cinquante centimes.The price of the coffee is three euros fifty, or three euros fifty cents.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are looking at a North American price list.
- GabrielC'est quoi cette monnaie ?What is this currency?
- LéaCe sont des dollars et cents.They are dollars and cents.
- GabrielC'est utilisé au Canada ?Is it used in Canada?
- LéaOui, Gabriel, c'est leur système.Yes, Gabriel, it is their system.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries et, CC BY-SA 4.0.
