combien
/kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/
The English phrase "how much do you" can be expressed in French using combien.
The word combien is used to ask about both countable quantities (how many) and uncountable quantities (how much).
How does it change in a sentence?
When combien is followed directly by a noun, you must add de to the phrase to mean "how many" or "how much of" (combien de).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /kɔ̃.bjɛ̃/.
Did you know?
- The word combien is a combination of 'comme' meaning 'as' and 'bien' meaning 'well'.
- When using combien to ask about the number of items, the 'de' in combien de is mandatory and never changes to 'des', even if the noun is plural.
- When asking for the price of something in a traditional French market, it is common to gesture with the hand while saying combien to indicate the specific item.
Examples in context
- Combien en veux-tu ?How much do you want?This sentence shows how to use combien to ask how much someone wants.Tatoeba #2036301 by sacredceltic, translation #1885880 by CK
- Combien vous pesez ?How much do you weigh?This sentence shows how to use combien to ask about weight.Tatoeba #12211577 by Orange, translation #1669972 by Spamster
- Combien tu payes Tom ?How much do you pay Tom?This sentence shows how to use combien to ask about a payment made to someone.Tatoeba #12660736 by Olcyx, translation #12120898 by CK
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are at a street market.
- NathanCombien tu en veux, Chloé ?How many do you want, Chloé?
- ChloéJe veux trois pommes, s'il te plaît.I want three apples, please.
- NathanEt combien tu payes pour ça ?And how much do you pay for that?
- ChloéJe paye deux euros.I pay two euros.
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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
