How to Say “How Much Does This Cost?” in French

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combien ça coûte ?
In French, the phrase for "how much does this cost?" is combien ça coûte ?
The phrase combien ça coûte ? is used to ask for the price of an item. You can also use C'est combien ? as a common, shorter alternative when casual shopping. If you need to ask about the price of multiple items, you can use C'est combien ces oranges ?

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of combien (how much), ça (that/it) and coûte (costs).

Which one should you use?

While combien ça coûte ? is standard for everyday use, C'est combien ? is a shorter, very common alternative used in casual settings. For a more formal approach, you might use Combien coûte cela ? or Quel est le prix de ceci ? If you are specifically asking for a rate, you can use Puis-je connaître le tarif ?

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

combien ça coûte ? is common in everyday spoken French. In very formal settings, you might use Combien cela coûte-t-il ? instead. Other formal options include Combien coûte cela ?, Quel est le prix de ceci ? or Puis-je connaître le tarif ? when asking for a rate. Conversely, C'est combien ? and Ça coûte combien ? are informal ways to ask for a price.

How does it change in a sentence?

The word ça is a demonstrative pronoun used here to refer to the object being pointed at or discussed.

Did you know?

  • While combien ça coûte ? is standard, using the phrase ça coûte un bras literally means 'it costs an arm' to describe something very expensive.
  • The word combien is actually a combination of two words: comme (as/how) and bien (well). It literally traces back to asking 'how well' a quantity is measured.
  • In some French-speaking regions, such as parts of Belgium or Switzerland, the word order or certain vocabulary for 'price' might vary slightly from the standard Parisian French taught in schools.

Examples in context

  • Excusez-moi, combien coûte cela ?
    Excuse me, how much does this cost?
  • C'est combien ?
    How much is it?
  • Quel est le prix de ceci ?
    What is the price of this?
  • Ça coûte combien ?
    How much does that cost?
  • Est-ce que vous savez combien ça coûte ?
    Do you know how much this costs?

Example conversation

Lucas is looking at a souvenir in a shop.

  1. Lucas

    Pardon, combien ça coûte ?
    Excuse me, how much does this cost?
  2. Emma

    C'est dix euros, Monsieur.
    It is ten euros, sir.
  3. Lucas

    C'est un peu cher.
    It is a bit expensive.
  4. Emma

    D'accord, je comprends.
    Okay, I understand.

Sources

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Jacob Gilbert
Jacob GilbertHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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