Combien ça coûte ?
How much does it cost? In French is Combien ça coûte ?
This phrase is a question used to ask for the price of an item or service.
Which one should you use?
While Combien ça coûte ? is standard, you may also hear Ça coûte combien ?, which is a common way to ask the same question. For different nuances, C'est combien ? and Il est à combien ? both translate to "How much is it?", while Quel est le coût de ceci ? means "What is the cost of this?" and Pouvez-vous me dire le prix ? means "Can you tell me the price?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Combien ça coûte ? is a common, slightly informal way to ask for a price in daily life. For a more formal version, use Combien cela coûte-t-il ?, which employs the word cela instead of ça and uses subject-verb inversion.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase Combien ça coûte ?, the word ça acts as the subject it.
Did you know?
- French uses the circumflex accent in coûte, a remnant of an 's' that used to follow the 'u' in Old French.
- In French markets, you might see prices listed as 1,50 €, using a comma instead of the decimal point used in English.
- The word combien is a combination of two words, 'comme' (as/how) and 'bien' (well), which literally translates to 'how well'.
Examples in context
- Combien cela coûte-t-il, s'il vous plaît?How much does this cost, please?
- Ça coûte combien, cette chemise?How much does this shirt cost?
- Il est à combien, ce téléphone?How much is this phone?
- Bonjour! Ça coûte combien, ces jolis t-shirts?Bonjour! How much do these pretty t-shirts cost?
- Bonjour! Quel est le prix de ce plat de poisson?Bonjour! What is the price of this fish dish?
- Excusez-moi, combien ça coûte ?Excuse me, how much does it cost?
Example conversation
Emma is shopping for a souvenir at a market.
- EmmaCe chapeau est très beau. Combien ça coûte ?This hat is very beautiful. How much does it cost?
- HugoIl coûte vingt euros, Emma.It costs twenty euros, Emma.
- EmmaC'est un peu cher pour moi.It is a bit expensive for me.
- HugoJe peux vous faire une réduction, Hugo.I can give you a discount, Hugo.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries combien, ça, CC BY-SA 4.0.
