cent
/sɑ̃/masculine
Hundred in French is cent.
Colloquially, cent balles means a hundred bucks.
Meaning: cardinal number 100 (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
cent takes an s, cents, in round multiples of a hundred when no other number follows. It stays singular when another number follows, as in a hundred and two.
How do you pronounce it?
cent is pronounced /sɑ̃/, a nasal vowel after the s, with the t silent.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not pronounce the final t of cent. Also, one hundred is just cent, with no word for one in front.
Did you know?
- The Latin root centum shared an ancient ancestor with the Sanskrit word 'śata', showing that the way French counts to a hundred is linked to ancient Indian languages.
- In France, the expression cent pour cent is used not just for mathematical percentages but as a common way to say 'absolutely' or 'completely' in a conversation.
- In French legal and formal documents, numbers like cent are often written out in full words to prevent fraudulent alterations of the figures.
Examples in context
- Compte de un à cent.Count from one to a hundred.de un à cent means from one to a hundred.Tatoeba #9547742 by Aiji, translation #2780826 by sharptoothed
- La somme est de cent.The total is one hundred.La somme means the total.Tatoeba #12425292 by zogwarg, translation #241306 by CK
- 100 cents font un dollar.One hundred cents makes one dollar.Here cents is the plural of the coin, not of the number.Tatoeba #9965 by Sbgodin, translation #73493 by yifen238
- Il y a cent étudiants dans la classe.There are one hundred students in the class.
- Je vous offre cent roses.I offer you one hundred roses.
- Ils vivent cent ans.They live for one hundred years.
- Il y a une centaine de personnes à la fête.There are about a hundred people at the party.
- J'ai acheté une centaine de livres.I bought about a hundred books.
- J'ai trouvé ça pour cent balles.I found this for a hundred bucks.
- Ce jeu vidéo coûte cent balles.This video game costs a hundred bucks.
- 279 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are at a bakery discussing a large order.
- NathanEst-ce qu'il reste cent macarons ?Are there one hundred macarons left?
- ChloéOui, Nathan, il en reste exactement cent.Yes, Nathan, there are exactly one hundred left.
- NathanC'est parfait pour la fête.That is perfect for the party.
- ChloéJe les prépare pour vous.I am preparing them for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hundred” translations and entries cent, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cent, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
