Which one should you use?
While un million de dollars is the standard way to express this amount, you can use Un million de dollars américains to be specific about the currency being American. In casual speech, slang terms like Un million de balles or Un million de barres are also used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the alternative un million de piastres is commonly used to mean a million dollars.
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the word million acts as a noun, which means it requires the preposition de before the currency. When the number is greater than one, million becomes plural and takes an 's', such as in deux millions de dollars, but it is still followed by de.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying un million dollars. English speakers often mistakenly omit the de between million and dollars.
Did you know?
- In French, the slang term balles used in un million de balles literally translates to 'bullets'.
- The slang barres in un million de barres refers to gold bars, suggesting a quantity of wealth so large it is measured in bullion rather than coins.
- The word million shares its roots with the Italian word milione, which translates to a 'large thousand'.
Examples in context
- J'aimerais disposer d'un million de dollars.I wish I had a million dollars.This sentence is useful for expressing a wish regarding the amount of un million de dollars.Tatoeba #2264122 by sacredceltic, translation #2235419 by Hybrid
- Il a payé un million de dollars pour ce tableau.He paid as much as a million dollars for the painting.This sentence shows a person paying un million de dollars for an object.Tatoeba #130996 by qdii, translation #290628 by Auride
- La perte s'élève à plus d'un million de dollars.The loss adds up to more than one million dollars.This sentence describes a loss amounting to more than un million de dollars.Tatoeba #1184332 by sacredceltic, translation #1184307 by xtofu80
- J'ai investi un million de dollars dans cette entreprise.I invested a million dollars in this company.
- La maison a été vendue pour un million de dollars américains.The house was sold for a million dollars.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking about a lottery ticket.
- LucasImagine que je gagne un million de dollars !Imagine if I win a million dollars!
- LéaTu ferais quoi avec tout cet argent, Lucas ?What would you do with all that money, Lucas?
- LucasJ'achèterais une île et une grande maison.I would buy an island and a big house.
- LéaC'est un beau rêve, mais c'est peu probable.It's a beautiful dream, but it's unlikely.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, million, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
