The simplest way to ask how much something is in French is C'est combien ? (say kohm-BYAN). Ça coûte combien ? means the same thing. When you are paying and want the total, say Ça fait combien ? or Je vous dois combien ? (how much do I owe you?). Add s'il vous plaît in shops.
- How much is it?
- C'est combien ?
- How much does it cost?
- Ça coûte combien ?
- What's the total?
- Ça fait combien ?
- How much do I owe you?
- Je vous dois combien ?
- Level
- A1
C'est combien or ça coûte combien?
Both ask the price and both are fine anywhere. The useful distinction is between asking what one thing costs and asking what you owe: ça fait combien and je vous dois combien belong at the till, the taxi window or the end of a repair job.
| French | English | Where |
|---|---|---|
| C'est combien ? | How much is it? | Shops, markets; the everyday choice |
| Ça coûte combien ? | How much does it cost? | Anywhere |
| Combien coûte ce sac ? | How much is this bag? | Neutral to formal; naming the thing |
| Ils sont à combien ? | How much are they? | Market stalls, several items |
| Ça fait combien ? | How much is that altogether? | At the till, when paying |
| Je vous dois combien ? | How much do I owe you? | Taxi, plumber, small shop |
| Quel est le prix de… ? | What is the price of…? | Formal or written |
At a French market, prices are often per kilo. One Contos A2 story turns a list of market prices into a mystery, because a radio announced them the day before:
Les tomates coûtent deux euros le kilo.How do you understand prices in euros?
French says the euros first and the cents after, without a word for "point": deux euros cinquante is €2.50. Prices are written with a comma, 2,50 €, and the euro sign usually goes after the number.
Ça fait douze euros.
That's twelve euros.
Trois euros quatre-vingts, s'il vous plaît.
Three euros eighty, please.
Un euro le croissant.
One euro per croissant.
C'est gratuit.
It's free.
Listen for the linking sounds. Deux euros and trois euros run together with a z ("duh-zuh-ROH"), and un euro with an n ("uh-nuh-ROH").
In Belgium and Switzerland, 70 and 90 are septante and nonante instead of soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix, and parts of French-speaking Switzerland say huitante for 80. Swiss prices are in francs, not euros.
What do you say if it's too expensive?
C'est trop cher (it's too expensive) is the direct answer. It turns up in a Contos beginner story when a family argues about buying a home robot:
Sophie dit : « Non, c'est trop cher. »Haggling is not done in ordinary French shops. At a flea market (marché aux puces), an antiques brocante or a vide-grenier, the French car-boot sale, asking for a better price is normal.
C'est un peu cher pour moi.
It's a bit expensive for me.
Vous pouvez me faire un prix ?
Can you do me a deal?
Flea markets and second-hand stalls.
Je peux payer par carte ?
Can I pay by card?
Je vais réfléchir, merci.
I'll think about it, thanks.
The polite way to walk away.
Read free A1 French chapters set in markets, bakeries and flats, and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce combien?
"kohm-BYAN". Both vowels are nasal: the om and the ien. Don't sound the m or the n fully. The stress falls on the second syllable.
What does ça fait combien mean?
Literally "that makes how much?". You use it when someone has added things up, at a till or a market stall, to ask for the total.
Is c'est combien rude?
No. It is the most common way to ask. Begin with bonjour when you walk in, and add s'il vous plaît if you want to sound extra polite.
How do you say it's cheap in French?
C'est pas cher in speech, or ce n'est pas cher in writing: "it's not expensive". Bon marché also means cheap, while c'est donné means it's a steal.