combien

How Much/many with Combien

Level 1

Combien is the French word for both 'how much' and 'how many'. It is used to ask about numbers, quantities, or costs.

How It Works

1. Asking about Quantity with Nouns
To ask 'how many' or 'how much' of a specific thing, use the structure: combien de + [noun].

  • The de is usually invariable (it doesn't become 'des'). Use d' before a vowel.
  • Example: Combien de livres avez-vous ? (How many books do you have?)
  • Note: Use combien des only when referring to a specific group (e.g., Combien des livres sur la table sont à toi ? - How many of the books on the table are yours?).

2. Using 'en' with Combien
When the noun you are counting has already been mentioned, you must use the pronoun en.

  • Tu en veux combien ? (How many [of them] do you want?)

3. Word Order and Register
French offers several ways to form these questions:

  • Informal: Combien can go at the beginning or the end without changing the sentence order (Combien ça coûte ? or Ça coûte combien ?).
  • Neutral: Use est-ce que (Combien est-ce que ça coûte ?).
  • Formal: Use inversion (Combien de frères as-tu ?).

4. When 'Combien' is the Subject
If combien (or combien de gens, etc.) is the subject of the sentence, the word order remains the same as a statement.

  • Combien de personnes viennent ce soir ? (How many people are coming tonight?)

Examples (5)

  1. Combien de pommes voulez-vous ?

    How many apples do you want?

    Word by Word: How many of apples want you?

    Notice that 'de' remains 'de' even though 'pommes' is plural.

  2. Combien d'argent as-tu ?

    How much money do you have?

    Word by Word: How much of money have you?

    We use 'd' because 'argent' starts with a vowel.

  3. Ça coûte combien, s'il vous plaît ?

    How much does that cost, please?

    Word by Word: That costs how much, please?

    This is a common, slightly informal way to ask for a price in a shop.

  4. Combien de temps faut-il ?

    How much time is needed?

    Word by Word: How much of time must it?

    Used here with an uncountable noun (time).

  5. Il y en a combien ?

    How many are there?

    Word by Word: It there of them has how many?

    Here, 'combien' acts as a pronoun referring back to something already mentioned.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'des' instead of 'de' for general quantities.

    Combien des livres as-tu ?
    Combien de livres as-tu ?

    When asking about a general quantity, 'de' is invariable. You only use 'des' if you mean 'how many of the' (referring to a specific group).

  • Omitting 'de' before a noun.

    Combien frères avez-vous ?
    Combien de frères avez-vous ?

    You must always use 'de' (or d') when 'combien' is followed directly by a noun to link the quantity to the object.

  • Forgetting the pronoun 'en' when the noun is missing.

    J'ai trois pommes. Combien tu veux ?
    J'ai trois pommes. Combien tu en veux ?

    If you don't repeat the noun (like 'pommes'), you must use the pronoun en to represent the quantity being discussed.

How It Connects

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combienLevel 1How Much/many with Combien

Learn This First

To use 'combien' effectively, you need to understand basic sentence structure, how to form plural nouns (since you are asking 'how many'), and how the particle 'de' interacts with nouns starting with vowels.

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