Monday 22 June 2009

C’est Combien?

How do you ask the price of something in French? C’est combien? is the usual way but as in English there are many ways of getting the same information. Let’s stick with c'est combien. What if you were asking for the price of one individual item? You would say c’est combien la pièce? If you ask the question then you should be aware of possible answers. You will need to know your numbers and if you have a rough idea of the cost then you will be more aware of the answer. Is it quatorze or quarante euros? If you have asked about individual items then expect an answer about individual items. Cinq euros la pièce may be your reply.

You can get answers like dix euros le kilo if you buy things by the kilo. Even in the 60s I was taught about kilos and kilometres but in England we can still be confused and want to buy things by the pound. Don’t let this put you off. You can always ask for cinq pommes or une douzaine d’oeufs.

If the shopkeeper has given you as much as you need then you can always say (c’est) assez merci. For this blog j’en ai assez.

A bientôt

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