French · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 2 of 12
Numbers and prices
Les nombres et les prix
Count from 0 to 100 in French, including the tricky 70s, 80s and 90s, ask how much something costs and understand prices.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Count from 0 to 100
- Ask how much something costs
- Understand a price and pay
Listen
Inès is buying postcards in a souvenir shop in Marseille. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Inès
Bonjour, monsieur. C'est combien, la carte postale ?
Hello. How much is the postcard?
Shopkeeper
Un euro cinquante.
One euro fifty.
Inès
Et le guide de Marseille, ça coûte combien ?
And how much does the guide to Marseille cost?
Shopkeeper
Douze euros.
Twelve euros.
Inès
Alors, je prends trois cartes postales et le guide.
Then I'll take three postcards and the guide.
Shopkeeper
Très bien. Ça fait seize euros cinquante.
Very good. That comes to sixteen euros fifty.
Inès
Voilà vingt euros.
Here's twenty euros.
Shopkeeper
Et voilà trois euros cinquante. Merci, madame.
And here's three euros fifty. Thank you.
Inès
Merci. Au revoir, monsieur.
Thank you. Goodbye.
Understand
Numbers 0 to 20
Learn 0 to 16 by heart: each number has its own word. From 17, French says “ten-seven”, “ten-eight”, “ten-nine”, with a hyphen.
Some final consonants are heard when a number is said on its own: , , , , . The p of is always silent, and so is the gt of when it's on its own.
| Number | French | Sounds roughly like |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zay-roh | |
| 1 | u(n), with a nasal vowel | |
| 2 | duh | |
| 3 | trwah | |
| 4 | katr | |
| 5 | sank | |
| 6 | sees | |
| 7 | set | |
| 8 | weet | |
| 9 | nuhf | |
| 10 | dees |
- onze, douze, treize11, 12, 13
- quatorze, quinze, seize14, 15, 16
- dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf17, 18, 19
- vingt20
From 20 to 100: counting in twenties
Up to 69, French works like English: (22), (35). For 21, 31, 41, 51 and 61, say (and one) without hyphens: .
From 70, French counts in twenties. 70 is “sixty-ten”, 80 is “four twenties” and 90 is “four twenties ten”. has an s only when no other number follows it: 81 is , with no .
In Belgium and Switzerland you'll also hear (70) and (90), but in France people always say and .
| Number | French | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | – | |
| 21 | 20 and 1 | |
| 22 | 20-2 | |
| 30 | – | |
| 40 | – | |
| 50 | – | |
| 60 | – | |
| 70 | 60 + 10 | |
| 71 | 60 and 11 | |
| 75 | 60 + 15 | |
| 80 | 4 × 20 | |
| 81 | 4 × 20 + 1 | |
| 90 | 4 × 20 + 10 | |
| 99 | 4 × 20 + 19 | |
| 100 | – |
Asking and saying prices
To ask the price, say (How much is it?) or (How much does it cost?). The total at the till is … (That comes to…).
A price is said as euros, then cents, usually without the word : €1.50 is . The word starts with a vowel, so it makes liaisons: sounds like “duh-zuh-roh” and like “van-tuh-roh”. In , the f simply runs on into the next word: “nuh-fuh-roh”.
- C'est combien, la carte postale ?How much is the postcard?
- Ça fait seize euros cinquante.That comes to sixteen euros fifty.
- Ça coûte quatre-vingt-dix euros.It costs ninety euros.
More in the grammar: French numbers: from 0 to a million · The French alphabet and pronunciation
New words
- c'est combien ?how much is it?
- la carte postalepostcard · plural : the s is silent
- l'euroeuro · masculine:
- le guideguidebook, guide
- ça coûte combien ?how much does it cost?
- alorsso, then
- je prendsI'll take (literally “I take”)
- ça fait…that comes to…
- voilàhere you are, here's…
- le centimecent
- le numéro de téléphonephone number
Practise
1.The shopkeeper says How much is it?
2.Write the number 21 in words.
21 euros
3.Complete the question: “How much does it cost?”
How much does it cost?
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'll take three postcards.
5.Match the numbers.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Ça coûte combien ?
How much does it cost?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.