Grammar
Numbers 70-1000 and combien
Standard French builds 70 to 99 from sixty and eighty. 70 is soixante-dix (sixty-ten), 71 is soixante et onze, 72 to 79 are soixante-douze, soixante-treize, and so on. 80 is quatre-vingts (four-twenties), 81 is quatre-vingt-un, 90 is quatre-vingt-dix and 99 is quatre-vingt-dix-neuf. Quatre-vingts takes an -s only when no other number follows it.
100 is cent, 200 is deux cents, 201 is deux cent un (the -s goes when another number follows), and 1000 is mille, which never takes an -s: deux mille. In Belgium and Switzerland, people say septante (70) and nonante (90), and in parts of Switzerland huitante (80), which are simpler.
To ask a price, use Combien coûte... ? for one item and Combien coûtent... ? for several: Combien coûtent ces chaussures ? Or ask Ça fait combien ? You can also say C'est combien ? Answer with the verb coûter or just the amount: Ça coûte quatre-vingt-dix euros, or Quatre-vingt-dix euros.
| 70 | soixante-dix |
| 71 | soixante et onze |
| 80 | quatre-vingts |
| 81 | quatre-vingt-un |
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix |
| 100 | cent |
| 200 | deux cents |
| 1000 | mille |
Ce vélo coûte soixante-quinze euros.
This bike costs seventy-five euros.
Combien coûte ce pull ?
How much does this sweater cost?
Ça fait quatre-vingt-dix euros.
That comes to ninety euros.
Il y a cent personnes ici.
There are a hundred people here.
Combien coûtent ces chaussures ?
How much do these shoes cost?