Chapter 18: Shopping & Style
You can speak about the past, but look good doing it. Let's go shopping.
Expression of the Day
Ça coûte combien ? = How much does that cost?
Part 1: Le Dressing (The Closet)
Tenues de tous les jours (Everyday Outfits)
Tenues élégantes (Elegant Outfits)
Part 2: Au Magasin (At the Store)
Hello! Can I help you?
Yes, I'm looking for black pants.
What is your size?
Part 3: Les Grands Nombres (The Big Numbers)
To ask for prices, you need to know numbers bigger than 20. In French, counting by tens is mostly regular until you hit 70!
20
vingt
30
trente
40
quarante
50
cinquante
60
soixante
70
soixante-dix
(60 + 10)80
quatre-vingts
(4 x 20)90
quatre-vingt-dix
(4 x 20 + 10)100
cent
The "Et Un" Rule
For 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, and 71, add "et un" (and one). Example: 21 = vingt-et-un.
For other numbers, just use a hyphen. Example: 22 = vingt-deux.
Wait, why is it like this?
You might be asking: "Why isn't 70 just 'septante'?"
Great question! In standard French (spoken in France), counting switches to a base-20 system (vigesimal) after 60. It's a bit like saying "Four score and seven" in historical English.
- 70 (Soixante-dix) = 60 + 10 (Sixty-ten)
- 80 (Quatre-vingts) = 4 x 20 (Four-twenties)
- 90 (Quatre-vingt-dix) = 4 x 20 + 10 (Four-twenty-ten)
Note: In Belgium and Switzerland, they do say "septante", "octante", and "nonante". But in Paris, you must do the math!
Le Coin Culturel: Les Soldes
Shopping in France is serious business. Sales ("Les Soldes") are government-regulated and happen only twice a year: Winter (January) and Summer (July). During these weeks, you can find incredible discounts (-50%, -70%) on high fashion brands.
Price Check
Listen and click the correct price.
Dress for Success
Download the Chapter 18 deck for clothing vocabulary.