Latest / Learn French with Fexingo / French Shopping at the Market Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey, welcome back to Learn French with Fexingo! I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna! Episode 44 — can you believe it? Lucas: I know, right? We're on a roll. And today, I have a fun one. We're going shopping. Luna: Ooh, I love shopping. But like... French shopping? At a market? Lucas: Exactly! Imagine a little outdoor marché in a French town. There are stalls with fruit, vegetables, cheese, flowers... Luna: Okay, I'm already in. But I need to know how to ask, like, "How much does this cost?" because I'm definitely going to buy stuff. Lucas: Perfect! That's our first phrase today. Ready? Luna: Ready. Lucas: Combien ça coûte? Luna: Combien ça coûte? Lucas: Yes! Combien ça coûte? — "How much does it cost?" Let's break it down: combien means "how much," ça means "that," and coûte means "costs." So literally, "How much that costs?" But it's the natural way to ask. Say it with me once more. Luna: Combien ça coûte? Lucas: Beautiful. Now, a shorter version you'll also hear: C'est combien? Luna: C'est combien? Lucas: Right. C'est combien? — literally "It is how much?" Both are common. So you have two ways to ask for a price. Luna: Okay, combien ça coûte or c'est combien. Got it. Lucas: Now, let's say you see something you want to buy. You point to it and say: Je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît. Luna: Je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît. That's "I would like that, please," right? Lucas: Exactly. Je voudrais is "I would like," ça is "that," and s'il vous plaît is "please." So you're politely asking for the item. Try it. Luna: Je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît. Lucas: Perfect. Now, what if the price is too high? You might want to say: C'est trop cher. Luna: C'est trop cher. That means "It's too expensive," right? Lucas: Yes. Trop means "too," and cher means "expensive." So c'est trop cher — "it's too expensive." Say it. Luna: C'est trop cher. Lucas: Good. But if the price is okay, you can say: Je prends. Luna: Je prends. That's "I'll take it," yes? Lucas: Exactly. Je prends literally means "I take." Very common at markets. So after you hear the price, if you're happy, you say je prends. Luna: Okay, so let's practice a mini scene. You be the vendor, I'll be the customer. Lucas: Okay! Bonjour, madame. Qu'est-ce que vous voulez? Luna: Bonjour! Je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît. Lucas: Ah, les pommes! Très bon choix. C'est trois euros le kilo. Luna: Combien ça coûte? Trois euros? C'est combien? Uh, c'est combien? Trois euros? D'accord. Je prends. Lucas: Parfait! You did it! You asked the price and said you'll take it. Now, let's add one more thing: if you think it's too expensive, you could say "c'est trop cher." Luna: Right. C'est trop cher. But for these apples, it's fine. Lucas: Exactly. Let's do another round, but this time you can decide if you want to buy or not. Luna: Okay, let's go. Bonjour! Lucas: Bonjour! Des fraises aujourd'hui? Cinq euros la barquette. Luna: Cinq euros? C'est trop cher. Non merci. Lucas: Oh, you walked away! That's totally normal. So you used "c'est trop cher" and said "non merci." Great. Luna: Yeah, I felt like a real market shopper. But I want to practice asking the price one more time. Can I ask you: combien ça coûte? Lucas: Bien sûr! For this baguette, it's one euro. Un euro. Luna: Un euro? Je prends! Et c'est combien pour ce fromage? Lucas: That cheese is eight euros. Huit euros. Luna: Huit euros? C'est trop cher. Je vais prendre seulement la baguette. Lucas: You just used all our phrases in one conversation! That's amazing. Let's recap what we learned today. Luna: Yes, let's. So first, combien ça coûte? And c'est combien? — both mean "how much is it?" Lucas: Right. Then, je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît — "I would like that, please." Luna: C'est trop cher — "it's too expensive." Lucas: And je prends — "I'll take it." Let's hear them all once more. I'll say each, you repeat. Luna: Okay. Combien ça coûte? Lucas: Combien ça coûte? Luna: C'est combien? Lucas: C'est combien? Luna: Je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît. Lucas: Je voudrais ça, s'il vous plaît. Luna: C'est trop cher. Lucas: C'est trop cher. Luna: Je prends. Lucas: Je prends. Perfect! You've got them. Now you're ready to hit a French market with confidence. Luna: I'm so excited to use these. Thanks, Lucas! Lucas: You're welcome, Luna. And thanks to all of you for learning with Fexingo. Keep practicing these phrases, and next time we'll explore something new. Luna: Until then, à bientôt! Lucas: À bientôt!