Quantities

Note the use of en (of it or of them) in the following examples. This word must be included when the thing you are talking about is not expressed (the French says literally there is of it a lot, there is of it two kilos, I have of them a lot etc.). However, en is not needed when the commodity is specified e.g. there is a lot of butter = il y a beaucoup de beurre.

how much is there?

= combien y en a-t-il?

there’s a lot

= il y en a beaucoup*

there’s not much

= il n’y en a pas beaucoup

there’s two kilos

= il y en a deux kilos

how much sugar have you got?

= combien de sucre as-tu?

I’ve got a lot

= j’en ai beaucoup

I’ve not got much

= je n’en ai pas beaucoup

I’ve got two kilos

= j’en ai deux kilos

how many are there?

= combien y en a-t-il?

there are a lot

= il y en a beaucoup

there aren’t many

= il n’y en a pas beaucoup

there are twenty

= il y en a vingt

how many apples have you?

= combien de pommes as-tu? or tu as combien de pommes?

I’ve got a lot

= j’en ai beaucoup

I haven’t many

= je n’en ai pas beaucoup

I’ve got twenty

= j’en ai vingt

A has got more than B

= A en a plus que B

A has got more money than B

= A a plus d’argent que B

much more than

= beaucoup plus que

a little more than

= un peu plus que

A has got more apples than B

= A a plus de pommes que B

many more apples than B

= beaucoup plus de pommes que B

a few more apples than B

= quelques pommes de plus que B

a few more people than yesterday

= quelques personnes de plus qu’hier

B has got less money than A

= B a moins d’argent que A

B has got less than A

= B en a moins que A

much less than

= beaucoup moins que

a little less than

= un peu moins que

B has got fewer than A

= B en a moins que A

B has got fewer apples than A

= B a moins de pommes que A

many fewer than

= beaucoup moins que

Relative quantities

how many are there to the kilo?

= combien y en a-t-il au kilo?

there are ten to the kilo

= il y en a dix au kilo

you can count six to the kilo

= il faut en compter six au kilo

how many do you get for ten francs?

= combien peut-on en avoir pour dix francs?

you get five for ten francs

= il y en a cinq pour dix francs

how much does it cost a litre?

= combien coûte le litre?

it costs £5 a litre

= ça coûte cinq livres le litre

how much do apples cost a kilo?

= combien coûte le kilo de pommes?

apples cost ten francs a kilo

= les pommes coûtent dix francs le kilo

how much does it cost a metre?

= combien coûte le mètre?

how much does your car do to the gallon?

= combien consomme votre voiture?

it does 28 miles to the gallon

= elle fait dix litres aux cent

(Note that the French calculate petrol consumption in litres per 100 km. To convert mpg to litres per 100 km and vice versa, simply divide 280 by the known figure.)

how many glasses do you get to the bottle?

= combien y a-t-il de verres par bouteille?

you get six glasses to the bottle

= il y a six verres par bouteille

* Never use très with beaucoup.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.