Au marché
Primary 4 · French
Au marché
Lesson 3 of 4
40 min
At the market, every avocado, every pile of onions and every kilo of beans has a price in Rwandan francs. To buy and sell in French, you need the big numbers.
Good news: you only need a few new words to count all the way to 2000.
Mama Keza writes her prices on a little board:
| Produit | Prix | We say |
|---|---|---|
| un avocat | 200 Frw | deux cents francs |
| une mangue | 300 Frw | trois cents francs |
| un kilo de pommes de terre | 500 Frw | cinq cents francs |
| un kilo de tomates | 800 Frw | huit cents francs |
| un ananas | 1000 Frw | mille francs |
| un kilo de haricots | 1200 Frw | mille deux cents francs |
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 100 | cent |
| 150 | cent cinquante |
| 200 | deux cents |
| 250 | deux cent cinquante |
| 500 | cinq cents |
| 900 | neuf cents |
| 1000 | mille |
| 1500 | mille cinq cents |
| 2000 | deux mille |
Remember the tens you need in the middle: dix, vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, soixante.
Ask Ça coûte combien ? or C'est combien ? (How much is it?). Answer Ça coûte … francs. or C'est … francs.
Example: « L'ananas, ça coûte combien ? » « Ça coûte mille francs. »
With a partner, take turns pointing at an item on Mama Keza's board and asking « Ça coûte combien ? ». Answer with the price in French, without looking at the "We say" column!
Tip
Cent wears an -s only at the end of the line. If cent is the last word (trois cents), give it an -s. If another number follows (trois cent dix), no -s. And mille never, ever wears one.
Write 400 in French.
Answer: quatre cents.
Write 1500 in French.
Answer: mille cinq cents.
Find the mistake: deux milles francs.
Answer: deux mille francs (mille never takes -s).
Two avocados at 200 francs each: how much? Answer in French.
Answer: quatre cents francs.
Ask the price of the mango.
Answer: « La mangue, ça coûte combien ? » or « C'est combien, la mangue ? »
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa.
Quick check
How do you write 300 in French?
