How to Ask How Much a Ticket Costs in French
Learn to ask 'Combien coûte un billet pour...?' and understand price answers in French, with polite forms and regional notes.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
Asking the price of a ticket is one of the first practical exchanges you will need in French. This lesson teaches you to ask how much a ticket costs for a destination or event, and to understand the answer. You will focus on the question itself, not on buying, so you can ask confidently at a station, cinema or museum and recognise the price you hear.
By the end, you can…
- ask how much a ticket costs in French.
- ask the price of a ticket to a specific place or event.
- understand a simple price answer in euros.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Combien coûte un billet ?
How much does a ticket cost?
kohn-BYEN koot uhn bee-YEH
General, neutral question. 'Un billet' is a standard masculine noun for a ticket.
Combien coûte un billet pour Paris ?
How much does a ticket to Paris cost?
kohn-BYEN koot uhn bee-YEH poor pa-REE
Use 'pour' before a destination. The destination is not preceded by 'à' here.
C'est combien, un billet pour le musée ?
How much is a ticket for the museum?
say kohn-BYEN uhn bee-YEH poor luh mew-ZAY
Very common in speech. 'C'est combien' is informal but widely used and polite enough in daily situations.
Le billet coûte dix euros.
The ticket costs ten euros.
luh bee-YEH koot deez uh-ROH
A typical answer. Note the liaison: 'dix euros' sounds like 'deez uh-ROH'.
Combien coûtent les billets pour le concert ?
How much do the tickets for the concert cost?
kohn-BYEN koot lay bee-YEH poor luh kohn-SAIR
Use 'coûtent' with plural 'les billets'. The verb agrees with the plural subject.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 'Combien coûte + [ticket] + pour + [destination or event]?' For example: 'Combien coûte un billet pour Lyon ?' or 'Combien coûte un billet pour le concert ?' If the ticket is plural, use 'coûtent': 'Combien coûtent les billets pour le festival ?' In everyday speech, many French speakers simply say 'C'est combien, un billet pour...?' This is shorter and very common.
When to use it
Use 'Combien coûte...?' when you want a clear, standard question. Use 'C'est combien...?' in shops, stations or cinemas when speaking casually. For a return ticket, say 'un billet aller-retour'; for a single, 'un billet aller simple'. To be polite with a stranger, you can begin with 'Excusez-moi' and then ask: 'Excusez-moi, combien coûte un billet pour Bordeaux ?' This keeps the question friendly without changing the price structure.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Excusez-moi, combien coûte un billet pour Lyon ?
Excuse me, how much does a ticket to Lyon cost?eks-kew-ZAY mwah, kohn-BYEN koot uhn bee-YEH poor lee-YOHNUn billet pour Lyon coûte vingt-cinq euros.
A ticket to Lyon costs twenty-five euros.uhn bee-YEH poor lee-YOHN koot van-SENK uh-ROHMerci. Et c'est combien, un billet pour le musée ?
Thank you. And how much is a ticket for the museum?mair-SEE. ay say kohn-BYEN uhn bee-YEH poor luh mew-ZAYPour le musée, c'est douze euros.
For the museum, it's twelve euros.poor luh mew-ZAY, say dooz uh-ROHA little context goes a long way
In France, prices are usually given in euros, and the answer often starts with 'C'est...' rather than a full sentence. In Belgium and Luxembourg, prices are also in euros; in Switzerland, the currency is the Swiss franc, so you may hear 'francs' rather than euros. Always listen for the currency word. Politeness matters: starting with 'Bonjour' or 'Excusez-moi' before asking the price is expected in shops and stations.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Combien coûte un billet à Paris ?' to mean 'a ticket to Paris'.
Try this instead: Use 'pour' for a destination: 'Combien coûte un billet pour Paris ?' The preposition 'à' is used for location or time, not for the destination of a ticket. For example, 'Je vais à Paris' means 'I am going to Paris', but 'un billet pour Paris' means 'a ticket to Paris'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'How much does a ticket to Nice cost?' in French?
Show a sample answer
Combien coûte un billet pour Nice ?
This uses the standard pattern 'Combien coûte + un billet + pour + destination'. 'C'est combien, un billet pour Nice ?' is also correct in informal speech.
2What does 'Le billet coûte quinze euros' mean?
Show a sample answer
The ticket costs fifteen euros.
'Coûte' is the third-person singular of 'coûter'. 'Quinze' means fifteen. If the subject were plural, the verb would be 'coûtent'.
3Make the question plural: 'Combien coûte les billets pour le concert ?' What is wrong?
Show a sample answer
Combien coûtent les billets pour le concert ?
With plural 'les billets', the verb must be 'coûtent'. The original sentence uses the singular verb with a plural subject, which is a common beginner error.
Ask 'Combien coûte un billet pour...?' for one ticket, and 'Combien coûtent les billets pour...?' for several. In casual speech, 'C'est combien...?' works well. Listen for the price and the currency, and start with 'Bonjour' or 'Excusez-moi' for politeness.
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