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How to Say ‘How long does it last?’ in French

Ça dure combien de temps ?

sah dewr kohm-BYAN duh tahn

[sah dewr kohm-BYAN duh tahn]

Phrase Breakdown

Ça dure

sah dewr

It lasts

'Dure' uses the French 'u' sound: round your lips and say 'ee'.

Example

Ça dure une heure.

It lasts an hour.

Words in this phrase

Ça

[sah]

that / it

Demonstrative pronoun used in everyday French to mean 'that' or 'it.'

Example

Ça me plaît quand une entreprise parle clairement.

I like it when a company speaks clearly.

dure

[dewr]

lasts

Form of the verb durer, to last or take a certain time.

Example

La réunion dure une heure.

The meeting lasts an hour.

combien de temps ?

kohm-BYAN duh tahn

how long?

Nasal vowels in 'combien' and 'temps'. Raise your voice at the end.

Example

Tu restes combien de temps ?

How long are you staying?

Words in this phrase

combien

[kohm-BYAN]

how much

Question word asking about price or quantity.

Example

Combien coûte ce tapis ?

How much does this mat cost?

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

temps

[tahn]

time

Masculine noun for time; also means weather.

Example

Je n'ai pas le temps.

I don't have time.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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