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How to Say ‘Does it take long?’ in French

Ça prend longtemps ?

sah prahn lohn-TAHN

[sah prahn lohn-TAHN]

💬 Usage Tip: Ça prend plus a length of time asks how long something takes, as in Ça prend une heure "It takes an hour". Raising your voice at the end turns it into a question.

Phrase Breakdown

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.

prend

[prahn]

takes

Form of 'prendre'; here, to take (time).

Example

Le train prend une heure.

The train takes an hour.

longtemps

[lohn-TAHN]

a long time

Adverb meaning 'for a long time'.

Example

Je l'attends depuis longtemps.

I've been waiting for him a long time.

Guides for French learners

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.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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