French · Travel & Getting Around
"How long does it take?" in French: Ça prend combien de temps ?
Ça prend combien de temps ?
How long does it take in French is Ça prend combien de temps ? Use it for trips, cooking, and waiting. Answers often use ça prend plus a duration.
Metro transfer
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How to pronounce Ça prend combien de temps ?
Say it
sah prahn kom-BYAN duh tahn
/sa pʁɑ̃ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ də tɑ̃/
Ça: sah. Prend: prahn. Combien: kom-BYAN. De: duh. Temps: tahn. Rising question tone.
"How long does it take?" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Ça prend combien de temps ? | How long does it take? Default question. | Default question. |
| ça prend une heure | it takes an hour Typical answer pattern. | Typical answer pattern. |
| combien de temps ça prend ? | how long does it take? Word order flip, same meaning. | Word order flip, same meaning. |
| ça prend du temps | it takes time Vague duration. | Vague duration. |
How to use Ça prend combien de temps ? in real life
- 1Metro transfer
Ça prend combien de temps jusqu'à Nation ?
How long does it take to Nation?
Destination added.
- 2Baking question
Ça prend combien de temps, le gâteau ?
How long does the cake take?
Topic tag.
- 3Airport queue
Franchement, ça prend combien de temps ici ?
Honestly, how long does it take here?
Frustration tone.
Mistakes English speakers make with Ça prend combien de temps ?
Incorrect: Ça prend combien temps ?
Correct: Ça prend combien de temps ?
Keep de before temps.
Incorrect: How long ça prend ?
Correct: Ça prend combien de temps ?
Stay in French for the full phrase.
Good to know
French speakers answer with ça prend vingt minutes or il faut vingt minutes. Trains and RATP boards show duration; still ask Ça prend combien de temps ? when connections look messy.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Planning a weekend trip
ChatPal
Ça prend combien de temps en train ?
How long does it take by train?
You
Ça prend combien de temps, deux heures ?
How long does it take—two hours?
ChatPal
Oui, environ. En voiture ça prend plus.
Yes, about that. By car it takes more.
You
On prend le train alors.
We'll take the train then.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"How long does it take?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "How long does it take?" in French
How do you ask how long it takes in French?
Ça prend combien de temps ?
How do you answer?
Ça prend une heure / vingt minutes.
Is il faut okay too?
Yes: il faut une heure is common; this headword is Ça prend combien de temps ?
How do you pronounce temps?
tahn (silent ps).
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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