"How much is my coat worth?"
Translation:Qu'est-ce que vaut mon manteau ?
35 Comments
Is "Qu'est-ce que vaut mon manteau?" more common than "Que vaut mon manteau?"
The first one is more informal than the latter with "est-ce que" added. May not be necessary more common, it is just that questions with "est-ce que" are used commonly when people are speaking, and ones without it are used commonly when writing.
Can someone clarify the difference between these two uses: Combien coute mon manteau? Qu'est-ce que vaut mon manteau?
"coûter" is about cost/price while "valoir" is about value, including sentimental value. However, they can be synonyms even if there is no real emotion attached to the thing.
Thank you for the reply. Is it also true that valoir concerns a noun ("what" is my coat worth), while coûter needs a quantity ("how much")?
Technically it is not absolutely wrong but it does not sound right. Alternatives are much better.
- que vaut mon manteau ?
- qu'est-ce-que vaut mon manteau ?
Shouldn't "Quelle est la valeur de mon manteau?" be "what is the value of my coat?" rather than "how much is my coat worth?" I know they mean the same thing but they're don't directly translate to each other
Yes, there are more or less precise variants:
"quelle est la valeur de / que vaut mon manteau ?" is closer to "what is my coat's worth/what is the value/worth of my coat?
"combien vaut/coûte mon manteau ?" is closer to "how much..."
I have changed the order of acceptable translations accordingly. Thanks.
anybody there who can fix this???? The system won't let me continue because the required words aren't in the selection
548
There is no "qu'est-ce que" just "quelle" so I also can't complete the lesson. Very frustrating as the rest of the lesson has been completed.
- 153
I have had that happen so many times and it is frustrating. You may have to turn on the key board, which is much harder. Or, see if you can test out and skip the lesson.
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I don't think anyone fixes anything. I complained so many times and in different ways, but never got a response.
In the exercise where one had to choose the correct translation(s) from among three, they insisted on two French translations: "Quest-ce que vaut mon manteau?" and "Que coute mon manteau," - neither of which is given as the translation above. However, in English there is a big difference between something being worth an amount and something costing an amount. Wouldn't that also be true in French?
Yes, I assume the nuance is the same.
Verbs "valoir" and "coûter" have the same gap as "worth" vs "cost".
By extension, "valeur" and "prix" are similar to "value" and "price"
Sitesurf, as you also help understand, what is the closest literal translation of this sentence?
"worth" does not exist as an adjective in French, so a word for word translation is impossible.
"is worth" is the equivalent of active verb "valoir" (indicative present: je vaux, tu vaux, il/elle/on vaut, nous valons, vous valez, ils/elles valent).
As a consequence, the closest translation reads: "combien vaut mon manteau ?" (how much - is worth - my coat?)
Quelle est la valeur de mon manteau? I haven't learn this. Why quelle and not Quel? Is it because the verb "valeur" is feminine?
I also can't choose the correct words because they are not given as a option. Can this be fixed?
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It is impossible to answer correctly because the words in your answer are NOT available for me to select. I keep getting the same sentence AND now I can’t move forward
The set of tiles displayed always allows for one correct answer:
Quelle est la valeur de mon manteau ?
Que vaut mon manteau ?
Qu'est-ce que vaut mon manteau ?
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No, there is a third row of tiles for long sentences, and the words can be either partly hidden or totally un-accessible.
It's emphatic, with this word order or "Mon manteau, combien vaut-il ?" vs "Combien vaut mon manteau ?"
