Breakdown of Combien de tranches de jambon est-ce que vous prenez ?
vous
you (plural/formal)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
prendre
to have (a meal/drink) / to take
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
combien de
how many, how much of
la tranche
the slice
le jambon
the ham
Questions & Answers about Combien de tranches de jambon est-ce que vous prenez ?
Why is it Combien de tranches and not Combien des tranches since slices is plural?
Why is it tranches de jambon and not tranches du jambon?
When expressing a quantity of something (like 'a slice of' or 'a bottle of'), you just use de without the definite article (le, la, or les). So 'slices of ham' is tranches de jambon.
What exactly does est-ce que do in this sentence?
Could I put combien de at the end of the sentence instead?
Does vous prenez mean 'you take' or 'you are taking'?
It means both! French does not have a separate continuous tense for actions happening right now. The single present tense verb prenez translates to either 'you take' or 'you are taking' depending on what makes sense in English.
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