Question 1

Why do we use combien here and not combien de?

Accepted Answer

We use combien on its own because it is connected to the verb coûte to ask how much an action costs. You only use combien de when asking about a specific quantity of things, like combien de litres (how many liters).

Question 2

Why is it d'huile instead of de l'huile?

Accepted Answer

When you use a specific unit of measurement, like un litre (a liter) or un kilo (a kilo), you just follow it with de (or d' before a vowel). You drop the article (le, la, l') entirely. It is exactly like saying 'a liter of oil' in English!

Question 3

Since huile starts with a consonant, why does de change to d'?

Accepted Answer

In French, the letter 'h' at the start of a word is almost always silent. Because huile actually begins with a vowel sound, the word de drops its 'e' to blend into it smoothly, giving us d'huile.

Question 4

Can I change the word order and say Combien un litre d'huile coûte ?

Accepted Answer

You might hear that in casual speech, but putting the verb coûte directly after combien is the standard, most natural way to ask. Another very common, informal option is to put the question word at the end: Un litre d'huile coûte combien ?

Combien coûte un litre d'huile ?

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