Question 1

What does combien de mean in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Combien de translates to “how many” in English. It is used to ask about the quantity of something—in this case, the number of fruits being purchased.

Question 2

How does the aller + infinitive construction work here, and why is acheter in its infinitive form?

Accepted Answer

The sentence uses the aller + infinitive construction to express a near future action. Vas-tu is the second-person singular form of aller (meaning “to go”), and it pairs with the infinitive acheter (meaning “to buy”) to indicate that the action is about to happen. In this construction, the main verb remains in its infinitive form.

Question 3

What does vas-tu mean, and why is the subject and verb order inverted?

Accepted Answer

Vas-tu is the inversion of tu vas, where the verb aller comes before the subject tu to form a question. In French, inversion is a common and formal way to ask questions, and in this case, it means “are you going to” buy the fruits.

Question 4

Why is aujourd’hui placed at the end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Aujourd’hui means “today”. French often places adverbs of time, like aujourd’hui, at the end of the sentence to emphasize the timing of the action. Although its position can sometimes vary, placing it at the end is both natural and common in French.

Question 5

Can this question be phrased differently without using inversion?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the question can be rephrased in a less formal structure as:  
Tu vas acheter combien de fruits aujourd’hui ?  
This version is more typical in everyday conversation but carries the same meaning.

Question 6

Why is the noun fruits in its plural form after combien de?

Accepted Answer

When asking about quantity with combien de, the noun is generally put in the plural form because the expectation is to count multiple items. Even if the answer might be “one” or “two,” the plural form, fruits, is standard in such questions.

Question 7

Is the inverted question structure common in spoken French, or is it more formal?

Accepted Answer

The inverted structure (e.g., vas-tu) is common in formal writing and speech. In casual spoken French, many speakers prefer a simpler word order such as:  
Tu vas acheter combien de fruits aujourd’hui ?  
Both structures are correct, but the inversion is often seen as slightly more formal.

Combien de fruits vas-tu acheter aujourd’hui ?

Breakdown of Combien de fruits vas-tu acheter aujourd’hui ?

Questions & Answers about Combien de fruits vas-tu acheter aujourd’hui ?

Master French — from Combien de fruits vas-tu acheter aujourd’hui to fluency