Learn Hardcore French: Combien de livres lis-tu chaque jour?

It translates to "How many books do you read every day?" This translation helps you understand that the speaker is asking about the number of books read daily.

Why is the verb lis placed before the subject tu (i.e., why is it lis-tu instead of tu lis)?

In formal French questions, inversion of the subject and verb is common. Instead of saying tu lis (as you would in a statement), the inversion to lis-tu clearly marks the sentence as a question.

Why does the question use combien de instead of just combien before the noun livres?

In French, when asking about quantities, you must use de after combien to directly connect the question word to the noun. Thus, combien de livres means "how many books"—the de is necessary for grammatical accuracy.

What role does the phrase chaque jour play in the sentence?

Chaque jour means "every day." It acts as an adverbial phrase that specifies the frequency of the action, indicating that the reading happens on a daily basis.

Can this question be formed in another way in French without using inversion?

Yes, you can use the est-ce que construction for a less formal structure. For example, you could say: "Combien de livres est-ce que tu lis chaque jour?" This version avoids inversion by inserting est-ce que to signal the question.

Given that livres can have multiple meanings, how do we know it means books in this context?

While livres can refer to either books or a unit of weight/currency (pounds), the context provided by the verb lis (from lire, meaning to read) makes it clear that livres refers to books here.

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