A guide to saying it like a local
How to Say "How long does it take" in French
Ask about travel times or duration for any activity in France.
Combien de temps ça prend ?
kohmb-yan duh tahn sah prahnneutral
French TTS · 0:01
Use this when asking about how long a train ride will be, how long it takes to walk to a landmark, or how much time an appointment will last. It's a versatile question for any situation where duration is unknown.
Alternatives
- Quel est le temps de trajet ?More specific to travel, like a bus or train journey.
- Ça prend combien de temps ?Slightly more casual, often used in spoken French.
Ways to get it wrong
Pronouncing 'temps'
The 'ps' is silent; it sounds like 'tahn', not 'tahmp-s'.
Forgetting 'de'
Always say 'Combien de temps', not just 'Combien temps'.
The same phrase in other languages
Frequently asked
How to ask how long a trip takes in French?
Use 'Combien de temps ça prend ?' to inquire about the duration of a journey. You can also add context like 'pour aller à Paris ?' (to go to Paris?).
French for how long does it take to get somewhere?
The most common way is 'Combien de temps ça prend ?'. If you're asking about a specific mode of transport, you might say 'Combien de temps en train ?' (How long by train?).
Difference between combien de temps and quelle durée?
'Combien de temps ça prend ?' is a direct question about duration, very common in speech. 'Quelle est la durée ?' is slightly more formal and asks for the specific length of time.
