French Phrase
Tu fais combien au soulevé de terre ?
Meaning
This informal question asks a gym‑partner how much weight they can lift when performing the deadlift. It focuses on the amount (kilograms or pounds) rather than the number of repetitions.
When to use
Use it in casual gym settings, during a training session, or when chatting with friends about fitness goals. It’s too colloquial for a formal interview with a coach or a written report.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tufaiscombienausoulevédeterre?
Subject pronoun (Tu)
‘Tu’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends or peers.
Verb ‘faire’ (fais)
‘Faire’ is conjugated in the present indicative: je fais, tu fais, il/elle fait… Here it means ‘to do/perform’ in a sports context.
Interrogative adverb (combien)
‘Combien’ asks for a quantity. When placed before a verb it means ‘how much / how many’.
Preposition + article (au)
‘Au’ is the contraction of ‘à le’, used before masculine singular nouns. In this phrase it links the verb to the exercise.
Noun phrase (soulevé de terre)
‘Soulevé de terre’ is the French term for the deadlift exercise; literally ‘lift of the earth’.
🗨In Conversation
Tu fais combien au soulevé de terre ?
How much do you lift on the deadlift?
En ce moment, je fais 120 kg, mais j’essaie d’atteindre 130 kg.
Right now I’m doing 120 kg, but I’m trying to reach 130 kg.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu fais combien de soulevé de terre ?
‘de’ is not used after ‘combien’ when the verb is ‘faire’. The correct preposition is ‘au’ (à le).
Combien fais‑tu au soulevé de terre ?
Learners sometimes invert the order to ‘Combien fais‑tu…?’ which is grammatically correct but sounds overly formal for the gym context.
↔Alternatives
Quel poids soulèves‑tu au soulevé de terre ?
What weight do you lift on the deadlift?
Tu soulèves combien au deadlift ?
How much do you lift on the deadlift?
Quel est ton record au soulevé de terre ?
What’s your personal best in the deadlift?
Cultural Tip
In French gyms the deadlift is called ‘soulevé de terre’, not the English ‘deadlift’. The phrase ‘Tu fais combien…?’ is typical of informal spoken French, especially among young adults and sport enthusiasts. If you’re speaking to a trainer you might switch to a more formal structure: ‘Quel poids pouvez‑vous soulever au soulevé de terre ?’