French Phrase
Ça fait 10 livres.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘That makes ten pounds.’ It is a quick way to give the total price of something, especially in informal conversation. The structure ‘ça fait + amount + unit’ is common for stating totals.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to tell someone the total cost of a purchase, the sum of a bill, or any amount that adds up to a specific number of pounds. It works in shops, markets, or when discussing expenses with friends.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Çafait10livres.
Ça
Informal demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it', used in everyday speech.
fait
Third‑person singular of the verb faire; here it means 'makes' or 'amounts to' in a quantitative sense.
10 (dix)
Cardinal number; after a verb like faire it is pronounced with a liaison: /fɛ diz/.
livres
Plural noun meaning 'pounds' (currency) or 'books' depending on context; with a number it refers to the former.
🗨In Conversation
Combien ça coûte ?
How much does it cost?
Ça fait 10 livres.
That makes ten pounds.
✕Common Mistakes
Ça fait 10 livre.
The noun must agree with the number; use the plural ‘livres’ after 10.
C’est 10 livres.
‘C’est’ can be used, but ‘ça fait’ is the idiomatic way to state a total price.
Ça faites 10 livres.
‘Faites’ is the second‑person plural imperative; the correct form here is the third‑person singular ‘fait’.
↔Alternatives
Ça coûte 10 livres.
It costs 10 pounds.
Le total est de 10 livres.
The total is 10 pounds.
C’est 10 livres.
It’s 10 pounds.
Cultural Tip
‘Livre’ was France’s official currency until 1795, after which it was replaced by the franc and later the euro. Today, ‘livre’ is still used in Quebec to refer to the British pound, and the phrase is common in francophone regions that still trade in pounds (e.g., when traveling to the UK). In everyday French, you’ll more often hear ‘euro’ or ‘dollar’ depending on the country, but the grammatical pattern ‘ça fait + amount + unit’ stays the same.