French Phrase
On attend combien ce soir ?
Meaning
This question asks how many people are expected to arrive or be present later that evening. It’s often used when planning a dinner, a party, or any gathering that takes place at night.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re coordinating an event and need to know the expected headcount for the night, such as before a dinner reservation, a concert, or a family gathering.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onattendcombiencesoir?
On (impersonal 'we')
In spoken French, 'on' is commonly used instead of 'nous' to mean 'we' in informal contexts.
Attendre (present 3rd‑person singular)
The verb 'attendre' is conjugated as 'attend' for il/elle/on in the present tense, meaning 'to expect' or 'to wait for'.
Combien (interrogative adverb)
Combien asks about quantity. When it directly modifies a noun, add the preposition 'de' (e.g., combien de personnes).
Ce soir (time expression)
‘Ce soir’ means ‘this evening/night’ and is placed after the verb or at the end of the sentence.
🗨In Conversation
On attend combien ce soir ?
How many are we expecting tonight?
On attend six personnes, donc on doit réserver une grande table.
We’re expecting six people, so we need to book a big table.
✕Common Mistakes
On attend combien ce soir ? (if you later say ‘de personnes’, it sounds redundant).
When the noun is not explicit, French learners often forget to add ‘de’ if they later mention the noun.
On attends combien ce soir ?
‘Attends’ is the 2nd‑person singular form; with ‘on’ you must use ‘attend’.
On attend combien de ce soir ?
‘De’ is only needed before the noun, not before the time expression.
↔Alternatives
Combien de personnes attendons‑nous ce soir ?
How many people are we expecting tonight?
Quel sera le nombre d’invités ce soir ?
What will be the number of guests tonight?
On sera combien ce soir ?
How many will we be tonight?
Cultural Tip
French speakers often replace ‘nous’ with ‘on’ in casual conversation, especially when talking about group plans. When you need to be more formal or written, switch to ‘nous attendons combien de personnes ce soir ?’. Also, remember that ‘combien’ alone works when the noun is understood from context; otherwise, add ‘de + noun’.