French Phrase
Tu veux combien comme salaire ?
Meaning
Literally ‘You want how much as salary?’, this informal question asks someone what salary they are hoping to receive. It is common in casual job‑search conversations or among friends discussing career plans.
When to use
Use it in informal settings—between friends, classmates, or when you already have a friendly rapport with the interlocutor. In a formal interview you would opt for a more polite construction such as ‘Quel salaire espérez‑vous ?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tuveuxcombiencommesalaire?
Tu (subject pronoun)
Informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends, peers, or in casual contexts.
veux (vouloir)
Present tense of the verb vouloir ‘to want’; agrees with the subject ‘tu’ (veux, not veut).
combien (interrogative adverb)
Means ‘how much’; used directly before the element being quantified.
comme (preposition)
Here it introduces a comparison meaning ‘as’ or ‘in the role of’, linking the desired amount to the noun ‘salaire’.
salaire (noun)
Masculine noun meaning ‘salary’; no article is needed because the phrase is a direct question about a quantity.
🗨In Conversation
Tu veux combien comme salaire ?
How much do you want as a salary?
J’aimerais autour de 45 000 € par an, si possible.
I’d like about €45,000 a year, if possible.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu veux combien de salaire ?
Do not say ‘combien de salaire’; the correct structure is ‘combien comme salaire’. Using ‘de’ changes the meaning to ‘how much of a salary’ which is ungrammatical here.
Vous voulez combien comme salaire ?
Because the sentence uses the informal ‘tu’, the verb must be conjugated as ‘veux’, not the formal ‘voulez’. Mixing registers sounds awkward.
↔Alternatives
Quel salaire souhaites‑tu ?
What salary do you wish for?
Quel est le salaire que tu désires ?
What is the salary you desire?
Combien veux‑tu gagner ?
How much do you want to earn?
Cultural Tip
In France, salary discussions are often considered private. Asking directly with ‘Tu veux combien comme salaire ?’ signals a high level of familiarity and can be perceived as too forward in a formal interview. It’s safer to wait until the employer brings up compensation or to phrase the question more politely. Also, note that the informal ‘tu’ should only be used if you’ve already been invited to do so; otherwise use the formal ‘vous’.