French Phrase
On attend combien de personnes ?
Meaning
This question asks how many people are expected or will be present. It can be used when planning an event, making a reservation, or simply checking the size of a group that is about to arrive.
When to use
Use it when you need to know the expected head‑count for a meeting, dinner, party, or any gathering. It is informal and works well in spoken French among friends, colleagues, or service staff.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onattendcombiendepersonnes?
On (impersonal pronoun)
In spoken French, "on" often replaces "nous" and means "we" or "one" in an informal context.
Attendre (to wait/expect)
"Attendre" is conjugated here in the present tense (3rd person singular) and can mean both "to wait for" and "to expect".
Combien de + noun
The interrogative "combien de" is used to ask about quantity; it is always followed by a noun in the singular form.
Personnes (people)
"Personnes" is the plural of "personne" and is used for countable people, not for abstract groups.
🗨In Conversation
On attend combien de personnes ?
How many people are we expecting?
Nous attendons une douzaine, donc douze personnes.
We’re expecting a dozen, so twelve people.
✕Common Mistakes
Nous attendons combien de personnes ?
The question order is wrong; French places the verb before the interrogative phrase.
On attend combien personnes ?
The preposition "de" is required after "combien" when a noun follows.
On attends combien de personnes ?
The verb must be conjugated for "on" (3rd person singular), not "je" (1st person).
↔Alternatives
Combien de personnes attendons‑nous ?
How many people are we expecting?
Quel est le nombre de participants attendus ?
What is the number of expected participants?
On sera combien de personnes ?
How many of us will there be?
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, "on" replaces "nous" for a casual "we". In formal writing or very polite contexts, switch to "nous attendons combien de personnes ?". Also, French speakers often prefer "participants" or "invités" when talking about events, while "personnes" is neutral and works for any group.