French Phrase
Si tu les dépasses, ça te coûte plus cher.
Meaning
This conditional sentence means “If you go beyond them/if you exceed them, it will cost you more.” It uses the ‘si + present’ construction to talk about a real possible condition and its consequence in the present/future. The pronoun ‘les’ refers to a previously mentioned plural noun (e.g., limits, quotas, prices).
When to use
Use this phrase when warning someone that exceeding a limit (like a budget, a speed limit, a data cap, etc.) will result in a higher price or penalty. It’s common in everyday conversation, customer‑service contexts, and informal advice.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Situlesdépasses,çatecoutepluscher.
Si + present
The ‘si’ clause uses the present indicative to express a real condition that may happen; the main clause can be present, future, or imperative.
Direct object pronoun ‘les’
‘Les’ replaces a plural noun already mentioned; it must be placed before the verb (dépasses).
Pronoun ‘te’ (indirect object)
‘Te’ indicates that the cost affects the listener; it also precedes the verb ‘coute’.
Comparative ‘plus … cher’
‘Plus’ + adjective (cher) forms the comparative ‘more expensive’; no ‘que’ is needed after ‘plus’ when the comparison is implicit.
🗨In Conversation
Si tu les dépasses, ça te coûte plus cher.
If you go over them, it will cost you more.
D’accord, je resterai dans la limite.
Alright, I’ll stay within the limit.
✕Common Mistakes
Si tu les dépassé, ça te coûte plus cher.
Use the present ‘dépasses’ after ‘si’; the past participle would change the meaning to a completed action.
Si tu les dépasses, ça te coûte plus cher que.
Do not add ‘que’ after ‘plus’ in this construction; ‘plus cher que…’ is only needed when you compare two explicit items.
Si tu les dépasses, tu ça coûte plus cher.
The subject of ‘coute’ is ‘ça’, not ‘tu’; keep the pronoun order ‘ça te coûte’. Swapping it to ‘tu ça coûte’ is incorrect.
↔Alternatives
Si tu les dépasses, tu paieras plus cher.
If you exceed them, you’ll pay more.
Si tu vas au‑delà, le prix augmente.
If you go beyond, the price goes up.
En les dépassant, tu augmentes le coût.
By exceeding them, you increase the cost.
Cultural Tip
In French, the conditional ‘si + present’ is used for realistic possibilities. Avoid mixing it with the past conditional (si + imparfait) unless you’re talking about hypothetical past situations. Also, the pronoun ‘les’ must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces; otherwise the sentence can sound vague.