Coûter

Coûter is a French verb meaning to cost or to be priced at. It is used to indicate the price of a product or service, as well as non-monetary costs such as time, effort, or risk. In compound tenses it takes the auxiliary avoir.

Conjugation is typical of -er verbs. Infinitive coûter; present indicative: je coûte, tu coûtes, il coûte, nous coûtons, vous coûtez, ils coûtent. Passé composé: j'ai coûté; imparfait: coûtait; futur: coûtera; conditionnel présent: coûterait. Subjonctif présent: que cela coûte; participe passé: coûté; impératif: coûte, coûtons, coûtez.

Usage and nuance: cost expresses the price of things and can extend to intangible costs, as in "Ce projet coûte cher" or "Cela m'a coûté du temps." It contrasts with "valoir" (to be worth) and with phrases like "ça vaut le coup," meaning it’s worth it. For prices, you often hear "coûter X euros" or "ça coûte X." In negative or interrogative forms, you use the appropriate inversion or negation: "Combien cela coûte-t-il ?" "Cela ne coûte pas cher."

Idiomatic expression and related phrases: "coûter les yeux de la tête" or "coûter un bras" emphasize high expense; "coûter cher" simply marks expense as high. Related vocabulary includes "prix" (price), "valoir" (to be worth), and "coût" (cost), the noun closely tied to the verb.

Etymology: coûter derives from the noun coût (cost), with ties to Old French and the historical vocabulary for price. In usage, the verb forms the core way French speakers express monetary and opportunity costs.