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How long, how often, how far : les questions avec how

Fiche à imprimer : le cours, les trois exercices et le corrigé (sur une page à part). Revenir au cours en ligne

How seul veut dire « comment ». Suivi d'un adjectif ou d'un adverbe, il permet de poser des questions précises.

QuestionSensExemple de réponse
How old...?quel âgeHow old are you? — I'm 12.
How long...?combien de tempsHow long is the film? — Two hours.
How often...?à quelle fréquenceHow often do you swim? — Twice a week.
How far...?à quelle distanceHow far is the station? — About 2 km.
How much...?combien (indénombrable, prix)How much is it? — £5. How much milk? — A litre.
How many...?combien (dénombrable)How many brothers have you got? — Two.
How tall...?quelle taille (personne, tour)How tall are you? — 1 m 60.
How fast...?à quelle vitesseHow fast can a cheetah run? — 110 km/h.

How long : deux sens

How long is the river? (longueur) / How long have you lived here? (durée)
Quelle est la longueur du fleuve ? / Depuis combien de temps habites-tu ici ?
How long does it take to get there? — It takes ten minutes.
Combien de temps faut-il pour y aller ? — Dix minutes.

Mise en situation : au téléphone avec un correspondant

Mia : How old is your brother?
Quel âge a ton frère ?
Paul : He's sixteen. He plays basketball. He's very tall!
Il a seize ans. Il joue au basket. Il est très grand !
Mia : How tall is he? And how often does he play?
Il mesure combien ? Et il joue tous les combien ?
Paul : He's 1 m 90! He plays three times a week. The gym isn't far: it takes five minutes on foot.
Il fait 1 m 90 ! Il joue trois fois par semaine. Le gymnase n'est pas loin : il faut cinq minutes à pied.

À retenir

  • how old (âge), how long (durée, longueur), how often (fréquence), how far (distance).
  • how much + indénombrable ou prix ; how many + pluriel.
  • how tall, how fast, how big.
  • How long does it take...? — It takes...

Exercice 1 : Les questions avec how : exercice 1 (QCM)

  1. ___ is the station? — About 2 km.
    1. How far
    2. How much
    3. How long
  2. ___ does the film last? — Two hours.
    1. How often
    2. How far
    3. How long
  3. ___ do you go swimming? — Twice a week.
    1. How often
    2. How long
    3. How many
  4. ___ is your brother? — He's 12.
    1. How old
    2. How many
    3. How tall
  5. ___ is this T-shirt? — £10.
    1. How long
    2. How many
    3. How much
  6. ___ brothers have you got? — Two.
    1. How many
    2. How old
    3. How much
  7. ___ is your sister? — 1 m 60.
    1. How long
    2. How tall
    3. How old
  8. ___ have you lived here? — For five years.
    1. How long
    2. How far
    3. How often
  9. « À quelle fréquence ? »
    1. How often?
    2. How many times often?
    3. How much often?
  10. « À quelle distance ? »
    1. How far?
    2. How far long?
    3. How distance?

Exercice 2 : Les questions avec how : exercice 2 (à compléter)

  1. How .......................... are you? — I'm 14.
  2. How .......................... do you go to the cinema? — Once a month.
  3. How .......................... is it to the beach? — 3 km.
  4. How .......................... did the match last? — 90 minutes.
  5. How .......................... sugar do you want? — Two spoons.
  6. How .......................... people came? — About fifty.
  7. How .......................... is your dad? — 1 m 85.
  8. How .......................... have you been waiting? — For ten minutes.
  9. How .......................... does it cost? — £5.
  10. How .......................... times have you been to London? — Three times.

Exercice 3 : Les questions avec how : mise en situation

  1. Tu demandes à quelle distance se trouve la plage.
    1. How distance is the beach?
    2. How far is the beach?
    3. How long is the beach far?
  2. Tu demandes combien de temps dure le trajet.
    1. How long the journey takes?
    2. How long does the journey take?
    3. How much time lasts the journey?
  3. Tu demandes à ton correspondant tous les combien il fait du sport.
    1. How often do you do sport?
    2. How much do you do sport often?
    3. How many often do you do sport?
  4. Tu demandes le prix d'une glace.
    1. How many is an ice cream?
    2. How much is an ice cream?
    3. How much costs an ice cream?
  5. Tu demandes l'âge du petit frère de ton ami.
    1. How old is your little brother?
    2. What age has your little brother?
    3. How much years has your little brother?
  6. Tu demandes combien d'élèves il y a dans sa classe.
    1. How many pupils are there in your class?
    2. How much pupils are there in your class?
    3. How many pupils there are in your class?
  7. Tu demandes depuis combien de temps il apprend le français.
    1. How long do you learn French?
    2. Since when you learn French?
    3. How long have you been learning French?
  8. Tu demandes la hauteur de la tour.
    1. How tall is the tower?
    2. How much tall is the tower?
    3. How big tall is the tower?
  9. Tu demandes à quelle vitesse roule le train.
    1. How speed does the train go?
    2. How fast does the train go?
    3. How quick goes the train?
  10. Tu demandes combien de temps le gâteau doit cuire.
    1. How much time the cake takes to bake?
    2. How long does the cake take to bake?
    3. How long takes the cake to bake?

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. a) How far · 2. c) How long · 3. a) How often · 4. a) How old · 5. c) How much · 6. a) How many · 7. b) How tall · 8. a) How long · 9. a) How often? · 10. a) How far?

Exercice 2

1. old · 2. often · 3. far · 4. long · 5. much · 6. many · 7. tall · 8. long · 9. much · 10. many

Exercice 3

1. b) How far is the beach? · 2. b) How long does the journey take? · 3. a) How often do you do sport? · 4. b) How much is an ice cream? · 5. a) How old is your little brother? · 6. a) How many pupils are there in your class? · 7. c) How long have you been learning French? · 8. a) How tall is the tower? · 9. b) How fast does the train go? · 10. b) How long does the cake take to bake?