Combien and expressions of quantity
CEFR A1
Combien asks "how much / how many": "Combien ça coûte ?" (How much does it cost?) · "Combien de frères as-tu ?" (How many brothers do you have?)
After any expression of quantity, use plain de — never du, de la or des:
- un kilo de pommes (a kilo of apples)
- une bouteille de vin (a bottle of wine)
- beaucoup de monde (a lot of people)
- un peu de sucre (a little sugar)
- trop de travail (too much work)
- assez d'argent (enough money)
Compare: "Je voudrais du fromage." (some cheese) but "Je voudrais un morceau de fromage." (a piece of cheese).
What this unlocks
Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.
This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.