Donné vs Bon marché

Gillian B.C1Kwiziq community member

Donné vs Bon marché

I used bon marché for cheap instead of donné.  Is there a reason why that wouldn’t be an alternative option in this context: les vols transatlantiqus ne sont pas donnés ?

Asked 1 year ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

In French there is no single word for "cheap" or "inexpensive". Instead, there are several other ways to express the same idea.

les vols ne sont pas donnés. -- the flights aren't for free.
les vols ne sont pas bon marché. -- the flights aren't cheap.

If you want to say "inexpensive", here are some other ways to say this:

peu coûteux - "low-cost" or "affordable."
abordable - "affordable" or "within reach."
économique - "economical" or "budget-friendly."
à prix raisonnable - "reasonably priced" or "at a reasonable cost."
pas cher- this is a more casual way of saying "not expensive" or "cheap."

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Colloquially, I think ‘ un bon marché ‘ is more likely to be used in the positive sense to indicate a price is good or reasonable, while ‘ n’est pas donné ‘ is a common expression in the negative for something ‘ not cheap ’, as in on the expensive side . 

Not too different in meaning and usage to the English expressions ‘ a good price ‘ or ‘ not being given away ‘

Donné vs Bon marché

I used bon marché for cheap instead of donné.  Is there a reason why that wouldn’t be an alternative option in this context: les vols transatlantiqus ne sont pas donnés ?

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