Breakdown of Hoeveel kost dit boek?
het boek
the book
dit
this (neuter)
hoeveel
how much / how many
kosten
to cost
Questions & Answers about Hoeveel kost dit boek?
Does hoeveel mean 'how much' or 'how many'?
It means both! The word is made up of hoe (how) and veel (much/many). You use hoeveel for both countable things (like books) and uncountable things (like money). In this sentence about a price, it translates to 'how much'.
Why is there no word for 'does' in the Dutch sentence?
English uses helper words like 'do' or 'does' to make questions, as in 'how much does this cost?'. Dutch does not do this. Instead, Dutch simply puts the verb right after the question word. So, hoeveel kost dit boek? literally translates to 'how much costs this book?'.
Why is it dit boek instead of deze boek?
The word for 'this' depends on whether the noun is a de word or a het word. Because book is a het word (het boek), you must use dit to say 'this'. If you were talking about a de word, like de appel (the apple), you would use deze.
The subject is an 'it' (this book). Why doesn't the verb kost get an extra -t at the end?