Asking "To What Extent"
To ask "to what extent" or "how much" regarding a degree or limit, Farsi uses two interchangeable phrases: تا چه حد (literally "up to what limit") and تا چه اندازه ("up to what measure").
Like most question words, these typically sit where the answer would go in a statement—often right before the verb or the adjective they modify.
| To what extent have you investigated the acidity of the soil? | شما اسیدیتهی خاک را تا چه حد بررسی کردهاید؟shomâ asidite-ye khâk râ tâ che hadd barresi karde-id? |
| To what extent is soil erosion destructive? | فرسایش خاک تا چه اندازه مخرب است؟farsâyesh khâk tâ che andâze mokharreb ast? |
These are perfect for evaluating agricultural metrics, such as how a fertilizer impacts yield or how well resistant plants handle harsh conditions.
| To what extent did one of the best chemical fertilizers improve the yield? | یکی از بهترین کودهای شیمیایی تا چه حد بازدهی را بهبود بخشید؟yeki az behtarin kudhâ-ye shimiyâyi tâ che hadd bâzdehi râ behbud bakhshid? |
| To what extent can these resistant plants survive in high acidity? | این گیاهان مقاوم تا چه حد میتوانند در اسیدیتهی بالا زنده بمانند؟in giâhâne moqâvem tâ che had mitavânand dar asidite-ye bâlâ zende bemânand? |
Indirect Questions of Extent
To form indirect questions (like stating someone is investigating "to what extent" something is true), place the phrase into a subordinate clause, often introduced by که (that). The word order remains identical to a direct question.
| The scientists are investigating to what extent the acidity destroys the nutrients. | دانشمندان بررسی میکنند که اسیدیته تا چه حد مواد مغذی را تخریب میکند.dâneshmandân barresi mikonand ke asidite tâ che hadd mavâd moghazzi râ takhrib mikonad. |
| We must examine to what extent this soil is fertile. | ما باید بررسی کنیم که این خاک تا چه اندازه حاصلخیز است.mâ bâyad barresi konim ke in khâk tâ che andâze hâselkhiz ast. |
Extent in Conditional Sentences
You can seamlessly use تا چه حد or تا چه اندازه in the result clause of an "if" (اگر) sentence to ask about hypothetical scenarios.
| If we plant resistant seeds, to what extent is the erosion destructive? | اگر بذرهای مقاوم بکاریم، فرسایش تا چه حد مخرب است؟agar bazrhâ-ye moqâvem bekârim, farsâyesh tâ che hadd mokharreb ast? |
They work perfectly for past unreal conditionals as well, asking how much an outcome would have changed under different circumstances.
| If the farmers had not controlled the erosion, to what extent would the yield have decreased? | اگر کشاورزان فرسایش را کنترل نکرده بودند، بازدهی تا چه اندازه کاهش مییافت؟agar keshâvarzân farsâyesh râ kontrol nakarde budand, bâzdehi tâ che andâze kâhesh miyâft? |
