Breakdown of Combien de paquets de pâtes est-ce que tu prépares ?
tu
you (informal singular)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
préparer
to prepare
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
Questions & Answers about Combien de paquets de pâtes est-ce que tu prépares ?
Why is it Combien de instead of just Combien?
Since "paquets" is plural, shouldn't it be Combien des paquets?
No, and this is a strict rule in French! Expressions of quantity (like combien de, beaucoup de, and un peu de) always use just de or d', never des. Even though you mean "packets" (plural), it stays Combien de paquets.
Why is there another de in paquets de pâtes?
Why do we use est-ce que in the middle of this sentence?