Wie viel Zeit hast du heute?

today

Breakdown of Wie viel Zeit hast du heute?

• du: you
• haben: to have
• die Zeit: the time

Questions & Answers about Wie viel Zeit hast du heute?

Why is it wie viel and not wieviel?

In modern standard German, wie viel is normally written as two words when it means how much or how many.

So:

• Wie viel Zeit hast du heute? = correct and preferred

You may still sometimes see wieviel, especially in older texts or less formal writing, but wie viel is the standard form learners should use.

Why is Zeit capitalized?

Because Zeit is a noun, and all nouns are capitalized in German.

Examples:

• die Zeit = time
• der Tag = day
• das Buch = book

So even in the middle of a sentence, Zeit must begin with a capital letter.

Why is the word order hast du instead of du hast?

Because this is a question with a question word.

German word order here is:

1. question word or phrase
2. conjugated verb
3. subject
4. the rest of the sentence

So:

• Wie viel Zeit = question phrase
• hast = conjugated verb
• du = subject
• heute = time expression

That is why German says:

• Wie viel Zeit hast du heute?

and not:

• Wie viel Zeit du hast heute? in a normal direct question