Asking "How much" and "How many"
In Italian, the word for "how much" or "how many" is quanto. When asking about a specific noun, its ending changes to match the noun's gender and number.
| Form | Gender & Number | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| quanto | Masculine Singular | how much |
| quanta | Feminine Singular | how much |
| quanti | Masculine Plural | how many |
| quante | Feminine Plural | how many |
Singular: Quanto and Quanta
When asking "how much" of a mass noun (like bread or meat), use the singular forms: quanto before masculine nouns and quanta before feminine nouns.
| How much bread are we getting today? | Quanto pane prendiamo oggi? |
| How much meat do they sell here? | Quanta carne vendono qui? |
Plural: Quanti and Quante
When asking "how many" of a countable item, switch to the plural forms: quanti for masculine plurals and quante for feminine plurals.
| How many tomatoes are there? | Quanti pomodori ci sono? |
| How many potatoes are you putting here? | Quante patate mettete qui? |
Notice how the ending of the question word often perfectly matches the noun's ending (e.g., quanti pomodori, quante patate).
| How much pasta and how many tomatoes do we have? | Quanta pasta e quanti pomodori abbiamo? |
Quanto with Verbs
When you use quanto to ask "how much" about an action rather than a specific object, it functions as an adverb and does not change. It always stays in its default form (quanto).
A very common use for this is asking prices with the verb costare (to cost). You can also use measure words like un chilo (a kilo) to specify the amount you are asking about.
| How much does the bread cost today? | Quanto costa il pane oggi? |
| How much does a kilo of meat cost? | Quanto costa un chilo di carne? |
