Learn Italian: Quanta carne vendono qui? - How much meat do they sell here?

Quanta carne vendono qui?

How much meat do they sell here?

Breakdown of Quanta carne vendono qui?

Questions & Answers about Quanta carne vendono qui?

Why is it "Quanta" instead of "Quanto"?

The word quanto (how much/how many) acts like an adjective here, which means its ending has to match the gender and number of the noun it describes. Because carne (meat) is a feminine singular noun, quanto changes to quanta.

Since carne ends in "-e", how do we know it's feminine to match with Quanta?

Italian nouns ending in "-e" can be either masculine or feminine. You just have to memorize their gender when you learn them! Carne happens to be feminine, so any adjectives attached to it must also take their feminine form.

Where is the word for "they" in this sentence?

In Italian, subject pronouns like loro (they) are usually dropped because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The -ono ending on vendono (from the regular verb vendere, to sell) tells us that "they" are the ones selling.