Learn Italian: Quanti pomodori ci sono? - How many tomatoes are there?

Quanti pomodori ci sono?

How many tomatoes are there?

Breakdown of Quanti pomodori ci sono?

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Questions & Answers about Quanti pomodori ci sono?

Why is it quanti instead of quanto?

The word quanto (how much / how many) changes its ending to match the noun it describes. Because pomodori (tomatoes) is masculine and plural, quanto changes to the masculine plural form, quanti.

What is the singular form of pomodori?

The singular is pomodoro (tomato). In Italian, most masculine nouns end in -o in the singular and change to -i in the plural.

Why do we need ci? Can I just ask "Quanti pomodori sono?"

You need ci because ci sono together means "there are". If you just asked Quanti pomodori sono?, it would sound incomplete, like asking "How many tomatoes are they?" in English.

Could I use c'è instead of ci sono in this sentence?

No, because c'è means "there is" and is only used for singular things. Since you are asking about multiple tomatoes (quanti pomodori), you must use the plural ci sono (there are).