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Questions & Answers about Сколько стоит билет?
Does сколько mean "how much" or "how many"?
It can mean both! In English, we use "how much" for things we can't count (like money) and "how many" for things we can count (like tickets). In Russian, сколько covers both. Here, it translates to "how much".
Why does the verb стоит come before the subject билет?
Russian word order is very flexible. However, in questions that start with a question word like сколько (how much) or где (where), it is most natural to put the verb right before the subject. So, the sentence literally flows as "How much costs the ticket?"
I remember learning that стоит means "stands". Why does it mean "costs" here?
It is all about the spoken stress! When the stress is on the first syllable, it means "costs". When the stress is on the second syllable, it means "stands". They are spelled exactly the same, so you have to listen closely to native speakers and use context to tell them apart.
Why is билет in its basic dictionary form (nominative case) here? Isn't it the object?
No, билет is actually the subject of the sentence. In English, we use the helper word "does" ("does the ticket cost"), which makes the grammar look a bit different. In Russian, the ticket is the thing performing the action of costing, so it stays in the nominative case.