In Italian, “how much” and “how many” are expressed with quanto, quanta, quanti and quante. The form you use depends on the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun you’re asking about. Let’s break it down together, step by step, just like I would in one of my lessons.
In short
- Quanto + masculine singular: Quanto pane?
- Quanta + feminine singular: Quanta acqua?
- Quanti + masculine plural: Quanti amici?
- Quante + feminine plural: Quante lingue?
- Alone, without a noun, quanto never changes: Quanto costa? Quant’è?
- With ne: Quanti ne vuoi? Ne voglio due.
| Singular (how much) | Plural (how many) | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | quanto | quanti |
| Feminine | quanta | quante |
Quanto: how much (masculine singular)
Use quanto with masculine singular nouns, usually things you can’t count, like latte (milk) or tempo (time).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quanto latte prendi? | How much milk do you want? |
| Quanto pane mangi? | How much bread do you eat? |
| Quanto tempo hai? | How much time do you have? |
Quanta: how much (feminine singular)
Use quanta with feminine singular nouns, again usually uncountable.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quanta acqua bevi? | How much water do you drink? |
| Quanta pasta vuoi? | How much pasta do you want? |
| Quanta strada c’è ancora? | How far is it still? |
Quanti: how many (masculine plural)
Use quanti with masculine plural nouns.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quanti amici hai? | How many friends do you have? |
| Quanti libri leggi all’anno? | How many books do you read a year? |
| Quanti anni hai? | How old are you? (literally: how many years do you have?) |
Quante: how many (feminine plural)
Use quante with feminine plural nouns.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quante lingue parli? | How many languages do you speak? |
| Quante mele compri? | How many apples are you buying? |
| Quante volte sei stato in Italia? | How many times have you been to Italy? |
Quanto on its own: prices, time and amounts
When there’s no noun after it, quanto works like an adverb and doesn’t change. This is the one you’ll use every day in shops, bars and markets:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quanto costa? | How much does it cost? |
| Quanto costano? | How much do they cost? |
| Quant’è? | How much is it? (when you pay at the register) |
| Quanto ci vuole? | How long does it take? |
| Quanto dista la stazione? | How far is the station? |
| Quanto studi ogni giorno? | How much do you study every day? |
Quanti ne vuoi? Quanto with ne
At the market, the noun is often already clear, so Italians replace it with ne (“of it, of them”). Quanto still agrees with the noun you have in mind:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Vorrei delle arance.: Quante ne vuole? | I’d like some oranges.: How many would you like? |
| Ne vorrei sei. | I’d like six. |
| Quanto ne vuoi, di formaggio? | How much cheese do you want? |
| Quanti ne abbiamo oggi? | What’s the date today? (literally: how many of them do we have today?) |
More on this little word in my guide to the particle ne.
Quanto in exclamations
Quanto also expresses surprise or emotion. With a noun it still agrees; with an adjective or a verb it stays quanto:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quanta gente! | So many people! |
| Quanti turisti oggi! | So many tourists today! |
| Quanto sei gentile! | You’re so kind! |
| Quanto mi sei mancato! | I missed you so much! |
Useful questions for your trip to Italy
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quanti siete? | How many are you? (at a restaurant) |
| Ogni quanto passa l’autobus? | How often does the bus come? |
| Quanto manca? | How much longer? / How far is it? |
| Quanto fa in totale? | How much is it altogether? |
| Da quanto tempo studi italiano? | How long have you been studying Italian? |
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quanto persone? | Quante persone? | persone is feminine plural |
| Quanti acqua? | Quanta acqua? | acqua is feminine singular |
| Quanti costa? | Quanto costa? | without a noun, quanto never changes |
| Quanto anni hai? | Quanti anni hai? | anni is masculine plural |
A little tip: if you’re ever in doubt, look at the noun you’re asking about. Is it masculine or feminine? Singular or plural? Then match quanto, quanta, quanti or quante, exactly like an adjective.
Exercise
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “how much” in Italian?
Use quanto with masculine singular nouns (Quanto pane?) and quanta with feminine singular nouns (Quanta acqua?). To ask a price, just say Quanto costa? or Quant’è?
How do you say “how many” in Italian?
Use quanti with masculine plural nouns (Quanti amici?) and quante with feminine plural nouns (Quante lingue?).
Why do Italians say “Quanti anni hai?”
Because in Italian you “have” years: Ho trent’anni (I am thirty). Anni is masculine plural, so the question uses quanti.
What does “Quanti ne vuoi?” mean?
It means “How many (of them) do you want?”. Ne replaces a noun already mentioned, and quanto agrees with it: Quante ne vuoi? (arance), Quanti ne vuoi? (pomodori).
Practice with my stories
Questions like these come up all the time in my stories: at the market, at the bar, on the train. Reading them in context is the fastest way to make them automatic. Here are three beginner stories to start with:
Due Amiche e un Album di Fotografie
Level A1
Two friends, an old photo album and a trip through southern Italy.
Dive deeper: How to say “how” in Italian · molto, molta, molti, molte · poco, poca, pochi, poche · troppo, troppa, troppi, troppe
