Cuánto + verb in interrogative sentences

Learn how to ask "how much" in Spanish

In Spanish we use the interrogative pronoun "cuánto" to ask how much, followed by a verb.

For example, in a shop, to ask how much something is/costs we say:

¿Cuánto cuesta?How much does it cost?

¿Cuánto es?How much is it?

You can also ask how much [of something already mentioned] is required by using cuánto followed by a verb. Here are some examples:

¿Cuánto quieres?How much do you want?

¿Cuánto hay?How much is there?

¿Cuánto tengo que beber?How much do I have to drink?

¿Cuánto necesita usted?How much do you need?

This use of cuánto in the masculine singular form is for when we refer to a general "how much" of something that has been mentioned before that is a masculine singular noun, for example, if we are talking about "dinero" (money):

¿Cuánto [dinero] quieres?

How much [money] do you want?

 

Use of cuánta, cuántos, cuántas 

For more specific things and to make reference to their gender and number, we also use other forms of cuánto.

For example, if the conversation is about "una tarta" (a cake), a feminine singular noun, we'd ask using "cuánta":

- ¿Cuánta has comido? - Un montón; ahora me duele la barriga.- How much [of it] have you eaten? - A lot; now I have a tummy ache.

If the conversation is about "platos" (plates), a masculine plural noun, we'd ask using "cuántos":

¿Cuántos necesitamos?How many do we need?

If the conversation is about "amigas" (female friends), a feminine plural noun, we'd ask using "cuántas":

¿Cuántas van a venir a la fiesta?How many are coming to the party?

To learn about cuánto as an adjective followed by a noun see Using cuánto + noun to ask how much/how many in Spanish (interrogative adjective)

See also:

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Examples and resources

¿Cuánto es?How much is it?
¿Cuántas van a venir a la fiesta?How many are coming to the party?
¿Cuánto necesita usted?How much do you need?
¿Cuánto cuesta?How much does it cost?
¿Cuántos necesitamos?How many do we need?
¿Cuánto tengo que beber?How much do I have to drink?
- ¿Cuánta has comido? - Un montón; ahora me duele la barriga.- How much [of it] have you eaten? - A lot; now I have a tummy ache.
¿Cuánto hay?How much is there?
¿Cuánta has comido?How much have you eaten?
¿Cuánto quieres?How much do you want?
¿Cuántos tenemos en total?How many do we have in total?
¿Cuántas hay en el ropero?How many are there in the wardrobe?
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