Using cómo de + adjective/adverb to ask about the degree or extent of a specific quality

Note that this is a Europe focused lesson. Your active focus is Latin America.

In Spanish, when we ask about the degree or extent of a specific quality of something/someone, we often ask using this structure:

¿Cómo de + adjective/adverb + verb...?

Have a look at these examples:

- Manuel, ¿cómo de grande es tu casa? - Uy, supergrande, tiene 8 habitaciones.- Manuel, how big is your house? - Oh, super big, it has 8 bedrooms.

Siempre dices que tu marido está muy gordo, pero ¿cómo de gordo está?You always say that your husband is very fat, but [just] how fat is he?

Dime cómo de tostado quieres el pan. Sé que te gusta poco tostado ¿no?Tell me how toasted you want the bread. I know you don't like it too toasted, am I right?

Antonio, muéstrale a Laura cómo de bien bailas flamenco.Antonio, show Laura how well you [can] dance flamenco.

¿Cómo de altas son tus hijas?How tall are your daughters?

¿Cómo de traviesos son tus sobrinos?How naughty are your nephews?

As you can see this is used when asking directly or indirectly.

Note that cómo needs a written accent.

Sometimes, especially when the verb is either ser or estar, we place the verb between cómo and de, for example:

¿Cómo es de grande tu casa?How big is your house?

¿Cómo está de gordo tu marido?How fat is your husband?

Remember that when you use this structure with an adjective, the adjective must agree with the subject.

See also these other structures to talk about quantities:

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Examples and resources

¿Cómo es de grande tu casa?How big is your house?
¿Cómo está de gordo tu marido?How fat is your husband?
- Manuel, ¿cómo de grande es tu casa? - Uy, supergrande, tiene 8 habitaciones.- Manuel, how big is your house? - Oh, super big, it has 8 bedrooms.
Siempre dices que tu marido está muy gordo, pero ¿cómo de gordo está?You always say that your husband is very fat, but [just] how fat is he?
¿Cómo de altas son tus hijas?How tall are your daughters?
¿Cómo de traviesos son tus sobrinos?How naughty are your nephews?
Dime cómo de tostado quieres el pan. Sé que te gusta poco tostado ¿no?Tell me how toasted you want the bread. I know you don't like it too toasted, am I right?
Antonio, muéstrale a Laura cómo de bien bailas flamenco.Antonio, show Laura how well you [can] dance flamenco.
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