How to Ask How Much Something Is

Learn how to ask how much something is

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do German by GermanPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask how much something is in German.

For example, "How much does it cost?" is

Wie viel kostet das?

Aron Ahrens is at a small grocery store.

He sees a snack with no visible price tag, and asks for the price.

Before you hear the conversation, let's preview some of its key components.

kostet

"cost"

kostet

zwei

"two"

zwei

Listen to the conversation, and focus on the question.

Ready?

Wie viel kostet das?

Das kostet zwei Euro.

Once more with the English translation.

Wie viel kostet das?

"How much does it cost?"

Das kostet zwei Euro.

"It costs two euro."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Aron asks,

"How much does it cost?"

Wie viel kostet das?

Let’s start with das, "it" in this context. Das. Das.

You can use this word while pointing at something near you. It’s useful when you want to refer to something you don't know the word for in German.

Next is kostet, "costs," as in "it costs." Kostet. Kostet.

Kostet is from the verb kosten, "to cost." Kosten.

Last is wie viel, "how much." Wie viel.

First is wie, "how." Wie. Wie.

Next is viel, "much'' in this context. Viel. Viel.

Together it's wie viel, "how much." Wie viel.

All together, it's Wie viel kostet das? This literally means, "How much costs it," but translates as "How much does it cost?"

Wie viel kostet das?

Let’s take a closer look at the response.

Do you remember how the shop clerk says,

"It costs two euro."

Das kostet zwei Euro.

Let’s start with zwei Euro, "two euro." Zwei Euro.

First is zwei, "two." Zwei. Zwei.

Next is Euro, "Euro," the name of the currency. Euro. Euro.

Note the singular and plural form of Euro are the same.

Together it’s zwei Euro, "two euro." Zwei Euro.

Before this is das kostet, "this costs." Das kostet.

First is das, "it." Das.

Next is kostet, "costs." Kostet.

Together it's das kostet, "it costs." Das kostet.

All together, it's Das kostet zwei Euro. "It costs two euro."

Das kostet zwei Euro.

The pattern is

Wie viel kostet ITEM?

"How much does ITEM cost?"

Wie viel kostet ITEM?

To use this pattern, simply replace the {ITEM} placeholder with the thing you’d like to know the price of.

Note: This pattern requires a noun phrase.

Imagine you’d like to know the price of "a coffee," ein Kaffee.

Let’s start with Kaffee, "coffee." Kaffee. Kaffee.

Kaffee is masculine and singular.

Ein is also masculine and singular to agree with Kaffee.

Ein, think of this like "a," or "an," in English. Ein. Ein.

Ask, "How much a coffee cost?"

Literally, "How much costs a coffee?"

Ready?

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

"How much does a coffee cost?"

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

In German, there are two sets of articles. Definite articles are like "the" in English, and indefinite articles are like "a" or "an."

While the pattern in this lesson works with both kinds of articles, this lesson will focus on indefinite articles like the English "a" or "an."

When introducing a general item, such as when asking for the price of "a coffee," use an indefinite article. In German, the indefinite article will depend on the gender of the item.

The indefinite article for singular masculine and neuter nouns is ein, and for singular feminine nouns is eine.

For example:

ein Kaffee, "a coffee," ein Kaffee;

eine Wassermelone, "a watermelon," eine Wassermelone;

ein Brot, "a bread," ein Brot.

Note: indefinite articles are not used with plural nouns. For example,

Erdbeeren, "strawberries." Erdbeeren.

Again, the key pattern is

Wie viel kostet ITEM?

"How much does ITEM cost?"

Wie viel kostet ITEM?

Let's look at some examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Wie viel kostet das?

"How much does it cost?"

Wie viel kostet das?

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

"How much does a coffee cost?"

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

Wie viel kostet eine Wassermelone?

"How much does a watermelon cost?"

Wie viel kostet eine Wassermelone?

Wie viel kosten Erdbeeren?

"How much do strawberries cost?"

Wie viel kosten Erdbeeren?

Was kostet das?

"What does it cost?"

Was kostet das?

Did you notice how the native speaker used a slightly different phrase?

Was kostet das? Literally means "what costs it," but translates as "How much does it cost?"

First is was, "what." Was. Was.

Next is kostet, "costs." Kostet.

Kostet is from the verb kosten, "to cost." Kosten.

Next is das, "it." Das.

All together, Was kostet das? Literally "what costs it," but translates as "How much does it cost?"

Use this pattern when pointing at something, or if the item is understood from the context.

This pattern is

Was kostet das?

"How much does it cost?"

You should be aware of this pattern, but you won’t need it for this lesson.

Let's review the new words.

Kaffee

"coffee"

Kaffee.

Kaffee

Wassermelone

"watermelon."

Wassermelone.

Wassermelone

Erdbeeren

"strawberries"

Erdbeeren.

Erdbeeren

Erdbeere "strawberry"

Erdbeere

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

When you don’t know the word for something, do you remember how to say "it?"

das

And how to say "how?"

wie

Do you remember how to say "how much?"

wie viel

Do you remember how Aron Ahrens asks,

"How much does it cost?"

Wie viel kostet das?

Do you remember how to say "Euro?"

Euro

And how to say "two?"

zwei

Do you remember how the clerk says,

"It costs two euro."

Das kostet zwei Euro.

Do you remember how to say "coffee?"

Kaffee

And how to say "a coffee?"

ein Kaffee

Do you remember how to say "watermelon?"

Wassermelone

And how to say "a watermelon?"

eine Wassermelone

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Aron , and you're at a farmers' market.

You'd like to try a snack with no price tag. Ask how much does it cost.

Ready?

Wie viel kostet das?

Das kostet fünf Euro.

Listen again and repeat.

Wie viel kostet das?

Let's try another.

Imagine they’re also selling artisan coffee. Ask for the price of a coffee, or ein Kaffee.

Ready?

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

Der Kaffee kostet ein Euro.

Listen again and repeat.

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

Let’s try one more.

They’re also selling watermelons. Ask for the price of a watermelon, or eine Wassermelone.

Ready?

Wie viel kostet eine Wassermelone?

Die Wassermelone kostet fünf Euro.

Listen again and repeat.

Wie viel kostet eine Wassermelone?

In this lesson, you learned how to ask how much something costs. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of shopping at a grocery store. Let’s review.

Do you remember how to say "please?"

Bitte.

Do you remember how to say,

"This, please."

Das, bitte.

Do you remember how to say "salt?"

Salz.

Do you remember how to ask,

"Do you have salt?"

Haben Sie Salz?

Imagine you're Jack Jones , and you're at a grocery store, and you'd like to buy something located close to you.

Do you remember how to say "this" in German?

Das.

Ask the clerk for "this."

Das, bitte.

Bitte.

Listen again and repeat.

Das, bitte.

You remembered that you also wanted to buy milk

Do you remember how to say "milk" in German?

Milch.

Now ask the clerk if the store has milk.

Ready?

Haben sie Milch?

Ja, die Milch ist hier.

Listen again and repeat.

Haben sie Milch?

You'd also like to know the price of coffee.

Do you remember how to say "a coffee" in German?

ein Kaffee.

Now ask for the price of a coffee.

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

Der Kaffee kostet ein Euro.

Listen again and repeat.

Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?

Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Shop at a Grocery Store unit of this course.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

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