German · Greetings & Essentials
"How much?" in German: wie viel?
wie viel?
How much in German is wie viel?. Use it for prices and uncountable amounts. For countable people or things, switch to wie viele.
At a market stall
Wie viel kostet das Kilo Äpfel?Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce wie viel?
Say it
vee feel
/viː fiːl/
vee feel. Short i in viel. Rising question tone.
"How much?" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| wie viel? | how much? Price or uncountable amount. | Price or uncountable amount. |
| wie viel kostet…? | how much does … cost? Shopping. | Shopping. |
| wie viele? | how many? Countable plural. | Countable plural. |
| wie viel Uhr? | what time? Clock time question. | Clock time question. |
How to use wie viel? in real life
- 1At a market stall
Wie viel kostet das Kilo Äpfel?
How much does a kilo of apples cost?
Classic price question.
- 2Cooking
Wie viel Milch brauchen wir noch?
How much milk do we still need?
Uncountable amount.
- 3Checking a bill
Moment, wie viel steht da insgesamt?
Hang on, how much does it say in total?
Everyday bill check.
Mistakes English speakers make with wie viel?
Incorrect: Wie viele kostet das?
Correct: Wie viel kostet das?
Price uses wie viel, not wie viele.
Incorrect: Wie viel Personen kommen?
Correct: Wie viele Personen kommen?
Countable plurals take wie viele.
Good to know
At markets and bakeries, wie viel? is short and normal. You can also point and say Was kostet das?. Germans expect a clear number back, not a long sales pitch.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Buying flowers
ChatPal
Wie viel sind die Tulpen?
How much are the tulips?
You
Gute Frage. Wie viel sagt das Schild?
Good question. How much does the sign say?
ChatPal
Vier Euro. Wie viel nimmst du?
Four euros. How much are you taking?
You
Zwei Bund. Passt.
Two bunches. Fine.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"How much?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "How much?" in German
When do I use wie viele?
For countable plurals: Wie viele Tickets? Wie viele Leute?
How do you ask the price?
Wie viel kostet das? or Was kostet das?
Is wieviel one word?
Standard spelling is two words: wie viel. Older texts may show wieviel.
What about time?
Wie viel Uhr ist es? means what time is it?
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
