wie viele
/ˌviːˈfiːlə/
The English phrase "how many" is translated into German as wie viele.
wie viele is used to ask about the number of discrete, countable items.
Meaning: what number (pron)
Which one should you use?
You should use wie viele for countable items and wie viel for uncountable quantities or mass nouns, such as water or time.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase wie viele must agree in number with the noun it modifies, behaving like an adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌviːˈfiːlə/
Did you know?
- The word wie is a distant relative of the English word 'why'. Both evolved from the same Proto-Germanic root used to ask questions.
- The word wie does not only mean 'how' or 'how many', but is also the standard word for 'as' when making comparisons, such as so groß wie.
- While wie viele asks for a number, Germans use the same word viel to express 'a lot' in positive statements, such as Ich habe viel Zeit.
Examples in context
- Wie viele waren es?How many were there?This example shows how to use wie viele to ask about a quantity of people or things that were present.Tatoeba #2461927 by Zaghawa, translation #2099932 by halfb1t
- Wie viele CD's hast du?How many CDs do you have?This sentence demonstrates using wie viele to ask about a count of specific objects.Tatoeba #880039 by Esperantostern, translation #72239 by Eldad
- Wie viele Opfer gab es?How many victims were there?This example illustrates asking for the number of victims.Tatoeba #1112740 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1112738 by CM
- Wie viele Personen sind in Ihrer Gruppe?How many people are in your group?
- Wie viele Gäste kommen zur Veranstaltung?How many guests are coming to the event?
- Wie viele Bücher hast du gelesen?How many books have you read?
- Wie viele Stunden hast du geschlafen?How many hours did you sleep?
- Wie viele Äpfel sind noch übrig?How many apples are left?
- Wie viele Autos stehen vor dem Haus?How many cars are parked in front of the house?
- Wie viele Kilometer haben wir noch vor uns?How many kilometers do we have ahead?
- Wie viel Wasser trinkst du pro Tag?How much water do you drink per day?
- 1677 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are shopping for a party at a supermarket.
- JuliaWie viele Flaschen Wasser brauchen wir?How many bottles of water do we need?
- MaximilianIch glaube, sechs Flaschen sind genug.I think six bottles are enough.
- JuliaUnd wie viele Äpfel soll ich kaufen?And how many apples should I buy?
- MaximilianNimm einfach ein ganzes Kilo Äpfel.Just take a whole kilo of apples.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how many” translations and entries wie viele, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
