wie viel
/ˌviːˈfiːl/
The English phrase "how much" is translated into German as wie viel.
wie viel is used as a determiner to ask about the cost, price or an uncountable quantity.
Meaning: what is the cost/price? (det)
Which one should you use?
wie viel is used for uncountable quantities, whereas wie viele is used for countable items (the English equivalent of "how many"). Additionally, if you want to express "to what degree" or "to what extent", you should use the related form wie sehr.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Use wie viele instead of wie viel when asking about countable plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌviːˈfiːl/
Did you know?
- The word wie shares the same ancient roots as the English word 'why', even though their modern meanings seem entirely unrelated.
- If you are asking about the price in a shop, it is often more natural to use the phrase Was kostet das? rather than starting with Wie viel…
- In many German dialects, the 'l' in viel is pronounced so softly that it almost disappears, making the word sound closer to 'fee-uh'.
Examples in context
- Wie viel weißt du?How much do you know?This sentence is useful for asking about the amount of knowledge someone possesses using wie viel.Tatoeba #10146499 by wolfgangth, translation #2912587 by CK
- Wie viel wiegst du?How much do you weigh?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's weight using wie viel.Tatoeba #8098011 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1669972 by Spamster
- Wie viel bieten sie?How much are they offering?This sentence is useful for asking about the amount being offered using wie viel.Tatoeba #3730835 by brauchinet, translation #3730739 by CM
- Wie viel kostet es?How much does it cost?
- Was ist der Preis?What is the price?
- Was kostet das?What does that cost?
- Wie viel kostet das?How much does that cost?
- Wie viel muss ich bezahlen?How much do I have to pay?
- Wie viel kostet das Kleid?How much does the dress cost?
- Was kostet das Buch? Ich möchte es bezahlen.What's the cost of the book? I would like to pay for it.
- Wie viele Liter Milch brauche ich?How many liters of milk do I need?
- 570 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Felix are at a street market.
- HannahHallo, wie viel kostet dieser Apfel?Hello, how much does this apple cost?
- FelixDer Apfel kostet nur einen Euro.The apple only costs one euro.
- HannahGut, und wie viel kosten die Birnen?Good, and how much do the pears cost?
- FelixDie Birnen kosten zwei Euro pro Kilo.The pears cost two euros per kilo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry wie viel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries viel, wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
