quanto costa?
/ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta/word by word
The English phrase "how much" can be translated into Italian as quanto costa? or quant'è.
Meaning: what is the cost/price? (det)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| quanto costa? | /ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta/ (word by word) |
| quant'è |
These phrases are used to ask about the cost or price of an item.
Which one should you use?
While both ask for a price, quanto costa? is a complete question meaning "how much does it cost?", whereas quant'è is a shorter way to ask "how much is it?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
quant'è is a common, slightly more colloquial or rapid-fire way to ask for a price compared to the full quanto costa?
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask how much multiple items cost, you must change the verb to the plural form quanto costano?
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word costa can also mean 'rib' or 'coastline', making it a homonym with the verb used in quanto costa?
- The word quanto is a 'cognate' of the English scientific term 'quantum', both stemming from the same Latin root meaning 'how much'.
- In Italy, asking quanto costa? in a pharmacy or a high-end boutique is common, but in a street market, shoppers often use the gesture of a pinched hand to accompany the phrase.
Examples in context
- Quant'è il tasso mensile?How much is the monthly rate?This sentence is useful for asking about the monthly rate using the form quant'è.Tatoeba #2765741 by Guybrush88, translation #24051 by CK
- Mi piace quello blu. Quant'è?I like the blue one. How much does it cost?This sentence is useful for asking the price of an item using the form quant'è.Tatoeba #2706744 by Guybrush88, translation #436743 by lukaszpp
- Non ha detto quant'è costato.You didn't say how much it cost.This sentence is useful for reporting a price that was not stated using the form quant'è.Tatoeba #3357278 by Guybrush88, translation #2667343 by meerkat
- Quanto costa?How much does it cost?
- Quanto viene?How much is it?
- Quanto costa questo?How much does this cost?
- Quanto costa, per favore?How much does it cost, please?
- Scusi, quanto costa questo?Excuse me, how much does this cost?
- Quanto costa 'sto coso?How much does this thing cost?
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Alessandro are at a street market.
- SofiaScusa, quanto costa questo libro?Excuse me, how much does this book cost?
- AlessandroCosta dieci euro.It costs ten euros.
- SofiaBene, lo prendo. E quel quaderno, quanto costa?Great, I'll take it. And that notebook, how much does it cost?
- AlessandroIl quaderno costa tre euro.The notebook costs three euros.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how much” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (quanto, costa) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries costa, quanto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
