quanto costa?
/ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta/word by word
In Italian, 'how much is it?' is said as quanto costa?
This phrase is used to ask for the price of an item.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase quanto costa? literally translates to 'how much does it cost?'
Which one should you use?
Quanto viene? is a colloquial alternative often used when asking for a total price, such as 'how much does it come to?' You can also use Quanto viene in tutto? to specifically ask how much everything amounts to in total.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Northern Italy, the expression A quanto viene? is commonly used to inquire about a price.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb in quanto costa? is in the third-person singular form, which is used when asking about a single item. If you are asking about the price of multiple items, you should use quanto costano? instead.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta/. The stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- If an item is unexpectedly expensive, Italians might respond to the answer of quanto costa? with the exclamation costa un occhio!, which means 'it costs an eye'.
- The word costa in quanto costa? shares its history with the English word 'coast', as both originate from the Latin word for 'rib' or 'side'.
- While quanto costa? is used for prices, the word quanto is also the basis for the English term 'quantum', referring to a discrete quantity of energy.
Examples in context
- Ho visto questa bella collana in vetrina, mi può indicare qual è il prezzo?I saw this lovely necklace in the display window, can you tell me what the price is?
- Ciao! Quanto viene la cena al ristorante che hai menzionato?Hi! How much is dinner at the restaurant you mentioned?
- Sai dirmi quanto costa la nuova maglietta nel negozio di abbigliamento?Can you tell me how much the new t-shirt costs at the clothing store?
- Scusi, quanto costa questo?Excuse me, how much does this cost?
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are at a street market.
- ChiaraGuarda questo vaso, Matteo! Quanto costa?Look at this vase, Matteo! How much is it?
- MatteoNon lo so, chiediamo al venditore.I don't know, let's ask the vendor.
- ChiaraIl venditore dice che costa dieci euro.The vendor says it costs ten euros.
- MatteoÈ un buon prezzo, compralo!It's a good price, buy it!
Sources
- 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.
