Quanto costa?
/ˈkwan.to ˈkɔs.ta/word by word
In Italian, the phrase for "how much is it?" is Quanto costa?
The standard way to ask "how much is it?" in a shopping context is Quanto costa? Although it literally translates to "How much does it cost?", it functions as the common way to inquire about a price.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of quanto (how much) and costa (it costs).
How does it change in a sentence?
Use Quanto costa? when asking about the price of a single item. When asking about the price of multiple items, use Quanto costano? instead.
Did you know?
- If an item is incredibly expensive, an Italian might ironically answer Costa un occhio della testa, meaning 'it costs an eye from the head'.
- The word costa shares a root with the English word 'coast'. In Latin, costa meant 'rib' or 'side', referring to the side of a hill or the edge of the land.
- While Quanto costa? is standard, Italians often use Quanto viene? in shops, which literally means 'How much does it come to?'
Examples in context
- Quanto costa questa borsa?How much does this bag cost?
- Quanto viene una cena per due persone?How much is a dinner for two?
- Qual è il prezzo di questa maglietta?What is the price of this t-shirt?
- Quanto costa quel libro?How much does that book cost?
- Quanto viene un biglietto per il cinema?How much is a movie ticket?
- Mi scusi, quanto costa questa collana, per favore?Excuse me, how much does this necklace cost, please?
- Quanto costa questo libro?How much does this book cost?
Example conversation
Chiara and Alessandro are at a street market.
- ChiaraGuarda questo vaso! Quanto costa?Look at this vase! How much is it?
- AlessandroNon lo so, chiediamo al venditore.I don't know, let's ask the seller.
- ChiaraIl venditore dice che costa dieci euro.The seller says it costs ten euros.
- AlessandroOttimo, è un buon prezzo.Great, it's a good price.
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.
