چند است؟
chand ast?
How to say "how much is it?" in Persian is چند است؟ (chand ast?).
This phrase is used as a question to ask for the price of an item.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of چند, which literally means "how many" or "how much" and است, which is the third-person singular form of the verb "to be".
Which one should you use?
چند است؟ is the standard form, but you may encounter other variations. Gheymatesh chand ast? specifically asks "What is its price?", while the shorter Chande? means "How much?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
چند است؟ and Gheymatesh chand ast? are formal ways to ask about a price. In informal situations, you can use Chande? or Gheymatesh chandeh?
How does it change in a sentence?
While چند است؟ is grammatically formal and common in written text, it is typically shortened to چنده؟ in daily spoken Persian.
How do you pronounce it?
chand ast?
Did you know?
- The word چند is a distant relative of the Latin word 'quantus', which is where the English word 'quantity' comes from.
- In Iranian bazaars, asking چنده؟ often starts a social ritual of bargaining rather than a simple request for a fixed price.
- The word چند is used in the common Persian idiom for 'a few', meaning it functions as both a question and an indefinite number.
Example conversation
Sara is buying a souvenir from Ali at a shop.
- سارا Saraاین کیف خیلی زیباست. چند است؟In keyf kheyli zibāst. Chand ast?This bag is very beautiful. How much is it?
- علی Aliاین کیف دویست هزار تومان است.In keyf do-set hezār tomān ast.This bag is two hundred thousand tomans.
- سارا Saraکمی گران است.Kami gerān ast.It is a bit expensive.
- علی Aliبرای شما تخفیف میدهم.Barā-ye shomā takhfif midaham.I will give you a discount.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries چند, CC BY-SA 4.0.
