Ne kadar?
/nɛ kɑˈdɑɾ/word by word
The Turkish phrase for "how much is it?" is Ne kadar?
Ne kadar? is a versatile phrase used to ask for the price of an item, but it can also be used to ask about a quantity, such as "how much/many is it?"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ne, meaning "what" and kadar, meaning "amount" or "extent".
Which one should you use?
While Ne kadar? is the standard way to ask for a price, you may encounter Kaç para?, which is a more colloquial way to ask, literally meaning "how much money?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In Turkish, the verb "to be" is often omitted in the short question Ne kadar?, so you do not need to add a verb to the end.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɛ kɑˈdɑɾ/. The /n/ sound is like the [n] in "not", the /k/ is like the [c] in "core" and the /ɾ/ is like the [t] in the American English word "atom".
Did you know?
- The word kadar is borrowed from the Arabic word qadr, which also relates to the concept of fate or destiny.
- In traditional Turkish bazaars, asking Ne kadar? is often the starting point for a social ritual of bargaining rather than a request for a fixed price.
- Turkish speakers may use Ne kadar? to ask about the duration of time, such as 'How long did it take?'
Examples in context
- Bu elma ne kadar?How much is this apple?
- Bu kitap ne kadar?How much is this book?
- Yeni telefon ne kadar?How much is the new phone?
Example conversation
Merve and Burak are shopping at a local market.
- MerveBurak, bu çilek ne kadar?Burak, how much are these strawberries?
- BurakBir kilo elli lira.Fifty liras per kilo.
- MerveÇok pahalıymış.That is very expensive.
- BurakHaklısın, başka yere bakalım.You are right, let's look elsewhere.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ne, kadar) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kadar, ne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
