Wie viel, wie viele

A1 · Beginner · Basics

The rule

wie viel for uncountable, wie viele for countable.

How it works

Wie viel asks about an uncountable quantity, such as Wasser, Zeit or Geld, and is followed by a singular noun. Wie viele asks about a countable plural, such as Kinder, Bücher or Tage. Both are used in questions, and the answers are usually numbers or words such as viel (much) and wenig (little).

When to use it

Ask about quantities: wie viel for uncountable nouns and wie viele for countable plurals.

Use cases

Asking about prices: Wie viel kostet das?
Counting people or objects: Wie viele Personen kommen?
Asking about time or money in everyday speech

Examples

Wie viele Brüder hast du? – How many brothers do you have?
Wie viel Zeit hast du? – How much time do you have?
Wie viele Geschwister hast du? – How many siblings do you have?
Wie viel Milch brauchst du? – How much milk do you need?

Common mistake

Using wie viel with plural nouns, for example "wie viel Freunde" should be "wie viele Freunde".

Memory tip

If you can count it, use wie viele. If it is a mass (water, time, money), use wie viel.