ChineseGrammarWiki/MD/A2/84.mw

{{Grammar Box}} 

Quantity questions are phrases for asking questions like "how much?" or "how many?"  You'll need to use the [[Placement of question words|question word]] 几 (jǐ) with [[measure word]]s for this.

== Asking About Small Numbers with 几 (jǐ) ==

=== Structure ===

You can use the quantity [[Placement of question words|question word]] 几 (jǐ) instead of a number to ask about quantity with [[Measure words for counting|measure word]]s. 

<div class="jiegou">

Subj. + Verb + 几 + Measure Word + Noun？

</div>

=== Examples ===

<div class="liju">

* 他 有 <em>几</em> 个 孩子？<span class="pinyin">Tā yǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè háizi?</span><span class="trans">How many kids does he have?</span>
* 你 家 有 <em>几</em> 个 房间？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ jiā yǒu <em>jǐ</em> gè fángjiān?</span><span class="trans">How many rooms are there in your house?</span>
* 他们 在 这里 住 <em>几</em>  个 星期？ <span class="pinyin">Tāmen zài zhèlǐ zhù <em>jǐ</em> gè xīngqī?</span><span class="trans">How many weeks are they staying here?</span>
* 你 带 了 <em>几</em> 件 衣服？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ dài le <em>jǐ</em> jiàn yīfu?</span><span class="trans">How many pieces of clothing have you brought?</span>
* 老板 每 天 工作 <em>几</em> 个 小时 ？ <span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn měi tiān gōngzuò <em>jǐ</em> gè xiǎoshí? </span><span class="trans">How many hours does the boss work every day?</span>

</div>

== Asking About Big Numbers with 多少 (duōshao) ==

When the number is not certain but you assume it's definitely more than ten, it's better to ask the question with 多少 (duōshao) instead of 几 (jǐ).

=== Structure ===

<div class="jiegou">

Subj. + Verb + 多少 + Measure Word + Noun ？

</div>

=== Examples ===

<div class="liju">

* 你 去 过 <em>多少</em> 个 国家？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ qù guo <em>duōshao</em> gè guójiā?</span><span class="trans">How many countries have you been to?</span>
* 你们 班 有 <em>多少</em> 个 学生？<span class="pinyin">Nǐmen bān yǒu <em>duōshao</em> gè xuéshēng?</span><span class="trans">How many students are there in your class?</span>
* 你 大学 的 时候 看 了 <em>多少</em> 本 书？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ dàxué de shíhou kàn le <em>duōshao</em> běn shū?</span><span class="trans">How many books did you read when you were in college? </span>
* 他们 昨天 请 了 <em>多少</em> 个 朋友？ <span class="pinyin">Tāmen zuótiān qǐng le <em>duōshao</em> gè  péngyou?</span><span class="trans">How many friends did they invite yesterday?</span>
* 上海 有 <em>多少</em> 个  外国 公司？ <span class="pinyin">Shànghǎi yǒu <em>duōshao</em> gè wàiguó gōngsī?</span><span class="trans">How many foreign companies are there in Shanghai? </span>

</div>

==See also==

*[[Measure words to differentiate]]
*[[Measure Words for Verbs]]
*[[Measure words for counting]]

== Sources and further reading ==

=== Books ===

* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)]] (p. 105) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401 →buy]
* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)]] (p. 123) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235 →buy]
*[[40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）]] (p. 86)[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20 →buy] 

[[Category:A2 grammar points]]
[[Category:Measure words]]
{{Basic Grammar|几|A2|几 + Measure Word (+ Noun) ?|几 <em>个</em> 人？|grammar point|ASGL9KQM}}
{{Similar|Measure words to differentiate}}    
{{Similar|Measure Words for Verbs}}    
{{Similar|Measure words for counting}}
{{Similar|Measure word "ge"}}    
{{Used for|Asking questions}}
{{Structure|Numbers and Measure Words}}