колькі

Question Word Колькі

Level 1Sounds Like kolʹkí

Колькі means how many or how much: Колькі гэта каштуе? (How much does it cost?)

How It Works

Prices. Колькі гэта каштуе? (How much does this cost?) The verb agrees with the thing that costs: Колькі каштуюць яблыкі? (How much are the apples?)

Counting. The counted noun is in the genitive plural:

  • Колькі ў вас дзяцей? (How many children do you have?)
  • Колькі ў цябе братоў? (How many brothers do you have?)

Amounts. A noun you cannot count goes into the genitive singular: Колькі цукру табе пакласці? (How much sugar should I put in for you?)

Useful fixed questions. Колькі табе гадоў? (How old are you?) uses the dative person; see age in the dative. Колькі зараз часу? means What time is it now?

Колькі follows the same genitive rule as шмат (a lot) and мала (little). See the genitive after quantity words. It also has case forms of its own, such as the genitive колькіх, which you will meet later.

Examples (6)

  1. Колькі гэта каштуе?

    How much does this cost?

    Word by Word: How-much this costs?

  2. Колькі ў вас дзяцей?

    How many children do you have?

    Word by Word: How-many at you children-of?

    Дзяцей is the genitive plural of дзеці.

  3. Колькі табе гадоў?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How-many to-you years-of?

  4. Колькі каштуюць яблыкі?

    How much are the apples?

    Word by Word: How-much cost apples?

    The verb is plural because яблыкі is the subject.

  5. Колькі цукру табе пакласці?

    How much sugar should I put in for you?

    Word by Word: How-much sugar-of to-you to-put?

  6. Колькі зараз часу?

    What time is it now?

    Word by Word: How-much now time-of?

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the counted noun in the nominative.

    Колькі ў вас дзеці?
    Колькі ў вас дзяцей?

    After колькі the counted noun must be in the genitive plural: дзяцей.

  • Using the Russian-influenced form сколькі.

    Сколькі гэта каштуе?
    Колькі гэта каштуе?

    The Belarusian word is колькі.

  • Making the verb singular when several things cost money.

    Колькі каштуе гэтыя кнігі?
    Колькі каштуюць гэтыя кнігі?

    The subject is гэтыя кнігі, which is plural, so the verb is каштуюць.

How It Connects

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колькіLevel 1Question Word Колькі

Learn This First

Колькі follows the first question words.

Words in This Pattern

колькі