hvað margir / hvað mikið

How Many and How Much

Level 2

Hvað ... margir asks how many: Hvað áttu mörg börn? Hvað ... mikið asks how much: Hvað drekkurðu mikið kaffi?

How It Works

How many: hvað ... margir. Choose the form of margur that fits the noun:

  • masculine: Hvað eru margir dagar til jóla? (How many days until Christmas?)
  • feminine: Hvað eru margar stelpur í bekknum? (How many girls are in the class?)
  • neuter: Hvað áttu mörg börn? (How many children do you have?)

The case follows the noun. If the noun is the object, both words go into the accusative: Hvað keyptirðu marga miða? (How many tickets did you buy?) — nominative margir miðar, accusative marga miða.

People. Masculine margir with no noun means how many people: Hvað eru margir hér? (How many people are here?)

How much: hvað ... mikið. For things you do not count, use mikill in the form that fits the noun: mikið kaffi (neuter), mikinn sykur (masculine accusative), mikla mjólk (feminine accusative). With a verb and no noun, use mikið: Hvað sefurðu mikið? (How much do you sleep?)

Other ways to ask. Hversu margir and hve mikið mean the same and sound a little more careful (hversu / hve). The word order with hvað at the front and margir later is the everyday choice.

Examples (6)

  1. Hvað eru margir hér?

    How many people are here?

    Word by Word: What are many here?

    margir without a noun means many people.

  2. Hvað áttu mörg börn?

    How many children do you have?

    Word by Word: What own-you many children?

    mörg is neuter plural to match börn.

  3. Hvað drekkurðu mikið kaffi?

    How much coffee do you drink?

    Word by Word: What drink-you much coffee?

  4. Hvað eru margir dagar til jóla?

    How many days are there until Christmas?

    Word by Word: What are many days to Christmas?

  5. Hvað keyptirðu marga miða?

    How many tickets did you buy?

    Word by Word: What bought-you many tickets?

    marga miða is accusative because it is the object.

  6. Hvað sefurðu mikið á nóttunni?

    How much do you sleep at night?

    Word by Word: What sleep-you much on the night?

Common Mistakes

  • Not matching margur to the gender of the noun.

    Hvað áttu margir börn?
    Hvað áttu mörg börn?

    börn is neuter, so the form is mörg. margir is only for masculine nouns.

  • Leaving the object in the nominative.

    Hvað keyptirðu margir miðar?
    Hvað keyptirðu marga miða?

    The tickets are the object of keypti, so both words go into the accusative: marga miða.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

hvað margir / hvað mikiðLevel 2How Many and How Much

Learn This First

How many and how much build on hvað and adjectives.

Words in This Pattern

hvaðmargurmargirmikið