Beginner 📐 Grammar · #224 of 305

How Questions: How Much, How Many, How Old

Use how + word to ask about amount, number and age.

Examples

  • How many books do you have?
  • How old is he?

Key rules

  • How much asks about uncountable amounts and price; how many asks about countable plural nouns
  • How old asks about age
  • Also: how long, how far, how often, how tall
  • Use how + adjective or adverb for degree questions

Common mistakes

  • How much books do you have? → How many books do you have?
  • How old are you years? → How old are you?
💡 Tip: Check if the noun can be counted before choosing much or many.
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Related Beginner topics

See all Beginner grammar lessons →

Nouns: Naming Words

A noun names a person, place, thing or idea.

Singular and Plural Nouns

Add -s to most nouns; add -es after s, x, ch, sh.

Irregular Plurals

Some nouns change form instead of adding -s.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Countable nouns can be counted; uncountable ones cannot take a/an or plural.

Proper and Common Nouns

Proper nouns name specific things and start with a capital letter.

Subject Pronouns

I, you, he, she, it, we, they replace the subject.