Asking about quantities: How much? or How many?: How and When to Use in English

-How many countries are there in the UK? -There are 4. To ask a question about a quantity, use how many before a countable plural noun like countries (1 country → 4 countries). Example: -How many cars do you have? -I only have one.

Use how much before uncountable nouns (like knowledge, art and energy), but not before countries. Example: -How much water do you drink per day? -About 2 litres.

-How much food does your cat eat? -A lot! Use how much + uncountable noun (here, food) to ask questions about quantities. Example: -How much pepper do you put in the sauce? -Just a teaspoon.

You could say How many rats can your cat eat? because rats is a countable plural noun, but you cannot use how many before an uncountable noun like food.

-How many brothers do you have? -I have two younger brothers, with how many + brothers because it is a countable plural noun (1 brother → 2 brothers). Example: -How many employees does your company have? -200.

You could say How much money do you make? since we use how much before uncountable nouns like money, but here you need how many because brothers is a countable plural noun.

-How many books can you read in a year? -Around 10. When you want to ask about a quantity, use how many before a countable plural noun like books (1 book → 10 books). Example: -How many bottles are there? -There are 5.

-How much time do you need? -Just a few minutes! We use how much before time, which is an uncountable noun (like fire, hair and milk). Example: -How much bread shall I buy? -Just one loaf, please.

-How much water should I drink? -2 litres a day. Water, just like many liquids (oil, coffee, soda, etc.), is an uncountable noun, so you should use how much before it. Example: -How much oil would you like in your salad? -I don't want any, thanks.

-How many people live in London? -Around 9 million people! with how many because people is a countable plural noun. Note: people is a countable noun even though it doesn't end in -s, because it is an irregular plural (1 person → 8 people), just like children, women and men. Example: -How many women are in your team? -12 in total.

Use how much before uncountable nouns (like air, salt and freedom), not before countable plural nouns like people. Example: -How much rain did you get? -It rained all day!

-How much traffic is there near the airport? -A lot. Before an uncountable noun like traffic, use how much. Example: -How much importance is given to technology? -Too much, in my opinion!

Use how many before countable plural nouns (often ending in -s), not before uncountable nouns like traffic. Example: -How many weeks are in a year? -Approximately 52.

-How much is this sandwich? -5 dollars. Use how much + verb to be To be, present simple tense (here, is) to ask for a price. Example: -How much is this jacket? -Only 15 dollars, it's on sale!

You can use how many before a countable noun to ask about a quantity, as in -How many guests did you invite? -Around 80, but not to ask about prices.