Arabic How many / How much -How many / How much İn Arabic
6) How many / How much
There is only one word to express these things in Arabic, kamكَمْ. This word was originally ka-maaكَمَاْ= “like what?” before it evolved to the form known today.
The nouns after kam must be always singular and in the accusative, or nasb, case.
كَمْ وَلَدًا لَدَيْكَ ؟
kam walada(n) laday-k(a)
= how many a child (in) (the) place (of) you (sing. masc.) (are)
Translation: how many children do you have?
*The words ladaa لَدَىْ & “ind(a) عِنْدَare somewhat similar in meaning to the French chez, but they are also used for time meaning “at,” like in “at sunset.”
كَمْ مَرَّةَ حَذَّرْتُكَ ؟
kam marra(tan) haththartu-k(a)
= how many a time (I) warned you (sing. masc.) (are)
Translation: how many times have I warned you?
هَلْ تَعْلَمُ كَمْ سَاْعَةً اِنْتَظَرْتُكَ ؟!
hal ta”lam(u) kam saa”a(tan) ‘intazartu-k(a)
= is it that (you sing. masc.) know how many an hour (I) waited you (sing. masc.)
Translation: do you know how many hours I’ve been waiting for you?!
كَمْ يَبْلُغُ عَدَدُ سُكَّاْنِ الْبَرَاْزِيْلِ ؟
kam yablur(u) “adad(u) sukkaan(i) (‘a)l-baraazeel(i)
= how much (he/it) reaches (the) number (of) (the) inhabitants (of) Brazil
Translation: how much is the population of Brazil?
If the noun following kam were part of a genitive construction, it would not be in the accusative case but in the regular nominative case.
كَمْ عَدَدُ الْحَاْضِرِيْنَ ؟
kam “adad(u) (‘a)l-haadireen(a)
= how much (the) number (of) the present (people) (is)
Translation: How many are the present people?
The noun following kam can be omitted.
Examples:
كَمْ تُرِيْدُ ؟
kam tureed(u)
= how much/many (you) want
Translation: how much/many do you want?
كَمْ قَاْلَ لَكَأَنَّهُ يُرِيْدُ ؟
kam qaal(a) la-k(a) ‘ann-h(u) yureed(u)
= how much/many (he) said to you that him wants
Translation: how much/many did he tell you that he wanted?
كَمْ هَؤُلاءِ ؟
kam haa’ulaa'(i)
= how many these (are)
Translation: how many are these?
When asking about price, kam will be preceded by preposition bi- بِِـ= “in/by/with.”
|
Asking About Price |
|
بِـ +كَمْ= بِكَمْ |
|
bi- +kam= bi-kam |
|
by + how much → by how much (money) |
The noun following bi-kamis often omitted.
Examples:
|
Question (Full Form) بِكَمْ دِرْهَمًا هَذَاْ الْحِذَاْءُ ؟ bi-kam dirhama(n) haathaa (‘a)l-hithaa’(u) = by how many a dirham (I may buy) this the shoe Translation: how many dirhams do these shoes cost? *The dirham is an old Arab currency unit. It is still used in several Arab countries today.
|
|
Question (Reduced Form) بِكَمْ هَذَاْ الْحِذَاْءُ ؟ bi-kam haathaa (‘a)l-hithaa’(u) = by how much (money) (I may buy) this the shoe Translation: how much are these shoes?
|
|
Answer بِعِشْرِيْنَ دِرْهَمًا bi-“ishreen(a) dirhama(n) = by twenty a dirham Translation: the shoes cost twenty dirhams
|
بِكَمِ الْهَاْمْبرْغَرُ ؟
bi-kam(i) (‘a)l-haambergar(u)
= by how much (money) (I may buy) the hamburger
Translation: how much is the hamburger?
Kam Stating Numerousness
kam can be used in a style that is used to state numerousness instead of interrogation or asking a question.
Example:
كَمْ مِنْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
kam min kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= how many of a book (is) (in) (the) place (of)
you (sing. masc.)
= so many of a book (is) (in) (the) place (of)
you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you have so many books!
Nouns after preposition min = “from/of” must be in the ablative case, or ‘al-jarr case.
|
Numerousness Stating Style |
|
كَمْمِنْ |
|
kam min |
|
how many/much of → so many of |
The min after kam in this style can often be omitted.
Example:
كَمْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
kam kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= so many (of) a book (is) (in) (the) place (of)
you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you have so many books!
Emphatic la- لَـ can also be used here.
لَكَمْ مِنْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
la-kam min kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= certainly so many of a book (is) (in) (the) place (of) you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you really have so many books!
لَكَمْ كِتَاْبٍ عِنْدَكَ!ه
la-kam kitaab(in) “inda-k(a)
= certainly so many (of) a book (is) (in) (the) place (of) you (sing. masc.)
Translation: you really have so many books!
لَكَمْمَرَّةٍ حَذَّرْتُكَ
la-kammarra(tin) haththartu-k(a)
= certainly so many (of) a time (I) warned
you (sing. masc.)
Translation: I warned you so many times 7) ‘annaa
This is an obsolete, classical, interrogative word that may mean how, when, or where.
أَنَّىْ يَكُوْنُ لِيْ غُلامٌ ؟!ه
‘annaa yakoon(u) l-ee rulaam(un)
= how will be for me a boy?!
Translation: how am I going to have a son?!