Bedeutung
Asking about quantity, number, or price.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Egypt, 'Kam' is often used in the phrase 'Kam ya basha?' (How much, boss?) when talking to taxi drivers or street vendors. It's a friendly, slightly informal way to start a negotiation. While 'Kam' is understood, you will almost always hear 'Adaysh' (أديش). Using 'Kam' in a casual Beirut cafe might mark you as a tourist or a very formal speaker. In the Gulf, 'Kam' is very common even in daily dialect. It's often used to ask about family: 'Kam walad 'indak?' (How many kids do you have?) is a very common polite inquiry. In Morocco, 'Ch-hal' is the standard. If you use 'Kam', people will understand you because of MSA, but they will likely reply in Darija using 'Ch-hal'.
The Singular Secret
Always use a singular noun after 'Kam' in MSA. It's the easiest way to sound like an advanced speaker instantly.
Price vs. Quantity
Use 'Bikam' for objects you want to buy, but 'Kam' for numbers and time.
Bedeutung
Asking about quantity, number, or price.
The Singular Secret
Always use a singular noun after 'Kam' in MSA. It's the easiest way to sound like an advanced speaker instantly.
Price vs. Quantity
Use 'Bikam' for objects you want to buy, but 'Kam' for numbers and time.
Haggling 101
When you hear the price after asking 'Bikam?', it's often expected that you counter-offer in many traditional markets.
The 'i' Bridge
Remember to say 'Kami' if the next word starts with 'Al-'. It makes your Arabic flow much more naturally.
Teste dich selbst
Choose the correct form of the noun to follow 'Kam' in Modern Standard Arabic.
كَمْ ____ عِنْدَكَ؟ (How many pens do you have?)
The noun after 'Kam' must be singular, indefinite, and accusative (ending in -an).
Fill in the blank to ask 'How much is this?'
____ هَذَا الكِتَاب؟
'Bikam' is the standard way to ask for the price of an object.
Complete the dialogue.
أحمد: كَمِ السَّاعَةُ الآن؟ سارة: ________.
The question asks for the time, so the answer must be a time.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You are at a hotel and want to know the cost of the room per night.
'Bikam' asks for the price, and 'al-layla' means the night.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 Aufgabenكَمْ ____ عِنْدَكَ؟ (How many pens do you have?)
The noun after 'Kam' must be singular, indefinite, and accusative (ending in -an).
____ هَذَا الكِتَاب؟
'Bikam' is the standard way to ask for the price of an object.
أحمد: كَمِ السَّاعَةُ الآن؟ سارة: ________.
The question asks for the time, so the answer must be a time.
Situation: You are at a hotel and want to know the cost of the room per night.
'Bikam' asks for the price, and 'al-layla' means the night.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenUsually, you'd ask 'Kam kuub ma'?' (How many cups of water?) or use 'Ma miqdar al-ma'?' (What is the amount of water?).
It is neutral and appropriate for both a high-end boutique and a street stall.
That is the Levantine dialect version of 'Kam'. It's very common in pop culture.
In formal Modern Standard Arabic, yes. In daily speech, people often drop the ending and just say the noun.
You can say 'Kam al-majmu'?' (كَمِ المَجْمُوع؟).
No, for 'some' you would use 'Ba'd' or 'Qaleel'. 'Kam' is strictly for questioning or exclaiming quantity.
'Kam' is the question word (How many?), while 'Adad' is the noun (Number).
Yes, many times, often in the exclamatory sense (Kam al-khabariyya) to show how many nations passed before.
Use 'Kam 'adad afrad usratika?' or more simply 'Kam shakhsan fi usratika?'.
Actually, for phone numbers, Arabs usually say 'Ma huwa raqmuka?' (What is your number?) rather than 'Kam'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
بِكَمْ؟
specialized formFor how much?
كَمِ السَّاعَة؟
builds onWhat time is it?
كَمْ مَرَّة؟
builds onHow many times?
أَدَيْش؟
similarHow much? (Levantine)
شْحَال؟
similarHow much? (Maghrebi)
كَمْ عُمْرُكَ؟
builds onHow old are you?
