When to use it
Use it at a ticket machine or office. The price often depends on the zone.
“How much does this metro ticket cost?” — The sentence in English
"How much does this metro ticket cost?" needs "does" to make the question, and "cost" stays in its base form.
- How
- adverbquestion word asking about the way or manner
- much
- adverb"how much" asks about price or quantity
- does
- auxiliary verbdo · tense: present · person: third · number: singular · auxiliary that makes the question
- this
- determinerdemonstrative determiner
- metro
- nounnoun; it says what kind of ticket
- ticket
- nounnoun
- cost
- verbcost · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · after "does" the verb stays in its base form
“Wie viel kostet diese U-Bahn-Fahrkarte?” — The sentence in German
"Wie viel kostet diese U-Bahn-Fahrkarte?" just puts the verb "kostet" after "wie viel", with no helper. "U-Bahn-Fahrkarte" is one compound joined with hyphens.
- Wie
- adverb"how"
- viel
- adverb"much"; "wie viel" = "how much"
- kostet
- verbkosten · tense: present · mood: indicative · person: third · number: singular · "costs"
- diese
- determinerdemonstrative, feminine: "this"
- U-Bahn-Fahrkarte
- nounfeminine compound noun: U-Bahn (subway) + Fahrkarte (ticket)
English × German: What changes from one language to the other
English needs "does"; German simply inverts. German joins "subway" and "ticket" into one word with hyphens.
Example conversation
— Wie viel kostet diese U-Bahn-Fahrkarte?
— How much does this metro ticket cost?
— Das hängt von der Zone ab.
— It depends on the zone.