70 Unit 9 Quanto  can also be used as an adjective or pronoun. In such cases it agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to:  quant o  [ms],  quant a  [fs] (how much),  quant i  [mp],  quant e  [fp] (how many): Quanto  means ‘how much’ when referring to quantity, and ‘how long’, ‘how far’, ‘how tall’, etc. when it refers to time, distance, height, etc.: Perché  means ‘why’: Quando  means ‘when’: 5 Quando? 6 Perché? 7 Quanto? Quando partono i tuoi amici? Quando comincia il  fi lm? Quando arriva il treno? Quando è lo sciopero dei treni? When are your friends leaving? When does the  fi lm start? When does the train arrive? When’s the rail/train strike? Perché ridono? Perché Giulia non va a scuola? Perché non studi? Why are they laughing? Why isn’t Giulia going to school? Why don’t you study? Come mai  has a similar meaning, corresponding to the English ‘how come’: Come mai non mangi? Come mai siete in ritardo? How come you’re not eating? How come you are late? Quanto pesa? Quanto costa questa maglietta? Quanto dura il  fi lm? Quanto è alta tua sorella? Quant’è? How much/What does it weigh? How much/What does this T-shirt cost? How long does the  fi lm last? How tall is your sister? How much is it? Quant o  pane devo comprare? Quant a  pasta vuoi? Quant i  esercizi dobbiamo fare? Quant e  ragazze ci sono in classe tua? Quant o  tempo abbiamo? ‘Ci sono molte persone.’ ‘Quant e ?’ ‘Dobbiamo comprare del pane.’ ‘Quant o ?’ How much bread do I have to buy? How much pasta do you want? How many exercises have we got to do? How many girls are there in your class? How much time is there?/How long have we got? ‘There are a lot of people.’ ‘How many?’ ‘We must get (some) bread.’ ‘How much?’