What it means
چقدر (cheqadr) is one of the first words a Farsi learner picks up. It means “how much,” “how many,” or simply “how” when expressing intensity. The word is a compound: چه (che), a native Persian particle meaning “what” or “how,” joined with قدر (qadr), a word of Arabic origin meaning “measure” or “amount” (the same qadr as in the night Shab-e Qadr). The result is a question word that covers both quantity (“how much does it cost?”) and exclamation (“how beautiful!”). A close synonym in formal writing is چه مقدار (che meqdar), but in everyday speech cheqadr is universal.
How to use it
- چقدر گرونه! (cheqadr gerune!) “How expensive it is!”
- چقدر طول میکشه؟ (cheqadr tul mikeshe?) “How long does it take?”
- چقدر دوستت دارم. (cheqadr dustat daram.) “How much I love you.”
- چقدر خوردی؟ (cheqadr khordi?) “How much did you eat?”
Cultural note
Iranians use cheqadr constantly in both sincere questions and warm exclamations. When someone cooks a meal and you say “cheqadr khoshmaze!”, you are not asking a question at all; the word shifts into a pure intensifier of praise. This dual role as question word and exclamative is common in Persian and gives the language some of its characteristic expressiveness.