If you want to talk about quantities, crowds, or anything in bulk, you’ll need to know how to say amount in German. This word helps you describe everything from ingredients to stress to statistics — and it’s more versatile than it first appears.

The German word is die Menge. It’s feminine, and the plural is die Mengen. If you're still getting used to article patterns like die, my gender video lesson will help make it intuitive.

Menge is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it’s the word you’ll hear when Germans are talking about a crowd, a quantity, or even just “a ton of stuff.”

Examples in all four cases:

Nominative:
Die Menge war beeindruckend.
The amount was impressive.

Accusative:
Er hat eine Menge Fragen gestellt.
He asked a lot of questions.

Dative:
Mit der Menge komme ich nicht zurecht.
I can’t handle this amount.

Genitive:
Die Wirkung der Menge war überraschend.
The effect of the amount was surprising.

Where you’ll hear Menge:

• eine große Menge Wasser – a large amount of water

• eine Menschenmenge – a crowd of people

• jede Menge – loads / a ton (colloquial)

• Mengenangabe – quantity specification (often in recipes)

• eine beträchtliche Menge – a significant amount

Common verbs: brauchen (need), haben (have), verwenden (use), reduzieren (reduce), messen (measure)
Adjectives: groß, klein, genau, unüberschaubar (overwhelming), enorm, unendlich

Fun fact: In mathematics and logic, Menge also means “set” — as in a defined group of elements. So it appears in academic language as well as casual speech.

Beginner dialogue using Menge:

A: Wie viel Zucker brauchst du?
B: Nur eine kleine Menge. Ich mag’s nicht so süß.
A: How much sugar do you need?
B: Just a small amount. I don’t like it too sweet.

Now it’s your turn. Think of your answer and say it aloud using Menge.

“Was machst du mit einer großen Menge Freizeit?”
What do you do with a large amount of free time?

Say it out loud. Using Menge in real situations is the fastest way to make it stick.

Duden entry for “Menge”

German Word of the Day
Now you know how to say amount in German — and how die Menge helps you describe quantities, crowds, and data-rich situations naturally.

Download the free illustrated PDF of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and keep your vocab growing — word by word, Menge by Menge.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Check out Mensch — a word full of emotional and human depth.
Or revisit Messer — and learn how to talk about essential tools and situations.