German Phrase
Für wie viele Leute?
Meaning
The sentence asks for the number of people involved in a situation – for example, how many guests you are booking a table for, how many participants will attend an event, or how many tickets you need. It is a concise way to request a head‑count.
When to use
Use this question when you need to know the size of a group: at restaurants when reserving a table, at hotels when booking rooms, when buying tickets, or when organizing a meeting or party.
✦Grammar Breakdown
FürwievieleLeute?
Preposition für + Accusative
The preposition für always governs the accusative case, so the noun after it must be in the accusative (which looks like the nominative plural for Leute).
Wie viele as a quantity interrogative
Wie viele is used to ask about the number of something and is followed by a noun in the appropriate case.
Leute – always plural
Leute is a collective noun that only exists in the plural; you never say *ein Leute*.
Word order in questions
In German yes‑no and wh‑questions the verb is omitted; the preposition für stays at the front, followed by the interrogative phrase.
🗨In Conversation
Für wie viele Leute?
For how many people?
Für vier Personen, bitte.
For four people, please.
✕Common Mistakes
Für wie viel Leute?
‘Leute’ is plural, so the interrogative must be ‘wie viele’, not ‘wie viel’.
Für wie viele Person?
‘Person’ is singular; you need the plural ‘Personen’ when asking about a group.
Wie viele Leute?
The preposition ‘für’ requires the accusative; the phrase is correct, but learners sometimes drop the preposition entirely, which changes the nuance.
↔Alternatives
Wie viele Personen?
How many people?
Für wie viele Personen?
For how many persons?
Wie viele Leute?
How many people?
Wie viele Personen sind es?
How many persons are there?
Cultural Tip
In everyday German, Leute is the casual word for ‘people’, while Personen sounds more formal and is preferred in business or official contexts (e.g., hotel reservations). Also, Germans often ask for the exact number when making reservations, so be ready to give a precise head‑count.