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Italian Phrase

Quanto è la caparra?

/ˈkwan.to ɛ la kaˈpar.ra/
Meaning"How much is the deposit?"
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Meaning

Literally, “How much is the deposit?” It is used to ask for the amount of money required as a security payment, typically when renting a property, hiring a service, or buying something on installment.

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When to use

Use this question when you need to know the monetary amount of a security deposit – for example, during a rental‑apartment viewing, when signing a contract for a vacation home, or when a mechanic asks for a down‑payment before starting work.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Quantoèlacaparra?

1

Quanto (interrogative adverb)

Used to ask about quantity or amount; it agrees in gender/number with the noun it modifies.

2

è (verb essere)

Third‑person singular present of 'to be', used here as a copula linking the question to the noun.

3

la caparra (noun phrase)

Feminine singular noun meaning 'deposit' or 'down‑payment', preceded by the definite article 'la'.

🗨In Conversation

A

Quanto è la caparra?

How much is the deposit?

È cinquecento euro, pari a due mensilità.

It’s five hundred euros, equal to two months’ rent.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Quanto costa la caparra?

    ‘Costare’ is used for the price of a product; for a security deposit, ‘essere’ (è) is more natural.

  • Quanta è la caparra?

    ‘Quanta’ is the feminine form of ‘quanto’ used before a feminine noun, but here ‘quanto’ modifies the verb ‘è’, not the noun directly.

  • Quanto è il caparra?

    ‘Caparra’ is feminine, so the article must be ‘la’, not ‘il’.

↔Alternatives

  • Qual è l'importo della caparra?

    What is the amount of the deposit?

  • Quanto devo versare come caparra?

    How much do I have to pay as a deposit?

  • Quanto costa la caparra?

    How much does the deposit cost?

it

Cultural Tip

In Italy, a caparra is usually a security sum that the landlord keeps to cover possible damages. It often equals one to three months' rent, and the law requires the landlord to return it (minus any justified deductions) at the end of the lease. When negotiating, it’s common to ask for a written receipt and to clarify whether the caparra is refundable or a non‑refundable ‘caparra confirmatoria’.