What is the correct form of the following sentence? Do I need to add auxiliary verbs?
How many coins are here?
or
How many coins here?
asked Mar 2, 2016 at 19:22
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2I don't see how "are" is an "auxiliary verb" here. Without "are", there isn't any verb in the sentence, and English sentences need verbs.– stangdonCommented Mar 2, 2016 at 20:21
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What you need is there: How many coins are there here?– LambieCommented Oct 5, 2022 at 20:24
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2 Answers
The correct sentence is:
How many coins are here?
The second sentence is not correct and I would really only expect to hear it from a non-native speaker.
Both sentences mean the same and are correct
How many coins here?
How many coins are here?
If anything, the first sounds more informal, almost as if the person standing next to a table was pointing to the coins on it.
The second sounds more formal like two people are looking at coins on a table, and one asks as if it was a test.
