quantity
Loading your saved state.
quantity
The amount, number, or extent of something. The term describes a measurable size and is often used in contrast to quality.
Bei der Produktion legen wir mehr Wert auf Qualität als auf reine Quantität.
In production, we place more value on quality than on sheer quantity.
Nouns that end in '-ität' are always feminine (die) and often come from Latin. They describe a quality or state, similar to words with the ending '-ity' in English.
Die Universität legt Wert auf hohe Qualität in der Lehre.
The university places value on high quality in teaching.
'Quantität' (quantity) is very often used as the direct opposite of 'Qualität' (quality). The saying 'Qualität vor Quantität' (quality over quantity) is very common in German and means that the goodness of something is more important than its amount.
Lieber wenige, aber gute Freunde haben – Qualität vor Quantität!
Better to have a few good friends—quality over quantity!
To describe what there is a quantity of, you use the preposition 'an' followed by the dative. The preposition 'von' is also possible.
Das System kann eine riesige Quantität an Daten verarbeiten.
The system can process a huge quantity of data.
amount / crowd
'die Menge' and 'die Quantität' both mean how much of something is present. 'die Menge' is the normal everyday word and fits in many different situations. 'die Quantität' sounds more objective or technical and is often used when deliberately talking about a measurable amount, especially in contrast to 'Qualität' (quality). In everyday language, 'Menge' usually sounds more natural. 'Quantität' fits better in school, work, science, or general comparisons.
Bei diesem Projekt zählt nicht nur die Quantität, sondern auch die Qualität.
In this project, it is not only quantity that matters, but also quality.
Wir kaufen eine größere Menge Reis, weil viele Gäste kommen.
We are buying a larger amount of rice because many guests are coming.