Definition

1. Interrogative phrase:
   • To what extent; how (much/many); to what degree: Used to inquire about the measure, amount, or degree of a specific quality or state, often in relation to growth, size, or development. It asks for a description of a current level or status.

Usage Examples

• Interrogative phrase:
  • Cháu nhà anh bây giờ lớn bằng nào rồi? (How tall is your son now? / To what extent has your son grown?)
  • Cái cây tôi trồng cao bằng nào rồi? (How tall is the tree I planted? / To what height has the tree I planted grown?)
  • Công việc tiến triển bằng nào rồi? (To what extent has the work progressed?)

Advanced Usage

• "bằng nào" in comparative contexts: While primarily interrogative, it can imply a comparison to a known or implied standard. The response often describes a level or gives a measurement.
  • Căn bệnh đã lan rộng bằng nào? (To what extent has the disease spread?)

Variants and Related Words

• Bao nhiêu: An interrogative meaning "how much" or "how many," often used for countable/uncountable quantities, whereas "bằng nào" focuses more on degree or extent of a state.
• Đến mức nào: A phrase meaning "to what level/degree," similar in function but can sound more formal or emphatic.

Synonyms

• To what extent
• How (in questions about degree)
• To what degree

Notes on Usage

• "Bằng nào" is less common in everyday modern conversation than synonyms like "bao nhiêu" or "thế nào". It carries a slightly literary or older tone.
• It is typically used in questions about physical growth, progress, or the development of a situation over time.
• The phrase is fixed; its components ("bằng" and "nào") are not used separately in this interrogative sense.

1. To what extent, how
   • Cháu nhà anh bây giờ lớn bằng nào rồi?
     How tall is your son?