कितनी बार (kitnii baar)

adverb A fixed question phrase meaning 'how many times/how often', combining the interrogative कितनी (kitnii, feminine agreement with बार (baar), 'time/occasion').
Sense 1 : how many times / how often (asking frequency)
adverb
Synonyms: कितने दफ़ा (kitne dafaa, colloquial variant), कितनी दफ़ा (kitnii dafaa, colloquial variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the everyday way to ask 'how often' in casual conversation -- a mother might ask her kid कितनी बार बोला है? (kitnii baar bolaa hai?, 'how many times have I told you?') when exasperated, and that exasperated-repetition use is extremely common in Hindi households.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes say कितना बार (kitnaa baar) using the masculine कितना (kitnaa), but बार (baar) 'time/occasion' is grammatically feminine here, so it must agree as कितनी (kitnii). 2) Don't confuse this बार (baar, 'time/occasion') with the identical-looking word बार (baar, 'door/turn' in some fixed expressions) or with वार (vaar, 'day of the week' or 'attack') -- they are unrelated words that just sound alike.
Sample Sentences:
मैंने तुम्हें कितनी बार बोला है कि जूते बाहर रखो? How many times have I told you to keep your shoes outside?
(mainne tumhen kitnii baar bolaa hai ki joote baahar rakho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
तुम कितनी बार यह गलती करोगे? How many times will you make this mistake?
(tum kitnii baar yah galtii karoge?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
वह कितनी बार लंदन जा चुकी है? How many times has she been to London?
(vah kitnii baar landan jaa chukii hai?)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
आप हफ्ते में कितनी बार व्यायाम करते हैं? How many times a week do you exercise?
(aap haphte men kitnii baar vyaayaam karte hain?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पता नहीं कितनी बार मैं यह किताब पढ़ रहा था जब फोन बजा। I don't know how many times I was reading this book when the phone rang.
(pataa nahiin kitnii baar main yah kitaab padh rahaa thaa jab phon bajaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कितनी बार समझाऊँ तुम्हें? How many times should I explain it to you?
(kitnii baar samjhaaoon tumhen?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम ध्यान से सुनते तो मुझे कितनी बार दोहराना नहीं पड़ता। If you had listened carefully, I wouldn't have had to repeat it so many times.
(agar tum dhyaan se sunte to mujhe kitnii baar dohraanaa nahiin padtaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
यह बात कितनी बार बताई गई है, फिर भी लोग नहीं समझते। This thing has been told so many times, yet people don't understand.
(yah baat kitnii baar bataaii gaii hai, phir bhii log nahiin samajhte।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
कितनी बार मना किया, फिर भी वह वहाँ गया। He was told not to go so many times, yet he went there anyway.
(kitnii baar manaa kiyaa, phir bhii vah vahaan gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
जरा सोचो, कितनी बार भगवान का शुक्रिया अदा किया है तुमने? Just think, how many times have you thanked God?
(jaraa socho, kitnii baar bhagvaan kaa shukriyaa adaa kiyaa hai tumne?)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कितनी बार बोला है, दरवाज़ा बंद करके जाओ! How many times have I told you, close the door when you leave!
(kitnii baar bolaa hai, darvaazaa band karke jaao!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active