Kitane

Hi, Can you please explain the translation of 'Kitane'? I believe it means 'How many' . What does it mean in the sentence 'Kitane duhkha ki bata hai' meaning 'What a shame' ? I'm a little confused. Thank you. Mary

you are right, kitne means 'how many'. but there is no specific number to it. when you say "kitne dukh ki baat hai" you are referring to the huge sadness caused by the news.  the sentence can also be said as "bade dukh ki baat hai" which would mean the same thing. Its an  abstract form of saying. something like "that's pretty bad news" when pretty technically means beautiful.