it is “does she spend much money on clothes” or “does she spend a lot of money on clothes”

"A lot of money" in American English, at least.

I would tend towards the former option, but I suspect this is one with significant regional variance in usage. Both make sense, though I'd suggest the latter feels, to me at least, like it carries an assumption or implication that the answer is 'yes'.

*Is it And both are grammatically correct. Their meanings are a little different but amount to essentially the same thing.

Much money is grammatically correct, but when I pronounce it, I instinctively feel a little bit awkward. Otherwise, a lot of money is smooth and natural for me.

Both are correct but i personally would only use the first if I'm expecting that she doesn't spend too much. The second, I would use in whatever situation

I would take "Does she spend much money" to imply that you think she spends very little, and "Does she spend a lot" to imply that you suspect she spends a lot. For example: * "She failed the most recent math test. Does she spend much time studying at home?" (Probably not.) * "She has so much money in her savings account. Does she spend a lot of time working?" (Probably yes.) * "She dances so beautifully. Do you spend a lot on private teachers?" (Probably yes.) * "This thing broke so easily. Did you spend much on it?" (Hopefully not.) I wouldn't take this as a hard and fast rule, though. It wouldn't be totally out of place to use "much" for a "likely yes" question or "a lot" for a "likely no" question. After all, it's completely possible that your expected answer will be wrong anyway. Maybe the girl who failed her math test spends a ton of time studying, but she has terrible eyesight and can't always read the small font numbers on the test paper. Maybe the rich woman inherited all her money, and the thing that broke easily was ridiculously expensive - but exceedingly delicate, anyhow.

To me, ‘much’ is neutral, and ‘a lot’ suggests you expect that she does spend a lot. ‘Much’ is also appropriate in the negative (“She doesn’t spend much money”), or comparative (“She spends as much money as I do”) but awkward in the positive form (“She spends much money” ❌).

They’re both right, but for some reason the first one feels a little uncomfortable for me. “Does she spend *very* much money” sounds more correct

I think most people in America say does she spend a lot of money on clothes

Great question! Both **“Does she spend much money on clothes?”** and **“Does she spend a lot of money on clothes?”** are grammatically correct. The difference is in how *natural* they sound in everyday conversation: * ✅ **“a lot of money”** is more common and natural in spoken English. * ✅ **“much money”** is correct but sounds more formal or unusual in questions, especially in casual speech. So if you're going for natural and conversational English, **“Does she spend a lot of money on clothes?”** is the better choice. 👍 If you want more tips like this, we talk about stuff like this every day in **EZ English Club**. Feel free to message me if you want the link!

To my ears, using "much" here sounds more British, while "a lot" is more universal. But both are natural ways to say it and I wouldn't think it strange if an American said "much" here.

In west coast America, I've never heard the first one. I've heard "does she spend *too* much money on clothes" but not just much on it's own.

Yes

This is a strange one, because although ‘much’ sometimes means ‘a lot’, in this construction and context, it means ‘some’, or ‘any’. So these two sentences are both grammatically correct and natural, but they convey something subtly different. “Does she spend much money on clothes?” - I’m not asking if she spends a great deal of money on clothes, I’m asking if she spends a little, or an average amount, or perhaps a lot of money on clothes. I don’t know, it could be any amount, so I’m asking for information - I wouldn’t be surprised if you replied that she buys all her clothes at a charity shop, for instance. “Does she spend a lot of money on clothes?” - I can see how well dressed she is, and I expect that the answer will be that she does indeed spend a fortune on her wardrobe. I will be surprised if you tell me that despite appearances, she buys all her clothes at a charity shop. Hope that makes sense. I think you wanted to know the best way to ask specifically if she spends a lot of money on clothes - in which case, definitely the second question.

i think these are a little different. i would use the first phrasing if i was asking about someone who seems to spend very little on clothes, and the second phrasing if i was asking about someone who seems to spend very much on clothes. its hard to explain. i feel like the second phrasing is expecting the answer to be yes a little bit more, whereas the first is more uncertain or thinking it might be no.

They're both correct, but imo have slightly different uses. "Does she spend a lot of money on clothes?" if you're expecting the answer to be "yes". "Does she spend much money on clothes?" A little more ambiguous, but probably expecting the answer to be "no". "How much money does she spend on clothes?" Completely neutral, you may have no expected answer at all.

They are both correct and I find them both perfectly natural

Both correct. Depends on the scenario. “A lot” is stronger than “much”

Both are grammatically correct but “a lot of money” sounds way, way better in my opinion

For me (NZ English with strong British leanings) these are equal, both in frequency and correctness.