Quantifiers
A1–B1Nouns and determiners 5 min
Mucho, poco, todo and otro say how much or how many, and they agree with their noun in gender and number. Otro never takes un, and todo takes the article: Quiero otro café. Trabajo todos los días.
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No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA1–B1
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mucho | a lot of; agrees with the noun | mucha agua / muchos libros | a lot of water / a lot of books |
| poco | little, few: not enough | Tengo poco tiempo. | I have little time. |
| un poco de | a little: there is some | ¿Quieres un poco de agua? | Would you like a little water? |
| A2todo | the whole or every one | Trabajo todos los días. | I work every day. |
| After a verb | mucho and poco never change | Mi hijo come mucho. | My son eats a lot. |
| bastante | enough, quite a lot; plural -s | Hay bastantes sillas. | There are enough chairs. |
| A2demasiado | more than is good | Hay demasiado ruido. | There's too much noise. |
| B1cada | never changes; singular noun | Voy al gimnasio cada semana. | I go to the gym every week. |
| A2Trap | otro never takes un | Quiero otro café. | I want another coffee. |
| Trap | gente is feminine singular | Hay mucha gente. | There are a lot of people. |
Form: agreementA1–B1
| Word | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| mucho | mucho / mucha | muchos / muchas |
| poco | poco / poca | pocos / pocas |
| A2todo | todo / toda | todos / todas |
| A2otro | otro / otra | otros / otras |
| A2demasiado | demasiado / demasiada | demasiados / demasiadas |
| bastante | bastante | bastantes |
| B1varios | — | varios / varias |
| B1cada | cada | — |
- The quantifier agrees with its noun: singular with an uncountable noun, plural with a countable one. poca leche / pocos huevos — little milk / few eggs
- Alone, the quantifier takes the gender and number of the noun it stands for: ¿Tienes amigos aquí? — Sí, muchos. — Do you have friends here? — Yes, lots.
- mucho and poco after a verb never change: Mi hijo come mucho. — My son eats a lot.
- muy and mucho: see Adverbs.
UseA1–B1
| Word | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mucho | a large amount | Tengo muchos amigos. | I have a lot of friends. |
| poco | a small amount, not enough | Hay pocas personas. | There are few people. |
| un poco de | a small amount, and there is some | Tengo un poco de hambre. | I'm a little hungry. |
| A2todo | the whole, or every one | Estudio toda la tarde. / Corro todos los días. | I study all afternoon. / I run every day. |
| A2otro | one more, or a different one | ¿Me das otra servilleta? | Can you give me another napkin? |
| bastante | enough, quite a lot | Tenemos bastante comida. | We have enough food. |
| A2demasiado | more than is good | Comes demasiados dulces. | You eat too many sweets. |
| B1varios | some, more than two | Tengo varias preguntas. | I have several questions. |
| B1cada | every single one | Cada alumno tiene un libro. | Each student has a book. |
- poco says that it is not enough; un poco de says that there is some: Tengo poco dinero. / Tengo un poco de dinero. — I have little money. / I have a little money.
- A2todo goes before the article: todo el día, todas las semanas.
- A2otro never takes un or una.
- B1cada never changes and goes with a singular noun.
Typical errorsA1–B1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| A2Quiero un otro café. | Quiero otro café. | otro never takes un |
| Hay mucho gente. | Hay mucha gente. | gente is feminine singular |
| un poco agua | un poco de agua | un poco de + noun |
| A2todos días | todos los días | todo takes the article |
| Mi hijo come muchos. | Mi hijo come mucho. | after a verb, mucho never changes |
| B1cada días | cada día | cada takes a singular noun |
| Me gusta muy mucho. | Me gusta mucho. | mucho alone means “very much” |