SpanishAdjectives, Pronouns, Adverbs Quantifiers are words used to refer to unspecific amounts or quantities. They can be used as adjectivesNo definition set for adjectivesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or pronounsNo definition set for pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and some of them also work as adverbsNo definition set for adverbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. They answer the question(s) cuánto, cuánta, cuántos, cuántas ("how much, how many") when the answer is not a particular number, but rather an approximate amount.
How do quantifiers work in Spanish?
Quantifiers work to modify different types of words. Let's see each case.
As adjectives
When quantifiers function as adjectives, they are placed before the noun and agree in genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (masculine or feminine) and numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (singular or plural) with it.
There are a few tickets left.
As pronouns
Quantifiers can also function as pronouns. In this case, they will not be followed by a noun, but they will still agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.
¿Cuántos boletos vendiste?
How many tickets did you sell?
Furthermore, some of them can be followed by the prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. de ("of") to single out an approximate amount out of a group. This group is expressed by a noun (preceded by an articleNo definition set for articleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., a possessive adjectiveNo definition set for possessive adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or a demonstrative adjectiveNo definition set for demonstrative adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.) or a strong pronoun.
Algunos de los estudiantes sacaron 10 en la prueba.
Some of the students aced the test.
Muchos de nosotros estuvimos en el evento.
Many of us were at the event.
Click the link for a list of Spanish quantifiers that can be followed by preposition de!
As adverbs
When quantifiers function as adverbsNo definition set for adverbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., they modify verbsNo definition set for verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adjectives, or other adverbs. They only have one form, so they don’t change in gender and number. Also, not all quantifiers work as adverbs. The common ones are: poco ("a little"), mucho ("a lot"), demasiado ("too much"), and bastante ("quite").
When used as an adverb to qualify a verb, it’s placed after the verb. But, when used to qualify an adjective/adverb, it’s placed before the adjective/adverb.
(verb + adverb) My son reads a lot.
(adverb + adjective) He is quite distracted.
(adverb-quantifier + adverb)He speaks too fast.
To learn more about the different functions of Spanish quantifiers, click the link!
Let’s move on to how to use each one of them!
‘Poco(s),’ ‘poca(s)’
These can be equivalent to a “few” or “little.” They refer to a lower amount than normal. They can be used as adjectives or pronouns, or adverbs:
Hay pocas casas en esta área. How many people are there?
There are few houses in this area.
With uncountable nounsNo definition set for uncountable nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., you can also use un poco and it’s equivalent to “a little.” In this case, un poco is invariable.
How much soup do you want?
And you can also say “un poco de + noun” to be more specific.
-I want a little bit of soup.
As an adverb, this quantifier is invariable: (un) poco.
Laura está un poco preocupada.
Un poco is used before an adjective to mean “a little/bit.”
Whereas, poco followed by an adjective or adverb is used as a negation; similar to the English prefix “un-” or “in-.”
Esta chica es poco profesional.
This girl is unprofessional.
The use of the Spanish diminutive “poquito” is very common. It can mean an even smaller amount (a little bit) or it can be used to sound polite or endearing.
Claudia está un poquito cansada.
Claudia is a little bit tired.
The expression “algo de” is equivalent to un poco de to mean “a little” or “a bit.” It can come before a noun.
Tengo algo de frío. Necesito algo de tiempo para terminar.
I am a bit cold.
I need a little more time to finish.
“Algo de” can also come before an adjective to soften its meaning:
El chico tiene algo de tímido.
The intensifier muy ("very/too") is often used with poco to enhance its meaning.
Comimos muy poco. Todavía tengo hambre.
We ate very little. I’m still hungry.
‘Algún,’ ‘algunos,’ ‘alguna(s)’
Algún and alguna can be equivalent to “any.” And, algunos and algunas are equivalent to “some.” When they function as adjectives, they agree in gender and number with the noun they precede.
¿Tienes algún comentario? ¿Tienes alguna pregunta? Escribí algunas líneas para ti.
Do you have any comments?
Do you have any questions?
I wrote some lines for you.
Algún día is equivalent to “someday.”
Algún día viajaré a Egipto.
Someday I will travel to Egypt.
The negative forms of these quantifiers are: ningún, ninguna ("any, no") . Alternatively, the forms alguno, alguna can be used as negatives if placed after the noun. Compare:
No tengo ninguna pregunta.
No tengo pregunta alguna.
I don’t have any questions.
No tengo ningún comentario.
No tengo comentario alguno.
I don’t have any comments.
notice how the full form “alguno” is used when placed after the noun.
For more on the use of alguno(s) and alguna(s) as pronouns check out our post on Spanish indefinite pronouns!
‘Mucho(s),’ ‘mucha(s)’
Mucho, muchos, mucha, and muchas are equivalent to “many, much, a lot of.”
They can function as adjectives or pronouns, so they agree in gender and number with the word they precede or replace. They refer to a greater amount than normal or needed.
Encontramos muchos libros viejos en el ático.How many novels do you have?
We found many old books in the attic.
When used with an uncountable noun, only the singular forms mucho or mucha are possible:
When used as an adverb, only the form mucho is possible, and it is mostly used to modify verbs.
Last night I slept a lot.
Mucho can be used before comparative adjectives and adverbs to mean “much.”
Sus problemas son mucho mayores que los tuyos.
Her problems are much bigger than yours.
Esta película es mucho peor que la anterior.
This movie is much worse than the previous one.
Click here for a full list of Spanish comparatives used with mucho.
Mucho cannot be used before an adjective or adverb to mean “very.” In that case, use its shortened version “muy” as in, Juan come muy rápido ("Juan eats very quickly").
The intensifier muy ("very/too")cannot be used with mucho. If you want to say “too/very much,” then use the superlative: muchísimo
Varios and varias ("several") also refer to a greater amount than usual. In many cases, it refers to an amount that is in between algunos ("some") and muchos ("many"). In other cases, it’s used as a synonym of muchos ("many"). Oftentimes, this depends on the speaker.
‘Bastante(s)’
This quantifier means “enough, quite, a lot.” It only has a singular and plural form when used as an adjective or pronoun, or it’s invariable when used as an adverb.
Juan preparó bastante comida.
Juan prepared enough food.
Vive bastante cerca de la universidad.
He lives quite close to the university.
Hoy Raquel practicó bastante.
Today Raquel practiced a lot.
Depending on the context, such as the tone and the attitude of the speaker, the meaning of bastante may be either “a lot” or “enough.” More precisely:
It means “enough” when the interpretation alludes to a purpose or an outcome. In this case, it can be replaced by suficiente ("enough").
Tenemos bastante harina para hacer un pastel.
We have enough flour to make a cake.
It means “a lot” when expressing a relative quantity bigger than normal or expected. In this case it can be replaced by mucho ("a lot").
Hace bastante frío para ser verano.
It’s too cold to be summer.
Me gusta bastante (más de lo normal).
I like it a lot (more than normal).
‘Demasiado(s),’ ‘demasiada(s)’
This one refers to an outstanding amount of things or people, equivalent to “too many” or “too much.” Its value is often negative, as it means “excessive.”
When used as an adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
Kori gastó demasiado dinero en la fiesta.
Kori spent too much money on the party.
Pasé demasiadas horas esperando.
I spent too many hours waiting.
When used as an adverb, only use demasiado, and it means “too (adjective/adverb).”
Es demasiado bueno para ser verdad.
It’s too good to be true.
Or with verbs, it means “too much”:
Mi papá trabaja demasiado. Siempre está cansado.
My dad works too much. He’s always tired.
Demasiado cannot be combined with mucho to mean “too much,” instead simply use demasiado
‘Todo(s),’ ‘toda(s)’
Todo(s) and toda(s) can mean “all, every, the whole of,” and they refer to all the elements in a general group or category. They function as adjectives or pronouns, so they have to agree in gender and number with the noun they modify/replace.
When the noun is accompanied by a definite article or a demonstrative or possessive adjective, these quantifiers mean “all (of)…”
Todos los humanos tienen cualidades.
All human beings have qualities.
Invita a todas tus amigas.
Invite all of your friends.
When used with an expression of time (day, month, year, etc.) the singular means “the entire/whole,” whereas the plural means “each/every.”
Trabajo todas las semanas.
When the noun is preceded by an indefinite article it means “a whole…”
Rubén se comió toda una pizza.
When todo or toda are followed directly by a noun, they mean “every” or “any.”
Todo niño tiene derecho a una buena educación.
Every child has the right to a good education.
When used with an expression of time (day, month, year, etc.) the singular means “the entire/whole,” whereas the plural means “each/every.”
Trabajo todas las semanas.
When the noun is preceded by an indefinite article it means “a whole…”
Rubén se comió toda una pizza.
When todo or toda are followed directly by a noun, they mean “every” or “any.”
Todo niño tiene derecho a una buena educación.
Every child has the right to a good education.
When the pronouns todos or todas refer to people, they mean “everyone.”
Todo or toda can be used to modify an adjective or participleNo definition set for participleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., in this case todo has to match the gender of the adjective and it is similar in meaning to “completely.”
Mi sobrina llegó toda cansada del torneo de basquetbol.
My niece arrived completely exhausted from the basketball tournament.
Summary
Quantifiers answer the question(s) cuánto, cuánta, cuántos, cuántas (" how much, how many") when the answer is not a precise amount.
Quantifiers can be used as adjectives or pronouns.
But only poco, mucho, demasiado, and bastante can function as adverbs.
When they are adjectives, they agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
Bastante(s) only has a singular and plural form, and varios and varias only have a masculine and feminine form.
When they are adverbs, they do not change their form and they usually modify an adjective, an adverb, or a verb.
Need some practice on this topic? Answer this exercise.
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