Using demasiado, bastante, suficiente, poco, tanto and mucho to express quantity in Spanish (quantitative pronouns)

Expressing quantity in Spanish

Poco (little), mucho (much), demasiado (too much)bastante (enough, quite a lot), tanto (so much), suficiente (enough) all express a non-defined quantity.

Note that in Spanish these adjectives agree with the noun they refer to.
When they function as pronouns, the nouns they refer to will have been mentioned before, but they still agree with the noun.

Let's see how to use them!

Poco, poca, pocos, pocas little / not much / few / not many

-María come poco pan. -Sí, come muy poco.-María doesn't eat much bread. -Yes, she eats very little.

-Me parece que en esta casa entra muy poca luz. -Tienes razón, entra muy poca.-It seems to me that in this house there's very little light. -You're right, there's not much.

-Tengo pocos caramelos.  -Sí, tienes pocos.-I have few candies.  -Yes, you have few.

-¿Tienes suficientes sillas para todos? -No, tengo pocas.-Do you have enough chairs for everyone? -No, I [only] have a few.

Poco and poca are used to replace a singular noun to express little/not much (of), while pocos and pocas are used to replace a plural noun to express few/not many (of):

Quantitative Adjective 

Masculine Feminine

Singular 

poco
little/not much
poca
little/not much

Plural

pocos
few/not many

pocas
few/not many

 

Mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas much / a lot of / many

-Alberto come mucho queso, ¡le encanta! -Es verdad, Alberto come mucho.-Alberto eats a lot of cheese, he loves it! -True, Alberto eats a lot.

-¡Nosotros tenemos mucha energía! -Sí, vosotros tenéis mucha.-We have a lot of energy! -Yes, you have a lot.

-¿Es cierto que ellos tienen muchos coches? -Sí, ellos tienen muchos.-Is it true that they own many cars? -Yes, they own many.

-He oído que ella tiene muchas amigas.  -Sí, ella tiene muchas.-I heard that she has many female friends.  -Yes, she has many.

Mucho and mucha are used to replace a singular noun to express much/a lot of, while muchos and muchas are used to replace a plural noun to express many/a lot of:

Quantitative Adjective 

Masculine Feminine

Singular 

mucho
much/a lot of
mucha
much/a lot of

Plural

muchos
many/a lot of

muchas
many/a lot of

 

Demasiado, demasiada, demasiados, demasiadas = too much / too many

-Tenemos demasiado dinero. -¡Es fantástico tener demasiado!-We have too much money. -It's fantastic to have too much!

-Hay demasiada fruta en la nevera.-Sí, hay demasiada.-There is too much fruit in the fridge.  -Yes, there is too much.

-En Londres hay demasiados días grises. -Estoy de acuerdo, hay demasiados.-There are too many grey days in London. -I agree, there are too many.

-¡Tenemos demasiadas reglas en mi colegio! -¡Sí, demasiadas!-We have too many rules in my school! -Yes, too many!

Demasiado and demasiada are used to replace a singular noun to express too much (of), while demasiados and demasiadas are used to replace a plural noun to express too many (of).

Quantitative Adjective 

Masculine Feminine

Singular 

demasiado
too much (of)
demasiada
too much (of)

Plural

demasiados
too many (of)

demasiadas
too many (of)

 

Tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas = so much / so many

-Tanto dinero no da la felicidad.-Es cierto. Tanto no da la felicidad.-So much money doesn't bring happiness. -It's true, so much doesn't bring happiness.

-Tanta luz no es buena para sacar fotos.  -No, tanta no es buena.-This much light is not good for taking photos. -No, this much is not good.

-Me he comido 10 caramelos! -¿Por qué tantos?-I ate 10 sweets! -Why so many?

-No puedes poner tantas  manzanas en la cesta.-¿Por qué no puedo poner tantas?-You cannot put so many apples in the basket. -Why can't I put that many?

Tanto and tanta are used to replace a singular noun to express so much (of), while tantos and tantas are used to replace a plural noun to express so many (of):

Quantitative Adjective 

Masculine Feminine

Singular 

tanto
so much
tanta
so much

Plural

tantos
so many

tantas
so many

 

Bastante, bastantes = enough/quite a lot

-¿Tenemos bastante pan para cenar? -Sí, tenemos bastante.-Do we have enough bread for dinner? -Yes, we have enough.

-¿Hay muchas cervezas en el frigorífico? -Sí, hay bastantes.-Are there lots of beers in the fridge?  -Yes, there are quite a lot.

Bastante is used to replace a singular noun to express enough (of) or quite a lot (of) while bastantes is used to replace a plural noun to express enough (of) or quite a lot (of).

Quantitative Adjective 

Masculine/
Feminine

Singular 

bastante
enough (of)

Plural

bastantes
enough (of)

 

Bastante / bastantes do not agree in gender: they keep the same form in masculine and feminine!

Suficiente, suficientes = enough, sufficient

-¿Crees que Juan tiene suficiente dinero para ir al cine? -Sí, no te preocupes, tiene suficiente.-Do you think that Juan has enough money to go to the cinema? -Yes, don't worry, he's got enough.

-Pienso que Elisa vio suficientes museos en Londres. -Sí, Elisa vio suficientes.-I think that Elisa saw enough museums in London. -Yes, Elisa saw enough in London.

Suficiente is used to replace a singular noun to express enough (of) or sufficient while suficientes is used to replace a plural noun to express enough (of) or sufficient:

Quantitative Adjective 

Masculine/
Feminine

Singular 

suficiente
enough (of), sufficient

Plural

suficientes
enough (of), sufficient

 

Suficiente / suficientes do not agree in gender: they keep the same form in masculine and feminine!

Bastante and suficiente can both mean enough (of something) so they are interchangeable when used in this way, but only bastante can mean quite a lot (of something).

See also Muy vs Mucho in Spanish (intensifiers) and Using demasiado, bastante, suficiente, poco, tanto and mucho to express quantity in Spanish (quantitative adjectives).

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Examples and resources

-María come poco pan. -Sí, come muy poco.-María doesn't eat much bread. -Yes, she eats very little.
-Tengo pocos caramelos.  -Sí, tienes pocos.-I have few candies.  -Yes, you have few.
-He oído que ella tiene muchas amigas.  -Sí, ella tiene muchas.-I heard that she has many female friends.  -Yes, she has many.
-¿Crees que Juan tiene suficiente dinero para ir al cine? -Sí, no te preocupes, tiene suficiente.-Do you think that Juan has enough money to go to the cinema? -Yes, don't worry, he's got enough.
-Tenemos demasiado dinero. -¡Es fantástico tener demasiado!-We have too much money. -It's fantastic to have too much!
-En Londres hay demasiados días grises. -Estoy de acuerdo, hay demasiados.-There are too many grey days in London. -I agree, there are too many.
-Alberto come mucho queso, ¡le encanta! -Es verdad, Alberto come mucho.-Alberto eats a lot of cheese, he loves it! -True, Alberto eats a lot.
-¡Nosotros tenemos mucha energía! -Sí, vosotros tenéis mucha.-We have a lot of energy! -Yes, you have a lot.
-Tanto dinero no da la felicidad.-Es cierto. Tanto no da la felicidad.-So much money doesn't bring happiness. -It's true, so much doesn't bring happiness.
-Pienso que Elisa vio suficientes museos en Londres. -Sí, Elisa vio suficientes.-I think that Elisa saw enough museums in London. -Yes, Elisa saw enough in London.
-Hay demasiada fruta en la nevera.-Sí, hay demasiada.-There is too much fruit in the fridge.  -Yes, there is too much.
-¿Tenemos bastante pan para cenar? -Sí, tenemos bastante.-Do we have enough bread for dinner? -Yes, we have enough.
-No puedes poner tantas  manzanas en la cesta.-¿Por qué no puedo poner tantas?-You cannot put so many apples in the basket. -Why can't I put that many?
-¿Es cierto que ellos tienen muchos coches? -Sí, ellos tienen muchos.-Is it true that they own many cars? -Yes, they own many.
-Me parece que en esta casa entra muy poca luz. -Tienes razón, entra muy poca.-It seems to me that in this house there's very little light. -You're right, there's not much.
-¡Tenemos demasiadas reglas en mi colegio! -¡Sí, demasiadas!-We have too many rules in my school! -Yes, too many!
-Me he comido 10 caramelos! -¿Por qué tantos?-I ate 10 sweets! -Why so many?
-¿Hay muchas cervezas en el frigorífico? -Sí, hay bastantes.-Are there lots of beers in the fridge?  -Yes, there are quite a lot.
-¿Tienes suficientes sillas para todos? -No, tengo pocas.-Do you have enough chairs for everyone? -No, I [only] have a few.
-Tanta luz no es buena para sacar fotos.  -No, tanta no es buena.-This much light is not good for taking photos. -No, this much is not good.
Using demasiado, bastante, suficiente, poco, tanto and mucho to express quantity in Spanish (quantitative pronouns)
1 of 2
No pongas más arroz en mi plato. No quiero . (Don't put more rice on my plate. I don't want so much.)

Q&A Forum 9 questions, 11 answers

mrt t.B1Kwiziq community member

Latin American accent

Hello! I was wondering if there are any plans to include Latin American Spanish pronunciation for the example sentences in the near future? I would love to practice with a Latin American accent, as this would be incredibly helpful for my learning. Is this a feature that might be added?

Asked 1 week ago
SilviaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hola mrt t

Thank you for your message and interest in Latin American Spanish pronunciation.

We’re happy to share that there are plans to offer a better Latin American experience through the website in the future.

We understand how helpful this can be for your learning journey.

Stay tuned for updates, and thank you for your support!

Hasta pronto

Silvia

mrt t. asked:

Latin American accent

Hello! I was wondering if there are any plans to include Latin American Spanish pronunciation for the example sentences in the near future? I would love to practice with a Latin American accent, as this would be incredibly helpful for my learning. Is this a feature that might be added?

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Adam G.B2Kwiziq community member

una pizca de sal

For this question:

"El guiso solo necesita una pizca de sal. No pongas ____ "


I couldn't decide whether it should be "tantas" or "tanta" because it wasn't clear to me at all whether the pronoun is referring to "una pizca" or "sal". If I recall correctly I put "tantas", attempting to agree with "una pizca" but it was the wrong answer. Is it possible that both might be acceptable in real world speech because of that ambiguity, or am I missing some clear difference?

(e.g. in English "This stew only needs one pinch of salt. Don't put too many" would sound a bit wrong, but technically would be correct for the same reason, in my opinion. Of course you'd usually hear "This stew only needs *a* pinch of salt. Don't put too much.". While salt is an uncountable noun (in most contexts), "pinch" is, of course, not!)

Asked 7 months ago
SilviaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Adam

Your intuition about the ambiguity is understandable, but in Spanish, the choice between "tantas" and "tanta" in this context hinges on what is being described— the quantity of salt. Since "sal" (salt) is an uncountable noun in Spanish, similar to English, the correct form to use is "tanta" to match the uncountable nature of what you're referring to. So, the complete sentence would be:

El guiso solo necesita una pizca de sal. No pongas tanta.

Here, "tanta" refers directly to "sal", indicating not to put too much of it. While "una pizca" is indeed countable, it serves here merely to quantify the salt rather than to be the focus of the negation.

In everyday speech, you might hear variations, and speakers might play fast and loose with grammatical rules, especially in colloquial settings. However, from a strictly grammatical standpoint, "tanta" is the correct choice. Your comparison to English is apt, and just as in English, where we would say 'too much' to refer to an uncountable noun like 'salt', in Spanish, we use "tanta" to agree with the uncountable nature of "sal."

Saludos

Silvia

 
 
 
 
Adam G. asked:

una pizca de sal

For this question:

"El guiso solo necesita una pizca de sal. No pongas ____ "


I couldn't decide whether it should be "tantas" or "tanta" because it wasn't clear to me at all whether the pronoun is referring to "una pizca" or "sal". If I recall correctly I put "tantas", attempting to agree with "una pizca" but it was the wrong answer. Is it possible that both might be acceptable in real world speech because of that ambiguity, or am I missing some clear difference?

(e.g. in English "This stew only needs one pinch of salt. Don't put too many" would sound a bit wrong, but technically would be correct for the same reason, in my opinion. Of course you'd usually hear "This stew only needs *a* pinch of salt. Don't put too much.". While salt is an uncountable noun (in most contexts), "pinch" is, of course, not!)

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Ellen M.B2Kwiziq community member

Poco/a vs. un/una poco/a

Hi, my understanding was that "un poco" was always used when poco was used as a pronoun, instead of as an adjective or adverb along with the explicit noun?

Ex:  Quieres arroz?  Si, un poco (de arroz).

Ex:  Solo quiero poco arroz.

Ex:  Necisito estudiar poco.

Is this not correct?

Thanks!!  

*(BTW, this website is so incredibly helpful. 

Asked 11 months ago
SilviaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Ellen

Your understanding is mostly correct, but there are some nuances to consider. "Un poco" is indeed used when poco is acting as a pronoun, and it typically follows the pattern you described. However, there are situations where "poco" without the article "un" can also be used as a pronoun, especially when the quantity is vague or unspecified. Let me break down your examples:

"¿Quieres arroz? Sí, un poco (de arroz)."

Here, "un poco" is used as a pronoun, indicating a quantity of rice.

"Solo quiero poco arroz."

In this case, "poco" is functioning more like an adjective modifying "arroz", specifying that you want a small quantity of rice.

"Necesito estudiar poco."

Here, "poco" is used as an adverb modifying the verb "estudiar", indicating that you need to study a little.

So, your understanding is indeed correct, but it's worth noting that sometimes "poco" can also function as a pronoun without the article "un" when the quantity is unspecified. I'm glad you find the website helpful! Here is also the associated lesson about this topic. If you have more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask!

Un saludo

Silvia

Ellen M. asked:

Poco/a vs. un/una poco/a

Hi, my understanding was that "un poco" was always used when poco was used as a pronoun, instead of as an adjective or adverb along with the explicit noun?

Ex:  Quieres arroz?  Si, un poco (de arroz).

Ex:  Solo quiero poco arroz.

Ex:  Necisito estudiar poco.

Is this not correct?

Thanks!!  

*(BTW, this website is so incredibly helpful. 

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D. A.A2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

subtle meaning change

I wonder what the purpose of the subtle but significant change of meaning in Tanta luz no es buena to mean "This much light is not good." instead of "So much light is not good?"

If one is hired as a translator, I don't think one would take it upon oneself to make a change of the speaker's meaning in such a way.

Asked 2 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola William 

These translations are very very similar. Sometimes you need to put yourself in the specific context when this is said. For example, in this sentence where we used "This much light..." rather than So much light (as literally "tanta" would be "so much") we have to think that this specific sentence would most likely be used by someone who is experiencing an excess of light at the moment of speaking, as if, all of a sudden you realize that having so much light in front of you may not be good for your eyes, or when taking a picture, just to mention some possible scenarios. In this case it would be more accurate to use "this much light", connecting it to the moment of speaking. 

We are aware that there is a limited space for examples in our lessons and sometimes these little nuances are not necessarily clear in a limited text, so this sort of doubt is understandable. We are very happy to explain with more detail if this happens. 

I hope this clarified it.

Saludos cordiales

Inma

D. A. asked:

subtle meaning change

I wonder what the purpose of the subtle but significant change of meaning in Tanta luz no es buena to mean "This much light is not good." instead of "So much light is not good?"

If one is hired as a translator, I don't think one would take it upon oneself to make a change of the speaker's meaning in such a way.

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Annie c.B2Kwiziq community member

demasiada vs demasiadas agreeing in gender and number

Miguel tiene una novia y tu tienes

demasiada ( incorrect answer).  The correct answer is demasiadas

Miguel has one girlfriend and you have too many.

Una novia is singular so why is my answer demasiada wrong.

Asked 2 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Annie

It's true that the noun in the first sentence is "novia", singular, because we are saying that Miguel has one girlfriend, but the second sentence is now using the plural to refer to this same word, as you see in the English "you have too many". In this case we need to express it in the plural as in saying "you have too many [girlfriends]": "tú tienes demasiadas [novias]"

I hope it clarifies it.

Saludos

Inma

Annie c. asked:

demasiada vs demasiadas agreeing in gender and number

Miguel tiene una novia y tu tienes

demasiada ( incorrect answer).  The correct answer is demasiadas

Miguel has one girlfriend and you have too many.

Una novia is singular so why is my answer demasiada wrong.

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Babita S.B1Kwiziq community member

Poco/poca and mucho/mucha

Mi abuela bebió poca Coca Cola pero yo bebí ________. My grandmother drank a little bit of coke but I drank a lot.

Why is it “mucha” not “mucho”? Is it because it modifies Coca Cola?

Asked 3 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Babita

Yes, exactly! Here mucha is a pronoun and needs to agree with "la Coca Cola", that was mentioned previously and is referring to it.

If we weren't referring to something specific, then we would use mucho as an adverb:

Mi abuela bebió poco pero yo bebí mucho.

My grandma drank a little but I drank a lot.  (adverbs)

Saludos

Babita S. asked:

Poco/poca and mucho/mucha

Mi abuela bebió poca Coca Cola pero yo bebí ________. My grandmother drank a little bit of coke but I drank a lot.

Why is it “mucha” not “mucho”? Is it because it modifies Coca Cola?

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Sanem A.A1Kwiziq community member

Hay demasiada fruta en la nevera .

Hay demasiada fruta en la nevera .

ıs that wrong sentence? why don't we say 'hay demasiadas frutas en la nevera'.?

because fruit is countable.ı think we should use 'many ' for countable and in spanish many is damasiada.

Asked 3 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Sanem

we generally use "fruta" in singular if we are referring to it in a general way (this way we see it as uncountable): demasiada fruta

If we used it in plural, "frutas", we'd probably say "hay demasiadas piezas de fruta en la nevera" demasiadas frutas sounds a bit odd in Spanish. 

Saludos

Sanem A.A1Kwiziq community member

sorry ,many is demasiadas.ı have mistaken final line.

Marsha C.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

The noun fruta is singular not plural. 

Sanem A. asked:

Hay demasiada fruta en la nevera .

Hay demasiada fruta en la nevera .

ıs that wrong sentence? why don't we say 'hay demasiadas frutas en la nevera'.?

because fruit is countable.ı think we should use 'many ' for countable and in spanish many is damasiada.

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Francis R.B1Kwiziq community member

Demasiado (agreeing in number and gender) vs demasiado (not agreeing with number and gender)

I’ve been getting the quantifiers mixed up with how to remember they do agree with the gender and plural when it’s applied. 

Especially for demasiado and poco. When is it that it does match the thing it’s describing; and when does it not? 

Kind regards, 

Fran 

Asked 4 years ago
InmaNative Spanish expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hola Fran,

Demasiado and poco agree in gender and number if they are adjectives. So if you see them accompanying a noun, they will be adjectives:

Tengo demasiadas monedas. (I have too many coins.)

Tengo pocas monedas. (I have [very] few coins.)

But if demasiado or poco don't accompany a noun, they will be modifying the verb, therefore they will be adverbs (not adjectives). In this case they stay the same:

He comido demasiado. (I ate too much.)

He comido poco. (I ate [very] little)

I hope this helped.

You can see here the lesson for when they are adverbs. Have a look

Saludos,

Inma

Francis R. asked:

Demasiado (agreeing in number and gender) vs demasiado (not agreeing with number and gender)

I’ve been getting the quantifiers mixed up with how to remember they do agree with the gender and plural when it’s applied. 

Especially for demasiado and poco. When is it that it does match the thing it’s describing; and when does it not? 

Kind regards, 

Fran 

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Korbel K.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

a lot of vs. lots of Mucho vs. Muchos

Tengo ________ chocolate, podemos compartirlo.I have lots of chocolate, we can share.This test question needs clarification.Here's the lesson:   -¿Hay muchas cervezas en el frigorífico? -Sí, hay bastantes.-Are there lots of beers in the fridge?  -Yes, there are quite a lot.muchamuchomuchosmuchas
Asked 5 years ago
SilviaNative Spanish expert teacher in Kwiziq

¡Hola Korbel!

Could you please explain a bit further your query?

Gracias,

Silvia

Korbel K. asked:

a lot of vs. lots of Mucho vs. Muchos

Tengo ________ chocolate, podemos compartirlo.I have lots of chocolate, we can share.This test question needs clarification.Here's the lesson:   -¿Hay muchas cervezas en el frigorífico? -Sí, hay bastantes.-Are there lots of beers in the fridge?  -Yes, there are quite a lot.muchamuchomuchosmuchas

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