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
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 |
pocas |
Mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas = much / a lot of / 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 |
muchas |
Demasiado, demasiada, demasiados, demasiadas = too much / 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 |
demasiadas |
Tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas = so much / so 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 |
tantas |
Bastante, bastantes = enough/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/ |
Singular |
bastante enough (of) |
Plural |
bastantes |
Suficiente, suficientes = enough, sufficient
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/ |
Singular |
suficiente enough (of), sufficient |
Plural |
suficientes |
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).
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
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?
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
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?
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
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!)
Hola Adam
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!)
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
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.
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:
Here, "un poco" is used as a pronoun, indicating a quantity of rice.
In this case, "poco" is functioning more like an adjective modifying "arroz", specifying that you want a small quantity of rice.
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
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.
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
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.
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
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.
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
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.
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
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.
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Poco/poca and mucho/mucha
Why is it “mucha” not “mucho”? Is it because it modifies Coca Cola?
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
Poco/poca and mucho/mucha
Why is it “mucha” not “mucho”? Is it because it modifies Coca Cola?
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
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.
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
sorry ,many is demasiadas.ı have mistaken final line.
The noun fruta is singular not plural.
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.
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
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
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
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
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today
a lot of vs. lots of Mucho vs. Muchos
¡Hola Korbel!
Could you please explain a bit further your query?
Gracias,
Silvia
a lot of vs. lots of Mucho vs. Muchos
Sign in to submit your answer
Don't have an account yet? Join today