There are words in Spanish which change their meaning simply by adding a written accent. Let's look at cuanto vs cuánto.
Spanish cuánto/-a/-os/-as with an accent
Cuánto is an interrogative adjective used in direct and indirect questions and exclamatory sentences, meaning "how much/how many", for example:
Direct questions
Indirect questions
Exclamatory sentences
As an adjective, there is always agreement with the noun it is accompanying.
Note that cuánto can also be used as a pronoun:
Spanish cuanto/-a/-os/-as without an accent
If we use cuanto/-a/-os/-as without an accent, as a relative adjective or pronoun, the meaning is no longer how much/how many, although it is still expressing quantity: "as much/as many.../all...". For example:
It is important to note that the use of cuanto/-a/-os/-as is more formal than the more common use of "todo/-a/-os/-as". For example, we could express the same idea like this:
Coge cuanta comida quieras.
Coge toda la comida que quieras.
Take all the food you want/as much food as you want.
En la fiesta hablé con cuantas personas me presentaron.
En la fiesta hablé con todas las personas que me presentaron.
At the party I talked to all the people/everyone I was introduced to.
Todo cuanto/toda cuanta/todos cuantos/todas cuantas
We often use it with todo/-a/-os/-as, also meaning "all/everything". For example:
Bear in mind that when using it this way, you cannot place any noun after todo or between todo and cuanto. These are incorrect:
Llévate todas magdalenas cuantas quieras para tus hijos.
Llévate todas cuantas magdalenas quieras para tus hijos.
See also:
- Using todo, toda, todos and todas to say all, every and the whole (indefinite adjectives)
- Using todo to say everything or all (of it) (indefinite pronoun)
For other uses of "as much/as many" in comparative sentences see:
For different uses of cuanto and cuánto see:
- Cuanto/mientras más/cuanto menos... for The more/The less... in Spanish
- En cuanto/apenas/tan pronto como for as soon as in Spanish (subordinate time clauses)
- Using unos cuantos/unas cuantas + noun for "a few" (quantitative adjectives)
- Using Cuánto + verb in exclamations about quantities in Spanish
- Using Cuánto + noun in exclamations about quantities in Spanish
- Using cuánto + noun to ask how much/how many in Spanish (interrogative adjective)
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