Words to say how much

Words to say how much

Expressing Quantity in Spanish

Basic Quantifiers

  • Mucho is used to convey ‘a lot’, ‘much’ or ‘many’. It corresponds with the gender and quantity of the noun e.g. mucho dinero (too much money), muchas personas (many people).

  • Poco implies ‘little’ or ‘a few’. It too aligns with the gender and number of the noun - poco tiempo (little time), pocas manzanas (a few apples).

  • Todo means ‘all’ or ‘every’. Be aware of the femininity or masculinity and the singularity or plurality of the noun - todo el dia (all day), todas las noches (every night).

Comparative Quantifiers

  • Más and menos represent ‘more’ and ‘less’ respectively. They usually do not adjust according to the noun - más tiempo (more time), menos personas (less people).

  • Bastante signifies ‘enough’ or ‘quite’. It adjusts according to the noun - bastante agua (enough water), bastantes libros (quite a few books).

  • Tanto translates to ‘as much’ or ‘as many’. It modifies depending on the noun - tanto ruido (as much noise), tantas oportunidades (as many opportunities).

Other Quantifiers

  • Quantifiers like alguno, ninguno, varios, todos, otro, etc also need to adjust according to gender and quantity of the noun - algunos amigos (some friends), ninguna idea (no idea), varias veces (several times), todos los días (every day), otro libro (another book).

  • Remember, when describing a part of something, you would use parte de - parte de la manzana (part of the apple).

Cognates for Quantity

  • Finally, cognates can be very helpful for learners - words like multitud (multitude), cantidad (quantity), numero (number), can be recognised by their similar appearance to English words.

Remember to regularly practise these words in context to become more comfortable and proficient with their usage.