👉 How to express quantity in Spanish?
– Useful phrases and expressions –
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1. Adjectives of quantity
In Spanish, adjectives agree with the noun they qualify.
List of adjectives used to express quantity (singular / plural) :
MASCULINE : Mucho / Muchos
FEMININE : Mucha / Muchas
MASCULINE : Poco / Pocos
FEMININE : Poca / Pocas
MASCULINE : Demasiado / Demasiados
FEMININE : Demasiada / Demasiadas
MASCULINE : Bastante / Bastante
FEMININE : Bastante / Bastantes
Examples :
– We ate very little sugar ==> Comimos poco azúcar.
– There is too much cream in this cake ==> Hay demasiada nata en este pastel.
– There are too many people in this town ==> Hay demasiado gente en esta cuidad.
– There is enough to drink for everyone ==> Hay bastante bebidas para todos.
2. Adverbs
Adverbs, unlike adjectives, are always invariable.
List of the most commonly used adverbs to express quantity:
Mucho ==> Many
Poco ==> A little
Bastante ==> Enough
Demasiado / Harto ==> Too much
Muy ==> Very much
Más ==> More
Menos ==> Less
Tan… como ==> If, too
Tanto ==> As much
Algo ==> A little
Apenas ==> Barely
Medio ==> Half
Nada ==> Not at all, nothing
Cuan, Cuanto ==> How much
Examples :
– El tema de la pelÃcula te interesa mucho ==> The theme of the film interests me a lot.
– Hemos visto poco sol esos últimos dÃas ==> We haven’t seen much sunshine in the last few days.
– Él juega bastante bien al tenis ==> He plays tennis quite well.
– Estoy demasiado cansado para hacer deporte ==> I’m too tired to play sports
– Es una pintura muy interesante ==> This painting is very interesting.
– Mi vecina es más agradable que mi vecino ==> My (female) neighbor is nicer than my (male) neighbor.
– Compré menos frutas que la última vez ==> I bought less fruit than last time.
– La prevención es tan importante como la represión ==> Prevention is as important as punishment.
– No quiero tanto azúcar en elcafé ==> I don’t want so much sugar in the coffee.
– Juan sabe algo de francés ==> Juan speaks a little French.
– Hace apenas una semana fui a Francia ==> I’ve only been in France for a week.
– Compré media piña en el supermercado ==> I bought half a pineapple at the supermarket.
– No hay nada que ver ==> There is nothing to see
– No sabes cuan alto es ==> You don’t know how big it is
3. Adverbial phrases
An adverbial phrase is a sequence of words that is equivalent to an adverb. Like the latter, it is invariable.
The most common locutions to express quantity are :
Cada vez más ==> More and more
Cada vez menos ==> Less and less
Cuando más / A lo sumo ==> At most
Cuando menos / A lo menos ==> At the very least
Más o menos ==> More or less
Poco a poco ==> Little by little
Poquito a poquito ==> Little by little
Al por mayor ==> Roughly
Al por menor ==> In detail
Examples :
– El calor se siente cada vez más ==> The heat is felt more and more
– El jefe nos pidió un resumen al por mayor de la situación actual ==> The boss asked us for an outline of the current situation.
– Estoy más o menos atento ==> I am more or less attentive
– A lo sumo me puede hacer un descuento de diez euros ==> He can give me a discount of 10 euros maximum
4. Particular turns of phrase
* When Medio precedes an adjective or a past participle, it remains invariable in Spanish.
- Esta chica es medio loca ==> This girl is half crazy.
* When Más or Menos are followed by a numeral that expresses quantity, the preposition “de” is used.
- No quiere menos de veinte dólares ==> he doesn’t want less than twenty dollars.
* The expression “CAN’T STAND” ==> To translate this expression, the following structure is used:  Ya no + verb + más + noun
- Ya no suporto más el calor ==> I can’t stand the heat anymore.
* “NO MORE” in elliptical sentences : here, “No more…” translates into “No más…” or “Nada de…”
- No more lies! ==> ¡ No más mentiras ! // No racism! ==> ¡ Nada de racismo !
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