Los adverbios de cantidad se usan para hablar sobre la cantidad aproximada de cosas.

(Adverbs of quantity are used to talk about the approximate amount of things.)

What are adverbs of quantity?

  • They tell you how much or how little of something there is.
  • In this unit you see:
    • mucho / mucha / muchos / muchas = a lot (of)
    • poco / poca / pocos / pocas = little / few
    • bastante = quite / enough / rather
    • nada = nothing / not … anything
  • They can work in two ways:
    • with a verb → as an adverb
    • with a noun → as an adjective of quantity

Step 1 – With verbs: easy form, no change

Here they answer: How much? about the action.

  • mucho and poco as adverbs:
    • Form: always mucho / poco (no change).
    • Position: usually after the verb.
Spanish Meaning Comment
Trabajo mucho. I work a lot. mucho = how much I work.
Hoy estudio poco. Today I study a little. poco = how much I study.
  • bastante with adjectives and adverbs:
    • Form: always bastante (no change).
    • Position: before the adjective or adverb.
Spanish Meaning
Este vino es bastante bueno. This wine is quite good.
Ella llega bastante tarde. She arrives quite late.
  • nada with verbs:
    • Used in a negative sentence.
    • Form: no + verb + nada.
Spanish Meaning
No compro nada. I don’t buy anything / I buy nothing.
Hoy no hago nada. Today I don’t do anything.
  • Quick self-check (verbs only):
    • If it answers How much do I do X? → use mucho, poco, nada, bastante and do not change the form.

Step 2 – With nouns: agree in gender and number

Now they answer: How much? / How many? about a thing (a noun).

  • mucho / mucha / muchos / muchas before a noun:
    • mucho + masculine singular noun
    • mucha + feminine singular noun
    • muchos + masculine plural noun
    • muchas + feminine plural noun
Spanish Meaning Why this form?
Tengo mucho dinero. I have a lot of money. dinero: masc. sing. → mucho
Tengo mucha agua. I have a lot of water. agua: fem. sing. → mucha
Tengo muchos amigos. I have many friends. amigos: masc. pl. → muchos
Tengo muchas tarjetas. I have many cards. tarjetas: fem. pl. → muchas
  • poco / poca / pocos / pocas before a noun:
    • Same pattern: agree with the noun.
Spanish Meaning Why this form?
Ana tiene poco dinero. Ana has little money. dinero: masc. sing. → poco
Hay poca leche en la nevera. There is little milk in the fridge. leche: fem. sing. → poca
Hay pocos clientes hoy. There are few customers today. clientes: masc. pl. → pocos
Visita pocas tiendas. He/She visits few shops. tiendas: fem. pl. → pocas
  • bastante with nouns (A1–A2 note):
    • Often used as invariable at this level: bastante dinero, bastante gente.
    • Later you may also see plural bastantes before plural nouns, but you do not need it yet.
  • Quick self-check (nouns):
    1. Find the noun (thing).
      • Example: dinero, leche, clientes, tarjetas.
    2. Ask: singular or plural? masculine or feminine?
    3. Choose the correct form:
      • masc. sing. → mucho / poco
      • fem. sing. → mucha / poca
      • masc. pl. → muchos / pocos
      • fem. pl. → muchas / pocas

Step 3 – Typical mistakes to avoid

  • 1. Forgetting agreement with nouns
    • mucha dinero → mucho dinero
    • muchos leche → mucha leche
  • 2. Using verb forms with nouns
    • With a verb: Trabajo mucho. (correct)
    • Not: Trabajo muchos. (wrong: verb + plural form)
  • 3. Using “nada” without “no”
    • Quiero comprar nada → No quiero comprar nada.
    • Hago nada hoy → No hago nada hoy.
  • 4. Changing “bastante” with adjectives
    • El menú es bastantos baratos → El menú es bastante barato.
    • bastante does not change with adjectives.

Step 4 – Fast decision guide

Use this when you speak or write.

  1. Look at the word after mucho / poco / bastante / nada:
    • If it is a verb → use mucho / poco / nada (no change).
    • If it is a noun → choose the agreeing form (mucho/a/os/as, poco/a/os/as).
    • If it is an adjective → use bastante (no change).
  2. Check if the sentence is negative:
    • For “nothing / not … anything” → use no + verb + nada.
Type Structure Example
Verb verb + mucho / poco Compro poco.
Noun mucho / mucha / muchos / muchas + noun Compro mucha fruta.
Adjective bastante + adjective Es bastante caro.
Negative no + verb + nada No compro nada.

Step 5 – Mini self-test

Cover the right column with your hand or a sheet of paper. Then check.

Try to say in Spanish… Check
I drink a lot of coffee. Bebo mucho café.
We work a lot. Trabajamos mucho.
There are few people in the shop. Hay pocas personas en la tienda.
This hotel is quite cheap. Este hotel es bastante barato.
I don’t buy anything today. No compro nada hoy.
  • If you made a mistake, ask:
    • Is it with a verb, a noun, or an adjective?
    • Did I need agreement or not?
    • Is the sentence negative?

What you should be able to do now

  • Use mucho / poco correctly after verbs.
  • Make mucho / mucha / muchos / muchas and poco / poca / pocos / pocas agree with nouns.
  • Use bastante before adjectives to say “quite / rather / fairly”.
  • Make negative sentences with no + verb + nada.
  • Quickly decide which form to use when you speak about prices, quantities and frequency.

If you can do this without thinking too much, you are ready to use these forms in conversation practice.

  1. "Mucho" and "poco" as adverbs do not change their form.
  2. "Mucho" and "poco" as adjectives agree in number and gender with the noun.
  3. The adverb "bastante" does not change its form when it is used with adjectives.
  4. The adverb "nada" does not change its form.
Adverbios de cantidad (Adverbs of quantity)Ejemplos (Examples)

Mucho / Muchos

Mucha / Muchas

Tengo mucho dinero. (I have a lot of money.)

Tú tienes muchas tarjetas. (You have many cards.)

Poco / Pocos

Poca / Pocas

Ana tiene poco dinero. (Ana has little money.)

Paco visita pocas tiendas. (Paco visits few shops.)

BastanteEste vino es bastante caro. (This wine is quite expensive.)
NadaNo quiero comprar nada. (I don’t want to buy anything.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Perdón, esta chaqueta es muy bonita, pero es ___ dinero para mí.

Excuse me, this jacket is very nice, but it's ___ for me.)

2. Hoy no compro ___ cosas; solo llevo ___ y pago en efectivo.

I don't buy ___ things today; I only have ___ and I pay in cash.)

3. —¿Quiere azúcar en el café? —No, gracias, no quiero ___ de azúcar; es muy caro aquí.

—Do you want sugar in your coffee? —No, thanks, I don't want ___ sugar; it's very expensive here.)

4. Este menú es ___ barato y no necesito pagar con tarjeta.

This menu is ___ cheap and I don't need to pay by card.)

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences by adding the adverb of quantity indicated in parentheses and changing the form if necessary (much, many, much, many, little, few, little, few, quite, none).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (mucho) Tengo trabajo hoy.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Tengo mucho trabajo hoy.
    (I have a lot of work today.)
  2. Hint Hint (mucha) En este mercado hay fruta.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    En este mercado hay mucha fruta.
    (There is a lot of fruit at this market.)
  3. Hint Hint (muchos) En esta calle hay coches.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    En esta calle hay muchos coches.
    (There are many cars on this street.)
  4. Hint Hint (pocos) En esta tienda hay clientes.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    En esta tienda hay pocos clientes.
    (There are few customers in this shop.)
  5. Hint Hint (bastante) Este piso es caro.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Este piso es bastante caro.
    (This flat is quite expensive.)
  6. Hint Hint (nada) En este bar no hay clientes.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    En este bar no hay nada de clientes.
    (There are no customers in this bar.)

Exercise 3: Grammar in action

Instruction: In pairs, discuss how much you spend and what you buy this month.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Estás en una tienda en España y miras precios de productos para comprar.
(You are in a shop in Spain looking at product prices to decide what to buy.)
Discuss
  • ¿Qué cosas compras mucho y qué cosas compras poco cada mes? (What things do you buy a lot of, and what things do you buy only a little of each month?)
  • En esta tienda, ¿qué productos son bastante caros y cuáles son bastante baratos? ¿Por qué? (In this shop, which products are fairly expensive and which are fairly cheap? Why?)
Useful words and phrases
  • Gasto mucho dinero en transporte. (I spend a lot of money on transport.)
  • Compro poca comida cara y bastante comida barata. (I buy little expensive food and quite a bit of cheap food.)
  • Pago con tarjeta, no pago nada en efectivo. (I pay by card; I don't use any cash.)
Use in conversation
  • mucho / poca / muchos / muchas (mucho / poca / muchos / muchas)
  • poco / poca / pocos / pocas (poco / poca / pocos / pocas)
  • bastante / nada (bastante / nada)

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