[SPEAKING SPANISH] Adjectives of quantity. This tells us how many there are or how much there is of it. These adjectives, unlike descriptive adjectives, come before the nouns. And the most obvious examples are numbers. [SPEAKING SPANISH] and so forth. Numbers just have one form. For example, there's only [SPANISH] for five. There is no such thing as [SPANISH], [SPANISH], or [SPANISH]. [SPANISH] implies that there are five.
So the only number that you have to worry about changing forms is [SPANISH]. You've actually kind of already seen that as [SPANISH] shortens to [SPANISH] to describe a masculine noun, [SPANISH] for a feminine noun, and it changes to [SPANISH] and [SPANISH] for some to describe masculine and feminine plural nouns. [SPANISH] and [SPANISH] mean some. The most common adjectives of quantity are [SPANISH] and [SPANISH]. [SPANISH] means much. Or a lot of. The feminine form is [SPANISH]. [SPANISH] means a little of. The feminine is [SPANISH]. Those are the singular forms.
In their plural forms, they become [SPANISH], [SPANISH], which mean many. And [SPANISH] and [SPANISH], which mean few. A lot of money is [SPANISH]. A lot of food, [SPANISH]. A little money is [SPANISH]. And a little food, [SPANISH]. Many friends who are all males or who are both males and females in the same group would be [SPANISH]. How do you say many female friends? [SPEAKING SPANISH] Few male friends would be [SPANISH]. A few female friends would be [SPANISH].
In Spanish, adjectives of quantity, or amount, always come before nouns.
1a. Numbers
The most obvious are numbers: dos amigos, tres amigos, cuatro amigos, cinco amigos, etc. Numbers just have one form.
EXAMPLE
There is only "cinco" (five); there is no such thing as "cinca," "cincos," or "cincas."The only number that does change forms is the number "one," which we'll discuss later.
1b. Mucho and Poco
The most common adjectives of quantity that are not numbers are the words mucho and poco. The singular form of "mucho/mucha," means "much of" or "a lot of," while the singular form of "poco/poca" means "a little of." When they are in their plural forms, "muchos/muchas" means "many" and "pocos/pocas" means "few."
Note that the masculine plural forms can also refer to a mixed gender group.
EXAMPLE
"Muchos amigos" can refer to a group of male and female friends.Spanish Adjective and Noun | Number | Gender | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
mucho dinero | singular | masculine | much money |
mucha comida | singular | feminine | a lot of food |
poco dinero | singular | masculine | a little money |
poca comida | singular | feminine | a little food |
muchos amigos | plural | masculine | many male friends |
muchas amigas | plural | feminine | many female friends |
pocos amigos | plural | masculine | few male friends |
pocas amigas | plural | feminine | few female friends |
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Source: This content has been adapted from "Pharmacy Spanish" by Stephanie Langston.