In today’s Spanish lesson we will learn how to express quantity using adverbs. Adverbs of quantity indicate different degrees of intensity in connection with the word to which they refer. They give us answer to ‘How much/ many?’ or ‘To what extent?’
These are the most common adverbs of quantity:
- Mucho – many, much, a lot
- Muy – very
- Demasiado – too much
- Bastante – enough, quite
- Algo – somewhat, slightly, a bit
- Un poco – a little, a few
- Poco – little, few
- Nada – nothing, at all
- Más – more
- Menos – less
Mi madre y yo somos bastante diferentes. (My mother and I are quite different.)
Esta camiseta es demasiado cara. (This T-shirt is too expensive.)
Spanish adverbs of quantity can modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. In case we use them with adjectives and adverbs, they go before those in a sentence.
Pedro cocina muy bien. (Pedro cooks very well.)
Me siento algo cansado. (I feel somewhat tired.)
Ramón no es nada tacaño. (Ramón is not stingy at all.)
Coser es un poco difícil para mí. (Sewing is a little difficult for me.)
However, together with verbs, the adverb of quantity is placed after the verb.
Amparo duerme mucho. (Amparo sleeps a lot.)
Carmen trabaja algo, pero poco. (Carmen works a bit, but not much.)
Nacho habla demasiado. (Nacho talks too much.)
Note that muy is used only with adjectives and adverbs, whereas mucho only with verbs.
Miguel es muy listo. (Miguel is very smart.)
Me gusta mucho la comida española. (I like Spanish food a lot.)
Be careful. Un poco has usually a positive meaning, whereas poco has a negative meaning.
Estos zapatos cuestan un poco. (These shoes cost something. These shoes are little expensive.)
Estos zapatos cuestan poco. (These shoes cost little. These shoes don’t cost much.)
Soy un poco insegura. (I’m a little uncertain.)
Soy poco insegura. (= Soy segura.)
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