Topics
IntermediateQuantifiers
How quantity and scope are expressed in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Every language divides quantity into definite, indefinite, universal and negative. Spanish and English have similar systems but differ in negative polarity. Chinese uses 都/全 for universal, 一点/有些 for existential, and 不/没 for negative.
Overview
Quantifiers express quantity: all, some, none, many, few. They interact with negation in complex ways.
- Spanish: Alguno (some/any) changes to ninguno (none) in negative contexts. Todo agrees in gender and number. Negative concord means multiple negatives reinforce each other.
- English: The some/any distinction depends on polarity (affirmative, negative, interrogative). Few/a few and little/a little have opposite implications. No negative concord.
- Chinese: 都 is the universal quantifier adverb. 什么…都/也 creates universal negation. No count/mass distinction. Negation uses 不/没 depending on aspect.
Spanish
Universal (todo / todos)
Todo agrees and can be adjective, pronoun, or noun:
- Todo el mundo (everyone — masculine singular)
- Todas las personas (all the people — feminine plural)
- Todo está bien. (Everything is fine.)
- Lo dijo todo. (He said it all.)
Existential (alguno / algunos)
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| algún | before masc sing noun | algún día (some day) |
| alguno | pronoun or after noun | alguno de ellos (some of them) |
| algunos | plural noun or pronoun | algunos libros (some books) |
| algo | thing (invariable) | algo interesante (something interesting) |
| alguien | person (invariable) | alguien vino (someone came) |
Negative (ninguno / nadie / nada)
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ningún / ninguno | none / no (thing) | ningún problema (no problem) |
| nadie | nobody | No vino nadie. (Nobody came.) |
| nada | nothing | No dijo nada. (He said nothing.) |
| nunca | never | Nunca viene. (He never comes.) |
| tampoco | neither / not either | Yo tampoco. (Me neither.) |
Negative concord: Multiple negatives reinforce:
- No vi nada. (I saw nothing. — lit. “I didn’t see nothing”)
- No vino nadie nunca. (Nobody ever came.)
- No dijo nada a nadie. (He said nothing to nobody.)
Note: This is grammatical in Spanish but would be double negative (≠ positive) in English.
Mucho / poco
| Count plural | Mass singular | |
|---|---|---|
| much | muchos libros | mucho dinero |
| little/few | pocos libros | poco dinero |
| a lot of | muchos | mucho |
| too much | demasiados | demasiado |
Ambos / los dos (both)
- Ambos vinieron. (Both came.)
- Los dos están aquí. (Both are here.)
- A ambos les gusta. (Both like it.)
English
All / every / each
| Usage | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| all | whole group, plural | all the books |
| every | individual in group, sing | every book |
| each | individual emphasis, sing | each book |
Note: Every and each take singular verbs:
- Every student has a book.
- Each of them is here.
Some / any
| Affirmative | Negative | Question | |
|---|---|---|---|
| some | ✅ I have some. | ❌ | ✅ Would you like some? |
| any | ✅ Any student can. | ✅ I don’t have any. | ✅ Do you have any? |
Any in affirmative (free-choice):
- Any student can solve this. (= every)
- Take any book you want. (= whichever)
Some in question (offer/expectation):
- Would you like some coffee? (offer)
- Did someone call? (expectation of yes)
Few / a few / little / a little
| Negative implication | Positive implication | |
|---|---|---|
| count | few | a few |
| mass | little | a little |
- Few people came. (disappointing — not many)
- A few people came. (positive — some did)
- There’s little water. (worrying — not much)
- There’s a little water. (reassuring — some exists)
None / nobody / nothing
- None of them is / are here. (singular or plural verb)
- Nobody knows.
- Nothing happened.
Note: English uses any-word + not, not double negative:
- ✅ I don’t have anything.
- ❌ I don’t have nothing. (non-standard)
Both / either / neither
| Meaning | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| both | the two, together | Both are good. |
| either | one or the other | Either is fine. |
| neither | not either | Neither is good. |
Neither…nor:
- Neither John nor Mary came.
- I like neither tea nor coffee.
Verb agreement: closest subject determines agreement
- Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.
Many / much / a lot of
| Count plural | Mass singular | |
|---|---|---|
| formal many/much | many books | much water |
| informal a lot of / lots of | a lot of books | a lot of water |
Chinese
Universal (都 / 全 / 所有)
都 is an adverb that quantifies over a preceding noun phrase:
- 大家都来了。(Everyone came.)
- 每个人都知道。(Every person knows. — 都 required)
- 我们全去。(We all go.)
- 所有的书 (all the books)
Pattern: Universal NP + 都 + predicate
Existential (一些 / 有些 / 几个)
| Usage | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| 一些 | some | 一些人 (some people) |
| 有些 | some (topic-comment) | 有些事 (some things) |
| 几个 | a few | 几个人 (a few people) |
| 一点 | a little | 一点水 (a little water) |
Negative quantification
什么…都/也 + Neg (universal negative):
- 我什么都不知道。(I don’t know anything.)
- 他什么也没说。(He didn’t say anything.)
- 哪儿都不去。(Not going anywhere.)
谁 / 什么 / 哪儿 / 什么时候 + 都/也 + Neg:
- 谁都不来。(Nobody is coming.)
- 什么时候都可以。(Anytime is fine. — positive free choice)
不 / 没 as negative quantifier
- 没有人 (nobody)
- 没有东西 (nothing)
- 什么都没有 (have nothing at all)
任何 (free-choice any)
任何 = any (free choice, usually in positive or conditional):
- 任何人都可以。(Anyone can.)
- 任何时候 (anytime)
俩 (two of them)
俩 = two (colloquial contraction of 两个):
- 我们俩 (the two of us)
- 这俩 (these two)
Comparison at a glance
| Quantifier | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | todo(s) | all / every / each | 都 / 所有 |
| Some | algún / algunos | some / a few | 一些 / 几个 |
| Any (NPI) | alguno (affirm) / ninguno (neg) | any | 什么…都/也 |
| Any (free choice) | cualquiera | any | 任何 |
| None / no | ninguno / nadie / nada | none / nobody / nothing | 没有 / 什么都不 |
| Both | ambos / los dos | both / either / neither | 两个都 |
| Many | muchos | many / a lot of | 很多 |
| Few / little | pocos / poco | few / little / a few / a little | 很少 / 一点 |
| Every + N | todo el / cada | every + N | 每 + N + 都 |
Examples in context
Everyone came
- ES: Todos vinieron. / Vino todo el mundo.
- EN: Everyone came. / They all came.
- ZH: 大家都来了。
I have nothing
- ES: No tengo nada. / No tengo ninguno.
- EN: I don’t have anything. / I have nothing.
- ZH: 我什么都没有。
Some people came
- ES: Algunas personas vinieron. / Vino alguna gente.
- EN: Some people came. / A few people came.
- ZH: 有些人来了。
Common mistakes
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Double negative: I don’t have nothing → I don’t have anything
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Using some in negative: No tengo some → No tengo ninguno
-
English speakers learning Chinese: Omitting 都: 每个人来 → 每个人都来
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Using any in affirmative: I have any → I have some
Related topics
- Negation: How quantifiers interact with negation
- Numbers: How quantifiers combine with numerals
- Articles: How definiteness interacts with quantity
- Plurals: How plural marking works with quantifiers
Examples
All
todo(s) / toda(s)
Some
algún / algunos / algo
Any
alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative)
None / no
ninguno / nadie / nada
Both
ambos / los dos
Many / much
muchos / mucho
Few / little
pocos / poco
Examples
All
all / every / each
Some
some / a few / several
Any
any (free-choice & NPI)
None / no
none / nobody / nothing
Both
both / either / neither
Many / much
many / much / a lot of / lots of
Few / little
few / little / a few / a little
Examples
All
都 / 全 / 所有
Some
一些 / 有些 / 几个
Any
任何 (free-choice) / 什么 (NPI in questions/neg)
None / no
没有 / 什么都不 / 谁都不
Both
两个都 / 两边
Many / much
很多 / 许多 / 太多
Few / little
很少 / 一点
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | todo(s) / toda(s) | all / every / each | 都 / 全 / 所有 |
| Some | algún / algunos / algo | some / a few / several | 一些 / 有些 / 几个 |
| Any | alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative) | any (free-choice & NPI) | 任何 (free-choice) / 什么 (NPI in questions/neg) |
| None / no | ninguno / nadie / nada | none / nobody / nothing | 没有 / 什么都不 / 谁都不 |
| Both | ambos / los dos | both / either / neither | 两个都 / 两边 |
| Many / much | muchos / mucho | many / much / a lot of / lots of | 很多 / 许多 / 太多 |
| Few / little | pocos / poco | few / little / a few / a little | 很少 / 一点 |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | todo(s) / toda(s) | all / every / each | 都 / 全 / 所有 |
| Some | algún / algunos / algo | some / a few / several | 一些 / 有些 / 几个 |
| Any | alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative) | any (free-choice & NPI) | 任何 (free-choice) / 什么 (NPI in questions/neg) |
| None / no | ninguno / nadie / nada | none / nobody / nothing | 没有 / 什么都不 / 谁都不 |
| Both | ambos / los dos | both / either / neither | 两个都 / 两边 |
| Many / much | muchos / mucho | many / much / a lot of / lots of | 很多 / 许多 / 太多 |
| Few / little | pocos / poco | few / little / a few / a little | 很少 / 一点 |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
All
Spanish
todo(s) / toda(s)
English
all / every / each
Chinese
都 / 全 / 所有
Some
Spanish
algún / algunos / algo
English
some / a few / several
Chinese
一些 / 有些 / 几个
Any
Spanish
alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative)
English
any (free-choice & NPI)
Chinese
任何 (free-choice) / 什么 (NPI in questions/neg)
None / no
Spanish
ninguno / nadie / nada
English
none / nobody / nothing
Chinese
没有 / 什么都不 / 谁都不
Both
Spanish
ambos / los dos
English
both / either / neither
Chinese
两个都 / 两边
Many / much
Spanish
muchos / mucho
English
many / much / a lot of / lots of
Chinese
很多 / 许多 / 太多
Few / little
Spanish
pocos / poco
English
few / little / a few / a little
Chinese
很少 / 一点
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Alguno (some/any) changes to ninguno (none) in negative contexts. Todo agrees in gender and number. Negative concord means multiple negative...
English: The some/any distinction depends on polarity (affirmative, negative, interrogative). Few/a few and little/a little have opposite implication...
Chinese: 都dū is the universal quantifier adverb. 什shí么mó...都dū/也yě creates universal negation. No count/mass distinction. Negation uses 不bù/没méi depe...
Key concepts compared: All, Some, Any.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026