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Intermediate

Quantifiers

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dū/全quán for universal, 一yī点diǎn/有yǒu些xiē for existential, and 不bù/没méi 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 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dū / 全quán / 所suǒ有yǒu)

都dōu is an adverb that quantifies over a preceding noun phrase:

大dà家jiā都dōu来lái了le。(Everyone came.)
每měi个ge人rén都dōu知zhī道dào。(Every person knows. — 都dū required)
我wǒ们men全quán去qù。(We all go.)
所suǒ有yǒu的de书shū (all the books)

Pattern: Universal NP + 都dū + predicate

Existential (一yī些xiē / 有yǒu些xiē / 几jī个gè)

	Usage	Example
一yì些xiē	some	一yì些xiē人rén (some people)
有yǒu些xiē	some (topic-comment)	有yǒu些xiē事shì (some things)
几jǐ个gè	a few	几jǐ个ge人rén (a few people)
一yì点diǎn	a little	一yì点diǎn水shuǐ (a little water)

Negative quantification

什shí么mó…都dū/也yě + Neg (universal negative):

我wǒ什shén么me都dōu不bù知zhī道dào。(I don’t know anything.)
他tā什shén么me也yě没méi说shuō。(He didn’t say anything.)
哪nǎ儿er都dōu不bù去qù。(Not going anywhere.)

谁shuí / 什shí么mó / 哪nǎ儿ér / 什shí么mó时shí候hòu + 都dū/也yě + Neg:

谁shéi都dōu不bù来lái。(Nobody is coming.)
什shén么me时shí候hou都dōu可kě以yǐ。(Anytime is fine. — positive free choice)

不bù / 没méi as negative quantifier

没méi有yǒu人rén (nobody)
没méi有yǒu东dōng西xi (nothing)
什shén么me都dōu没méi有yǒu (have nothing at all)

任rèn何hé (free-choice any)

任rèn何hé = any (free choice, usually in positive or conditional):

任rèn何hé人rén都dōu可kě以yǐ。(Anyone can.)
任rèn何hé时shí候hou (anytime)

俩liǎng (two of them)

俩liǎ = two (colloquial contraction of 两liǎng个gè):

我wǒ们men俩liǎ (the two of us)
这zhè俩liǎ (these two)

Comparison at a glance

Quantifier	Spanish	English	Chinese
All	todo(s)	all / every / each	都dū / 所suǒ有yǒu
Some	algún / algunos	some / a few	一yī些xiē / 几jī个gè
Any (NPI)	alguno (affirm) / ninguno (neg)	any	什shí么mó…都dū/也yě
Any (free choice)	cualquiera	any	任rèn何hé
None / no	ninguno / nadie / nada	none / nobody / nothing	没méi有yǒu / 什shí么mó都dū不bù
Both	ambos / los dos	both / either / neither	两liǎng个gè都dū
Many	muchos	many / a lot of	很hěn多duō
Few / little	pocos / poco	few / little / a few / a little	很hěn少shǎo / 一yī点diǎn
Every + N	todo el / cada	every + N	每měi + N + 都dū

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
Todos vinieron. / Vino todo el mundo.	Everyone came. / They all came.	大dà家jiā都dū来lái了le。
No tengo nada. / No tengo ninguno.	I don’t have anything. / I have nothing.	我wǒ什shí么mó都dū没méi有yǒu。
Algunas personas vinieron. / Vino alguna gente.	Some people came. / A few people came.	有yǒu些xiē人rén来lái了le。

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dū: 每měi个gè人rén来lái → 每měi个gè人rén都dū来lái
Chinese speakers learning English: Using any in affirmative: I have any → I have some

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dū / 全quán / 所suǒ有yǒu

Some

一yī些xiē / 有yǒu些xiē / 几jī个gè

Any

任rèn何hé (free-choice) / 什shí么mó (NPI in questions/neg)

None / no

没méi有yǒu / 什shí么mó都dū不bù / 谁shuí都dū不bù

Both

两liǎng个gè都dū / 两liǎng边biān

Many / much

很hěn多duō / 许xǔ多duō / 太tài多duō

Few / little

很hěn少shǎo / 一yī点diǎn

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
All	todo(s) / toda(s)	all / every / each	都dū / 全quán / 所suǒ有yǒu
Some	algún / algunos / algo	some / a few / several	一yī些xiē / 有yǒu些xiē / 几jī个gè
Any	alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative)	any (free-choice & NPI)	任rèn何hé (free-choice) / 什shí么mó (NPI in questions/neg)
None / no	ninguno / nadie / nada	none / nobody / nothing	没méi有yǒu / 什shí么mó都dū不bù / 谁shuí都dū不bù
Both	ambos / los dos	both / either / neither	两liǎng个gè都dū / 两liǎng边biān
Many / much	muchos / mucho	many / much / a lot of / lots of	很hěn多duō / 许xǔ多duō / 太tài多duō
Few / little	pocos / poco	few / little / a few / a little	很hěn少shǎo / 一yī点diǎn

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
All	todo(s) / toda(s)	all / every / each	都dū / 全quán / 所suǒ有yǒu
Some	algún / algunos / algo	some / a few / several	一yī些xiē / 有yǒu些xiē / 几jī个gè
Any	alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative)	any (free-choice & NPI)	任rèn何hé (free-choice) / 什shí么mó (NPI in questions/neg)
None / no	ninguno / nadie / nada	none / nobody / nothing	没méi有yǒu / 什shí么mó都dū不bù / 谁shuí都dū不bù
Both	ambos / los dos	both / either / neither	两liǎng个gè都dū / 两liǎng边biān
Many / much	muchos / mucho	many / much / a lot of / lots of	很hěn多duō / 许xǔ多duō / 太tài多duō
Few / little	pocos / poco	few / little / a few / a little	很hěn少shǎo / 一yī点diǎn

Examples in context

All

Spanish

todo(s) / toda(s)

English

all / every / each

Chinese

都dū / 全quán / 所suǒ有yǒu

Some

Spanish

algún / algunos / algo

English

some / a few / several

Chinese

一yī些xiē / 有yǒu些xiē / 几jī个gè

Any

Spanish

alguno (affirmative) / ninguno (negative)

English

any (free-choice & NPI)

Chinese

任rèn何hé (free-choice) / 什shí么mó (NPI in questions/neg)

None / no

Spanish

ninguno / nadie / nada

English

none / nobody / nothing

Chinese

没méi有yǒu / 什shí么mó都dū不bù / 谁shuí都dū不bù

Both

Spanish

ambos / los dos

English

both / either / neither

Chinese

两liǎng个gè都dū / 两liǎng边biān

Many / much

Spanish

muchos / mucho

English

many / much / a lot of / lots of

Chinese

很hěn多duō / 许xǔ多duō / 太tài多duō

Few / little

Spanish

pocos / poco

English

few / little / a few / a little

Chinese

很hěn少shǎo / 一yī点diǎn

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Chinese 都 (dū) differ from English 'all' in its syntactic position?

Chinese <ruby>都<rt>dū</rt></ruby> is an adverb that must follow the subject, not precede it: <ruby>他<rt>tā</rt></ruby><ruby>们<rt>men</rt></ruby><ruby>都<rt>dū</rt></ruby><ruby>来<rt>lái</rt></ruby><ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> (They all came). English 'all' can precede or follow the subject: 'All of them came' or 'They all came.' Spanish *todos* behaves like English: *Todos vinieron* or *Vinieron todos.* Chinese learners of English may misplace 'all' ('All they came'), and English learners of Chinese must remember that <ruby>都<rt>dū</rt></ruby> cannot precede the subject.

Why does English make a polarity distinction between 'some' and 'any' while Spanish and Chinese do not?

English restricts 'some' to affirmative sentences and requires 'any' in negatives and questions: 'I have some time' vs 'I don't have any time.' Spanish uses *algún* and *ningún* similarly, but the distinction is less strict: *¿Tienes algún problema?* (Do you have some problem?). Chinese has no such polarity restriction: <ruby>有<rt>yǒu</rt></ruby><ruby>些<rt>xiē</rt></ruby> works in both affirmative and negative contexts. Chinese learners of English must acquire the some/any rule, while Spanish learners find it mostly familiar but must learn the stricter English pattern.

What makes the 'few / a few' and 'little / a little' distinction so confusing for non-English speakers?

English 'few' and 'little' (without article) imply scarcity and often a negative evaluation: 'Few students passed' (disappointing). 'A few' and 'a little' imply a small but sufficient amount: 'A few students passed' (better than none). Spanish makes a similar distinction with *pocos* vs *unos pocos*, but it is less systematic. Chinese does not mark this distinction at all: <ruby>几<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>个<rt>gè</rt></ruby> (a few) is neutral. A Chinese speaker will not intuit the evaluative difference in English, and a Spanish speaker may underuse the article distinction.

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

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numbers determiners

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

Universal (todo / todos)

Existential (alguno / algunos)

Negative (ninguno / nadie / nada)

Mucho / poco

Ambos / los dos (both)

English

All / every / each

Some / any

Few / a few / little / a little

None / nobody / nothing

Both / either / neither

Many / much / a lot of

Chinese

Universal (都dū / 全quán / 所suǒ有yǒu)

Existential (一yī些xiē / 有yǒu些xiē / 几jī个gè)

Negative quantification

不bù / 没méi as negative quantifier

任rèn何hé (free-choice any)

俩liǎng (two of them)

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References