Spanish Grammar
Expressions of quantity in Spanish: Muy and Mucho
Expressions of quantity in Spanish are numerous, but perhaps the most used ones are: muy and mucho. These words do not indicate a specific quantity but an indeterminate one. In addition, they can express whether an adjective or adverb is in the superlative degree.
In this grammar resource we are going to learn how they are combined with other words and whether they can have gender and number variations.
Expressions of Quantity in Spanish: Muy
The adverb muy is one of the expressions of quantity in Spanish that always complements an adjective or another adverb. It expresses the maximum or superlative degree of these words. It does not vary in gender or number, because it is an adverb.
Mi casa es muy grande y está muy cerca de aquí.
In the example above, the adverb muy accompanies an adjective (grande) and an adverb (cerca).
Expressions of Quantity in Spanish: Mucho
The word mucho expresses a large but indeterminate quantity. Unlike muy, it can have different grammatical categories and, therefore, different ways of using it. Let’s see them:
Adverb Mucho
Like muy, mucho can be an adverb. However, it always complements a verb. Therefore, we never use it before an adjective or adverb. Since it is an adverb, it also has no gender or number.
Yo siempre trabajo mucho.
In the previous sentence, the adverb mucho complements the verb trabajar.
Determiner Mucho
Besides being an adverb, it can also be a determiner. This type of word complements a noun and, therefore, must agree in gender and number with it.
Tengo muchos amigos y muchas amigas.
Both amigos and amigas are nouns. For this reason, muchos and muchas change their endings to adapt to the required gender and number.
Pronoun Mucho
Finally, the word mucho can also be a pronoun, since it can replace a noun. Consequently, it also varies in gender and number, depending on the noun it replaces.
—¿Tienes libros para preparar el examen DELE?
—En casa tengo muchos.
As we can see, muchos is a pronoun because it is replacing the noun libros. It must also adapt its form to the gender and number of that noun.
Now that we have learned what kind of words these expressions of quantity in Spanish are, muy and mucho should not be a problem. However, in a quick conversation, they might get confused. We suggest you reserve conversational classes on Spanishviaskype.com to test yourself. Seguro que vas a divertirte mucho y va a ser muy interesante.
