canto / canta / cantos / cantas
How Much and How Many
Ask about quantity with canto. It has four forms that match the noun: Cantos anos tes? (How old are you?), Cantas persoas veñen? (How many people are coming?)
How It Works
The four forms
- canto + masculine singular: Canto tempo tes? (How much time do you have?)
- canta + feminine singular: Canta auga bebes? (How much water do you drink?)
- cantos + masculine plural: Cantos irmáns tes? (How many brothers and sisters do you have?)
- cantas + feminine plural: Cantas persoas veñen? (How many people are coming?)
Check the gender of the noun, not of the English word. Auga (water) and xente (people) are feminine, so it is canta auga and canta xente. See noun gender.
Canto on its own. Without a noun, canto asks about price or amount: Canto custa? (How much does it cost?), Canto é? (How much is it?)
Age. Galician asks age with ter: Cantos anos tes? (How old are you?, literally "How many years do you have?") See saying your age.
Spelling. Canto has no accent and no u: not cuánto. After canto, a pronoun goes before the verb: Canto che custou? (How much did it cost you?)
Examples (6)
- Canto custa?
How much does it cost?
Word by Word: How-much costs?
- Cantos anos tes?
How old are you?
Word by Word: How-many years you-have?
- Cantas persoas veñen?
How many people are coming?
Word by Word: How-many people come?
Persoa is feminine, so the form is cantas.
- Canta auga bebes ao día?
How much water do you drink a day?
Auga is feminine singular, so the form is canta.
- Cantos irmáns tes?
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
- Canto é?
How much is it?
Common Mistakes
Using the masculine form with a feminine plural noun.
Cantos persoas veñen?Cantas persoas veñen?Persoa is feminine, so canto must be feminine plural: cantas.
Using the masculine form with a feminine singular noun.
Canto auga bebes?Canta auga bebes?Auga is feminine in Galician, so the matching form is canta.
Using the Spanish spelling cuánto.
Cuánto custa?Canto custa?The Galician word is canto: no u and no accent.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Canto agrees with the noun whose amount is requested.
Related Patterns
- ter + Number + anosSaying Your Age
Cantos anos tes? is the standard way to ask someone's age.
Level 1 - que / quen / onde / cando / comoQuestion Words
The other basic question words.
Level 1 - cal / calesWhich: Cal and Cales
The other question word that changes form, here only for number.
Level 1 - Numbers One to Ten
Numbers for answering how-many questions.
Level 1 - Noun Gender
Knowing a noun's gender tells you whether to use canto or canta.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice canto / canta / cantos / cantas in Bubblegum
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