pouco / demasiado / bastante / varios
Quantity Words: Pouco, Demasiado and Bastante
Before a noun, quantity words agree with it: moita xente, poucos días, demasiadas cousas, bastantes libros, varias persoas. Before an adjective or after a verb they never change: demasiado caro, Come pouco. Before most adjectives, moito becomes moi: moi caro.
How It Works
Forms with a noun
- moito, moita, moitos, moitas: a lot of, many
- pouco, pouca, poucos, poucas: little, few
- demasiado, demasiada, demasiados, demasiadas: too much, too many
- bastante, bastantes: quite a lot of, enough (number only, no gender change)
- varios, varias: several (plural only)
As adverbs they do not change
After a verb: Traballa demasiado (she works too much), Come pouco (he eats little). Before an adjective: Esta casa é bastante grande, A sopa está demasiado quente. Remember that before an adjective "very" is moi, not moito.
Un pouco
Un pouco means "a little": Estou un pouco cansa (I'm a little tired). With a noun add de: un pouco de auga (a little water).
Cada
Cada never changes and takes a singular noun: cada día, cada persoa.
No article
Unlike todo, these words come straight before the noun: moitos días, not moitos os días.
Examples (6)
- Hai moita xente na praia.
There are a lot of people on the beach.
Xente is feminine singular, so moita.
- Quedan poucos días de vacacións.
There are only a few days of holiday left.
- Comín demasiados doces.
I ate too many sweets.
Demasiados agrees with doces.
- Temos bastantes libros en galego.
We have quite a lot of books in Galician.
Bastante only adds -s for the plural.
- Esta casa é bastante grande, pero é demasiado cara.
This house is quite big, but it is too expensive.
Before adjectives, bastante and demasiado do not change.
- Varias persoas preguntaron por ti.
Several people asked about you.
Varias agrees with persoas.
Common Mistakes
Making demasiado agree with an adjective.
A sopa está demasiada quente.A sopa está demasiado quente.Before an adjective, demasiado is an adverb and does not change.
Forgetting the plural of bastante before a plural noun.
Temos bastante libros.Temos bastantes libros.Before a plural noun, bastante becomes bastantes.
Using moi before a noun.
Había moi xente na festa.Había moita xente na festa.Moi goes only before adjectives and adverbs. Before a noun use moito, moita, moitos or moitas.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Quantity words agree with a noun but have unchanging adverbial uses.
Related Patterns
- abondoEnough: Abondo
Another way to say enough, placed after the word it refers to.
Level 4 - todo o / todos osAll and Every: Todo
A quantity word that, unlike these, is followed by the article.
Level 2 - Adjective Agreement
Before nouns these words agree just like adjectives.
Level 1 - canto / canta / cantos / cantasHow Much and How Many
The question word for how much and how many, which these words answer.
Level 1 - cadanseu / cadansúaEach Their Own: Cadanseu
A related word built on cada.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice pouco / demasiado / bastante / varios in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Galician lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
