muito/pouco

Muito/Pouco Agreement

Level 2

Muito (much/many/very) and pouco (little/few) have two roles: they describe quantity (nouns) or intensity (verbs/adjectives). When describing quantity, they must agree in gender and number with the noun.

How It Works

Pronunciation Note: The word muito is an exception in Portuguese pronunciation. It is pronounced with a strong nasal sound, as if it were spelled 'muinto'.

In Portuguese, words like muito and pouco function differently depending on their role in the sentence:

1. As Adjectives (Quantifiers): They modify nouns and must match the noun's gender and number. Use the singular forms (muito/muita, pouco/pouca) for uncountable nouns (like water, time, hunger) and the plural forms (muitos/muitas, poucos/poucas) for countable nouns (like books, people).

  • Muito café (Masc. Sing. - Uncountable)
  • Muita fome (Fem. Sing. - Uncountable)
  • Muitos livros (Masc. Plur. - Countable)
  • Muitas pessoas (Fem. Plur. - Countable)
  • Poucos amigos (Masc. Plur. - Countable)
  • Poucas opções (Fem. Plur. - Countable)

2. As Pronouns: When they stand alone to replace a noun, they still agree with the noun they refer to.

  • Você tem canetas? Tenho muitas. (Referring to 'canetas')
  • Ele tem dinheiro? Não, tem pouco. (Referring to 'dinheiro')

3. As Adverbs (Intensifiers): They modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. In this role, they are invariable (they never change).

  • Ela corre muito. (Modifying a verb)
  • Ele estuda pouco. (Modifying a verb)
  • Elas são muito inteligentes. (Modifying an adjective)
  • Eles são pouco simpáticos. (Modifying an adjective)
  • Isto é muito melhor. (Modifying a comparative)

4. Special Constructions & Nuances:

  • Pouco vs. Um pouco: Pouco often has a negative connotation meaning 'not enough' or 'little' (e.g., Tenho pouco tempo - I have little time). Um pouco (de) has a neutral or positive connotation meaning 'a little' or 'some' (e.g., Quero um pouco de água - I want a little water). Note that in this phrase, pouco acts as a fixed noun phrase and is always masculine singular, regardless of the noun that follows. While you might hear uma pouca de in some regional or colloquial dialects, it is best for learners to stick to the standard invariable um pouco de.
  • The Noun Trap: English 'very' often translates to the adjective muito/a when describing states like hunger (fome), thirst (sede), or sleepiness (sono) because these are nouns in Portuguese. You must use the verbs ter (to have) or estar com (to be with) instead of the verb 'to be'. For example: Eu tenho muita fome (I have a lot of hunger = I am very hungry).
  • The 'Muito obrigada' Trap: When modifying the adjective obrigado/a (thank you), muito acts as an adverb and is invariable. Therefore, a woman must say muito obrigada, never muita obrigada.
  • Combining Muito and Pouco: When you want to say 'very few' or 'very little', you can combine them. In this case, muito acts as an invariable adverb ('very'), while pouco acts as an adjective that agrees with the noun. For example: muito poucas pessoas (very few people) or muito pouco tempo (very little time).

Examples (6)

  1. Eu estou com muita fome agora.

    I am very hungry now.

    Word by Word: I am with much hunger now.

    Since 'fome' is a feminine noun, we use the feminine adjective muita instead of an adverb.

  2. As professoras são muito simpáticas.

    The teachers are very nice.

    Word by Word: The teachers are very nice.

    Even though 'professoras' is feminine plural, muito is an adverb modifying the adjective 'simpáticas', so it remains invariable.

  3. Você quer bolachas? Não, eu já comi muitas.

    Do you want cookies? No, I already ate many.

    Word by Word: You want cookies? No, I already ate many.

    When acting as a pronoun, muitas must still agree with the noun it replaces (bolachas).

  4. Nós temos pouca sorte hoje.

    We have little luck today.

    Word by Word: We have little luck today.

    Pouca agrees with the feminine singular noun 'sorte'.

  5. Eles estudam muito para a prova.

    They study a lot for the test.

    Word by Word: They study much for the test.

    Muito is an adverb modifying the verb 'estudam', so it does not change.

  6. Há poucas pessoas na rua.

    There are few people on the street.

    Word by Word: There are few people on the street.

    The quantifier poucas agrees with the feminine plural noun 'pessoas'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'muito' as an adverb with nouns like 'fome' or 'sede'.

    Eu estou muito fome.
    Eu estou com muita fome.

    In Portuguese, states like hunger (fome), thirst (sede), and cold (frio) are nouns, not adjectives. Therefore, you must use the adjective form 'muita' or 'muito' to agree with the noun, rather than the adverbial 'very'.

  • Using 'muitas' to modify an adjective because the subject is feminine.

    Elas são muitas bonitas.
    Elas são muito bonitas.

    When 'muito' means 'very' and modifies an adjective, it is an adverb and never changes, regardless of the subject.

  • Changing 'muito' to agree with the speaker in 'Muito obrigado/a'.

    Muita obrigada.
    Muito obrigada.

    'Obrigado/a' is the adjective that changes based on the speaker's gender. 'Muito' is the adverb modifying it and must remain masculine singular.

How It Connects

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muito/poucoLevel 2Muito/Pouco Agreement

Learn This First

To learn 'muito' and 'pouco' agreement, you must first understand the basic rules of Portuguese noun-adjective agreement, including how to identify noun gender and form plurals. This allows you to distinguish when these words act as adjectives (which change form) versus when they act as adverbs (which remain invariable).

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poucopoucopouco