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Spanish Adverbs of Quantity: Muy, Mucho, Poco and Más

Learn how Spanish expresses amount, intensity and degree with muy, mucho, poco, bastante, demasiado, más, menos, tan, tanto, casi, apenas, algo and nada.

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Basic questions: adverbs of quantity answer “how much?” or “to what degree?”
Spanish adverbs of quantity muy mucho poco bastante demasiado más menos tan and tanto
Spanish quantity and degree adverbs show how much, how little or how strongly something happens.

Definition

What are Spanish adverbs of quantity?

Spanish adverbs of quantity and degree express how much an action happens or how strong a quality is. They can modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.

With a verb

Estudia mucho.
He or she studies a lot.

With an adjective

Es muy difícil.
It is very difficult.

With another adverb

Habla demasiado rápido.
He or she speaks too fast.

The position of the quantity word depends on what it modifies. Words that modify verbs often follow the verb. Words that modify adjectives or adverbs normally come before them.

Overview

Spanish adverbs of quantity at a glance

Form Meaning Usual position Spanish example Use
muy very Before an adjective or adverb muy útil · muy bien High degree
mucho a lot, much Usually after a verb Trabaja mucho. Large amount of an action
poco little, not much After a verb or before an adjective Habla poco. · Es poco claro. Low amount or degree
bastante quite, enough Before an adjective or after a verb bastante difícil · duerme bastante Moderate or sufficient amount
demasiado too, too much Before an adjective or after a verb demasiado caro · trabaja demasiado Excessive amount
más more Before a quality or after a verb más rápido · estudia más Higher amount or degree
menos less Before a quality or after a verb menos caro · trabaja menos Lower amount or degree
tan so, as Before an adjective or adverb tan útil · tan bien Intensity or equality
tanto so much, as much After a verb No trabaja tanto. Amount of an action
casi almost Before the word or phrase it modifies casi siempre · casi terminado Near completion or truth
apenas hardly, barely Often before the verb Apenas habla. Very low amount
algo somewhat Before an adjective or adverb algo difícil Moderate degree
nada not at all After no, before an adjective or adverb No es nada fácil. Complete negative degree
Remember: muy before adjectives and adverbs · mucho after verbs

Very or a lot?

Muy vs mucho

Use muy before an adjective or adverb. Use adverbial mucho after a verb when it means “a lot”.

Use Correct form English meaning Incorrect form
Before an adjective muy difícil very difficult mucho difícil
Before an adverb muy bien very well mucho bien
After a verb estudia mucho studies a lot estudia muy
After a verb viaja mucho travels a lot viaja muy

El curso es muy útil. — The course is very useful.
Ella habla muy bien. — She speaks very well.
Estudio mucho. — I study a lot.
Trabajamos mucho. — We work a lot.

Comparative forms use mucho, not muy.

Say mucho mejor, mucho peor, mucho más fácil and mucho menos caro.

Do not say muy mejor or muy más fácil.

Little, enough and too much

Poco, bastante and demasiado

Low amount

Poco

Means little, not much or not very.

Habla poco.
El texto es poco claro.

Moderate or sufficient

Bastante

Can mean quite, rather, enough or quite a lot.

Es bastante difícil.
Ha estudiado bastante.

Excessive amount

Demasiado

Means too, too much or excessively.

Es demasiado caro.
Trabaja demasiado.

With a verb With an adjective or adverb Meaning
Trabaja poco. Es poco práctico. Works little / is not very practical.
Duerme bastante. Es bastante útil. Sleeps enough / is quite useful.
Habla demasiado. Habla demasiado rápido. Talks too much / speaks too fast.
As adverbs, these forms remain unchanged.

Ella trabaja demasiado.
Ellos trabajan demasiado.

Before nouns, the same words may change: demasiada comida, demasiados problemas.

More and less

Más and menos

Más expresses a higher amount or degree. Menos expresses a lower amount or degree.

Pattern Spanish example English meaning
más + adjective Es más difícil. It is more difficult.
más + adverb Habla más rápido. He or she speaks faster.
verb + más Estudia más. He or she studies more.
menos + adjective Es menos caro. It is less expensive.
menos + adverb Habla menos claramente. He or she speaks less clearly.
verb + menos Trabaja menos. He or she works less.

Add que when comparing two people, things or situations: Trabaja más que yo and Este curso es menos difícil que el otro.

So and as much

Tan and tanto

Use tan before adjectives and adverbs. Use adverbial tanto after verbs.

Form Position Spanish example English meaning
tan Before an adjective Es tan importante. It is so important.
tan Before an adverb Habla tan bien. He or she speaks so well.
tanto After a verb No trabaja tanto. He or she does not work so much.
tan ... como With adjective or adverb Habla tan bien como tú. He or she speaks as well as you.
tanto como After a verb Estudia tanto como yo. He or she studies as much as I do.
Tanto changes before nouns, but not after verbs.

Before nouns: tanto dinero, tanta agua, tantos libros, tantas clases.

After a verb: Ellas estudian tanto como nosotros.

Almost and hardly

Casi and apenas

Casi points toward completion, truth or a high frequency. Apenas expresses a very small amount, degree or frequency.

Form Spanish example English meaning
casi Casi siempre estudio por la mañana. I almost always study in the morning.
casi La tarea está casi terminada. The task is almost finished.
apenas Apenas habla español. He or she hardly speaks Spanish.
apenas Apenas tenemos tiempo. We barely have time.
Apenas already has a negative or limiting meaning.

Say Apenas habla for “He or she hardly speaks”. An additional no is normally unnecessary in this meaning.

Somewhat and not at all

Algo and nada as degree words

Algo can mean “somewhat” before an adjective or adverb. In a negative sentence, nada can mean “not at all”.

Structure Spanish example English meaning
algo + adjective Estoy algo cansado. I am somewhat tired.
algo + adjective La explicación es algo confusa. The explanation is somewhat confusing.
no + verb + nada + adjective No es nada fácil. It is not easy at all.
no + verb + nada + adverb No habla nada bien. He or she does not speak well at all.

Sufficient degree

Suficientemente, bastante and lo bastante

Suficientemente means “sufficiently” or “enough” and is common in careful or formal language. Everyday Spanish frequently uses bastante or lo bastante.

Form Spanish example English meaning Style
suficientemente La respuesta es suficientemente clara. The answer is sufficiently clear. Explicit or formal
bastante La respuesta es bastante clara. The answer is quite clear or clear enough. Common everyday form
lo bastante No estudia lo bastante. He or she does not study enough. Amount after a verb
lo suficientemente No es lo suficientemente rápido. It is not fast enough. Explicit degree

Grammar function

Adverbs of quantity vs quantifiers

Several Spanish quantity words can have different functions. The function depends on what the word modifies.

Adverb use Quantifier use Difference
Estudia mucho. Estudia muchos temas. Adverbial mucho modifies the verb. Muchos agrees with the noun.
Trabaja poco. Tiene poco tiempo. The first describes the action. The second gives the amount of a noun.
Habla demasiado. Hace demasiadas preguntas. Adverbial demasiado remains unchanged. The quantifier agrees with preguntas.
Ha dormido bastante. Hay bastantes ejemplos. Adverbial bastante modifies the verb. Bastantes modifies a plural noun.
Simple test: before a noun, check agreement;
after a verb, the quantity word is often an invariable adverb.

Learn noun-based quantity forms in Spanish Quantifiers .

Word order

Where do Spanish adverbs of quantity go?

Quantity adverbs often follow verbs. Degree adverbs normally appear directly before the adjective or adverb they modify.

Position Pattern Spanish example English meaning
After a verb verb + mucho Estudia mucho. He or she studies a lot.
After a verb verb + poco Trabaja poco. He or she works little.
Before an adjective muy + adjective Es muy difícil. It is very difficult.
Before an adverb demasiado + adverb Habla demasiado rápido. He or she speaks too fast.
Before a verb apenas + verb Apenas duerme. He or she hardly sleeps.
Before a phrase casi + expression Casi siempre llega temprano. He or she almost always arrives early.

Continue with Position of Adverbs in Spanish .

Comparison

Quantity and degree in Spanish comparisons

Más, menos, tan and tanto are central to Spanish comparison.

Pattern Spanish example English meaning
más + adjective/adverb + que Habla más rápido que yo. He or she speaks faster than I do.
menos + adjective/adverb + que Es menos difícil que el otro. It is less difficult than the other one.
tan + adjective/adverb + como Habla tan bien como tú. He or she speaks as well as you.
verb + tanto como Estudia tanto como su hermana. He or she studies as much as the sister.
mucho + comparative Ahora trabaja mucho mejor. Now he or she works much better.

Study the complete patterns in Spanish Comparison .

Exercises

Practice Spanish adverbs of quantity

Choose muy or mucho

  1. El libro es ___ interesante.
  2. Trabajo ___ durante la semana.
  3. Habla ___ bien.
  4. Viajan ___.
Show answers

1. El libro es muy interesante.
2. Trabajo mucho durante la semana.
3. Habla muy bien.
4. Viajan mucho.

Choose tan or tanto

  1. Es ___ importante.
  2. No estudia ___.
  3. Habla ___ bien como tú.
  4. Trabaja ___ como su hermano.
Show answers

1. Es tan importante.
2. No estudia tanto.
3. Habla tan bien como tú.
4. Trabaja tanto como su hermano.

Adverb or quantifier?

  1. Trabaja mucho.
  2. Tiene muchos clientes.
  3. Habla demasiado.
  4. Hace demasiadas preguntas.
Show answers

1. Adverb: modifies trabaja.
2. Quantifier: modifies clientes.
3. Adverb: modifies habla.
4. Quantifier: modifies preguntas.

Correct the sentence

  1. Es mucho difícil.
  2. Ellas trabajan muchas.
  3. Habla tan después del trabajo.
  4. Esta opción es muy mejor.
Show answers

1. Es muy difícil.
2. Ellas trabajan mucho.
3. Habla tanto después del trabajo.
4. Esta opción es mucho mejor.

Choose casi or apenas

  1. ___ siempre llega temprano. — almost
  2. ___ puede caminar. — barely
  3. La tarea está ___ terminada. — almost
  4. ___ tenemos dinero. — hardly
Show answers

1. Casi siempre llega temprano.
2. Apenas puede caminar.
3. La tarea está casi terminada.
4. Apenas tenemos dinero.

Complete the comparison

  1. Habla ___ rápido que yo. — more
  2. Es ___ caro que el otro. — less
  3. Trabaja ___ como tú. — as much
  4. Habla ___ bien como ella. — as
Show answers

1. Habla más rápido que yo.
2. Es menos caro que el otro.
3. Trabaja tanto como tú.
4. Habla tan bien como ella.

Continue learning

Related Spanish grammar lessons

Spanish adverbs overview
Overview

Spanish Adverbs

Review adverbs of time, place, manner, quantity, frequency, doubt, affirmation and negation.

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Spanish quantifiers mucho poco todo cada demasiado and bastante
Quantity before nouns

Spanish Quantifiers

Learn agreement in forms such as muchos libros, poca agua and demasiadas preguntas.

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Spanish comparison más que menos que tan como and tanto como
More, less and equal

Spanish Comparison

Learn más que, menos que, tan como, tanto como, mejor and peor.

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Position of adverbs in Spanish sentences
Word order

Position of Adverbs

Learn why muy comes before adjectives while mucho often comes after verbs.

Open lesson

Common errors

Common mistakes with Spanish adverbs of quantity

  • Confusing muy and mucho: say muy difícil, but estudia mucho.
  • Making an adverb agree: say ellas trabajan mucho, not ellas trabajan muchas.
  • Forgetting agreement before nouns: say muchas personas and demasiados problemas.
  • Using tan after a verb: say trabaja tanto, not trabaja tan.
  • Using tanto before an adjective: say tan difícil, not tanto difícil.
  • Using muy with a comparative: say mucho mejor and mucho más fácil.
  • Adding no to apenas unnecessarily: Apenas habla already means “He or she hardly speaks”.
  • Assuming bastante has one fixed translation: it can mean quite, enough or quite a lot depending on context.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Spanish adverbs of quantity

What are Spanish adverbs of quantity?

They express amount, degree or intensity. Common examples include muy, mucho, poco, bastante, demasiado, más, menos, tan and tanto.

What is the difference between muy and mucho?

Muy normally comes before adjectives and adverbs: muy difícil, muy bien. Mucho normally follows a verb when it means “a lot”: estudia mucho.

Do adverbs of quantity agree in Spanish?

As adverbs, words such as mucho, poco and demasiado normally remain unchanged. Before nouns, the same words can act as quantifiers and agree with the noun.

What is the difference between mucho and muchos?

Mucho can modify a verb: lee mucho. Muchos modifies a masculine plural noun: muchos libros.

What is the difference between tan and tanto?

Use tan before adjectives and adverbs: tan útil, tan bien. Use tanto after verbs: trabaja tanto.

Why is it mucho mejor and not muy mejor?

Comparative forms such as mejor, peor, más and menos are intensified with mucho: mucho mejor, mucho peor and mucho más difícil.

Practice and support

Practise Spanish quantity words in complete sentences

These words become easier when you practise what they modify, where they appear and whether they function as adverbs or as quantifiers before nouns.

Grammar support

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