Cuantificadores: some/any/much/many/(a) few/(a) little
A2 Quantifiers: some/any/much/many/(a) few/(a) little 22 / 50
En resumen
Los cuantificadores dicen cuánto o cuántos: usa some en oraciones afirmativas y any en negativas y preguntas; usa much con sustantivos incontables y many con sustantivos contables. A few / a little significan «algo», mientras que few / little (sin a) significan «casi nada».
La regla
some frente a any. Usa some en oraciones afirmativas (positivas), y también en ofrecimientos y peticiones. Usa any en negativas y en la mayoría de las preguntas.
| Tipo de oración | Palabra | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | some | I’ve got some money. |
| Negativa | any | I don’t have any money. |
| Pregunta | any | Is there any milk? |
| Ofrecimiento / petición | some | Would you like some tea? / Can I have some water? |
much frente a many frente a a lot of. Much va con sustantivos incontables; many va con sustantivos contables (en plural). Se usan sobre todo en negativas y preguntas. En oraciones afirmativas, a lot of / lots of es más natural para ambos casos.
| Incontable | Contable (plural) | |
|---|---|---|
| Negativa / interrogativa | much (much time?) | many (many people?) |
| Afirmativa | a lot of / lots of | a lot of / lots of |
(a) few frente a (a) little. Los dos pares significan «una cantidad pequeña», pero el artículo cambia el matiz.
| Palabra | Va con | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| a few | contable | algo (una cantidad positiva) |
| a little | incontable | algo (una cantidad positiva) |
| few | contable | casi nada (idea negativa) |
| little | incontable | casi nada (idea negativa) |
Otros cuantificadores. too much / too many = más de lo que quieres (exceso). (not) enough = la cantidad justa o menos. no + sustantivo = not any (There’s no bread = There isn’t any bread). all, most, some, no/none, every, each, both, a couple of muestran qué parte de un grupo señalas. Para señalar un grupo concreto, añade of delante de the / my / these o de un pronombre: some students (estudiantes en general) pero some of the students / most of them (esa clase). All y both pueden omitir of delante de un sustantivo (all (of) the shops) pero no delante de un pronombre (both of us), y every nunca lo lleva (every pupil). Usa no justo delante de un sustantivo, pero none con of o solo: There are no seats / None of the seats are free / I looked, but there were none.
Formas y estructuras
| Esquema | Se usa con | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| some / any + sustantivo | ambos | some sugar, any apples |
| much + incontable | incontable | much noise |
| many + contable plural | contable | many cars |
| a lot of / lots of + sustantivo | ambos | a lot of rain, lots of ideas |
| a few / few + contable plural | contable | a few days, few chances |
| a little / little + incontable | incontable | a little salt, little hope |
| too much + incontable | incontable | too much sugar |
| too many + contable plural | contable | too many mistakes |
| enough + sustantivo | ambos | enough chairs, enough time |
| no + sustantivo (singular o plural) | ambos | no bread, no seats |
| most / some / each / a few / none + of + the/my/these (o us/them) | un grupo concreto | most of the photos, none of my keys, each of us |
| every / each + contable singular | contable | every day, each student |
| both / a couple of + contable plural | contable | both hands, a couple of weeks |
Ejemplos
| English | Nota |
|---|---|
| There are some eggs in the fridge. | afirmativa -> some |
| We don’t have any sugar left. | negativa -> any |
| Are there any seats free? | pregunta -> any |
| Would you like some coffee? | ofrecimiento -> some (no any) |
| I don’t drink much coffee. | much + incontable, negativa |
| How many brothers do you have? | many + contable, pregunta |
| She has a lot of friends. | afirmativa -> a lot of, no «much/many» |
| I have a little time, so let’s talk. | a little = algo, afirmativa |
| Few people understood the joke. | few = casi nada, idea negativa |
| You eat too much chocolate! | exceso (incontable) |
| We don’t have enough chairs for everyone. | not enough = demasiado pocos |
| There’s no milk left, and none of the shops are open. | no + sustantivo; none lleva of (nunca «none milk») |
Errores frecuentes
- I have any friends. -> I have some friends. — usa some en oraciones afirmativas.
- I don’t have some time. -> I don’t have any time. — usa any en negativas.
- She has much books. -> She has a lot of / many books. — much es para incontables; en una oración afirmativa usa a lot of.
- I have a few money. -> I have a little money. — money es incontable, así que a little, no a few.
- There aren’t no apples. -> There aren’t any apples. / There are no apples. — no uses una doble negación; no ya significa «not any».
- He has too much friends. -> He has too many friends. — too many con contables en plural.
Consejos
- some = afirmativa, any = no segura / negativa. Pero di some en ofrecimientos y peticiones, porque esperas un «sí»: Would you like some cake?
- Cuenta primero el sustantivo. Si lo puedes contar (plural), usa many / a few / too many. Si no puedes, usa much / a little / too much.
- a lo hace positivo. a few / a little = «suficiente, no te preocupes»; few / little = «no suficiente, un problema».
- En oraciones afirmativas cotidianas, a lot of / lots of es la opción segura tanto para sustantivos contables como incontables.