Quantifiers

Después de aprender Can / Could, en esta lección aprenderemos Quantifiers.

Usamos Quantificadores (Quantifiers) cuando queremos dar información a alguien sobre la cantidad de algo: cuánto o cuántos.

A veces usamos un cuantificador (quantifier) en lugar de un determinante:

  • Most children start school at the age of five.
  • We ate some bread and butter.
  • We saw lots of birds.

Quantifiers with count and uncount nouns (Cuantificadores con sustantivos contados y no contados)

Podemos usar estos cuantificadores con sustantivos contados y no contados:

  • all (todo / todos)
  • some (algunos)
  • more (más)
  • a lot of (muchos de)
  • enough (suficiente)
  • no (no / ningún)
  • any (cualquier / a)
  • most (el / la más)
  • lots of (un montón de)
  • less (menos)

Examples

  • We have lots of time.
  • Joe has lots of friends.
  • I can’t go out. I’ve got no money.
  • There was a lot of food but no drinks.

some and any (algunos y cualquiera)

Normalmente no usamos el cuantificador (quantifier) en oraciones negativas e interrogativas. Normalmente usamos cualquiera:

  • Do you have any children?
  • Did you see any friends?
  • We don’t have any children.
  • I didn’t see any friends.
  • We saw some lions at the zoo, but we didn’t see any tigers.

Pero podemos usar algunos para ofertas y solicitudes:

Would you like some tea?
I want some apples, please.

Quantifiers with count nouns (Cuantificadores con sustantivos contables)

Algunos cuantificadores (quantifiers) solo se pueden usar con sustantivos de recuento:

  • not many (no muchos)
  • each (cada uno)
  • either (cualquier/a de los 2)
  • a few (pocos)
  • several (algunos)
  • both (ambos)
  • neither (niguno/a de los 2)
  • fewer (menos que)
  • a couple of (un par de)

Examples

  • I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.
  • There were hundreds of people at the meeting.

Quantifiers with uncount nouns (Cuantificadores con sustantivos no contados)

Algunos cuantificadores (Quantifiers) solo se pueden usar con sustantivos sin contar:

  • not much (no mucho)
  • a bit of (un poco de)
  • a little (un poco)

Examples

  • Would you like a little wine?
  • Could I have a bit of butter, please?

Estos cuantificadores se usan particularmente con sustantivos abstractos como tiempo, dinero y problemas:

  • a great deal of (un montón)
  • a good deal of (un montón)

Examples

  • It will probably cost a great deal of money.
  • He spent a good deal of time watching television.

Both, either and neither

Si estamos hablando de dos personas o cosas, usamos los cuantificadores: both, either and neither:

One supermarket Two supermarkets More than two supermarkets
The supermarket
was closed.		 Both the supermarkets
were closed.		 All the supermarkets
were closed.
The supermarket
wasn’t open.		 Neither of the supermarkets
was open.		 None of the supermarkets
were open.
I don’t think the supermarket
was open.		 I don’t think either of the supermarkets
was open.		 I don’t think any of the supermarkets
were open.

Every and each

Usamos los cuantificadores every y each uno con sustantivos singulares para significar todos:

  • There was a party in every street. (= There were parties in all the streets.)
  • Every shop was decorated with flowers. (= All the shops were decorated with flowers.)
  • Each child was given a prize. (= All the children were given a prize.)
  • There was a prize in each competition. (= There were prizes in all the competitions.)

A menudo usamos every para hablar de tiempos como días, semanas y años:

  • When we were children, we had holidays at our grandmother’s every year.
  • When we stayed at my grandmother’s house, we went to the beach every day.
  • We visit our daughter every Christmas.

No usamos un determinante con every y each:

  • Every shop was decorated with flowers. 
  • Each child was given a prize.

En la próxima lección aprenderemos sobre el Simple Future.