A1 (Beginner)Lesson 6: Questions & Quantifiers
Portuguese quantifiers express amounts — and most are shape-shifters: they agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, while a few moonlight as adverbs that never change.
Muito/a/os/as = much, many, a lot, very
Pouco/a/os/as = little, few, not much
Algum / Alguma / Alguns / Algumas = some, a few, any
Todo/a/os/as = all, every, whole
Nenhum/a = no, none, not any
When modifying a noun, they agree in gender & number
As adverbs modifying a verb, adjective or another adverb, they freeze: "muito bom," "falo pouco"
Todo + an article usually marks this contrast in Brazil: todo dia (every day) vs todo o dia (all day long)
quantifier + noun (agrees in gender & number) — or as an adverb modifying a verb, adjective or another adverb (no change)
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These five words let you talk about amounts in any situation — from ordering muita comida (lots of food) to admitting you have pouco tempo (little time) to warning that alguns amigos (some friends) are coming over. Without them you're stuck at "I want coffee," with no way to upgrade to "I want A LOT of coffee" — and in Brazil, that's a distinction worth fighting for.
Here's the deal with Portuguese quantifiers: most of them are little chameleons. Put one in front of a noun and it has to match that noun's gender and number — but use the same word to mean "very," and it freezes solid and never changes. Telling those two jobs apart is the whole game.
| Masculine sing. | Feminine sing. | Masculine pl. | Feminine pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| muito (a lot of) | muito café | muita fome | muitos livros | muitas casas |
| pouco (little/few) | pouco tempo | pouca água | poucos dias | poucas vezes |
| algum (some/any) | algum dia | alguma ideia | alguns amigos | algumas frutas |
| todo (every/all) | todo dia | toda semana | todos os dias | todas as noites |
| nenhum (no/none) | nenhum lugar | nenhuma chance | nenhuns lugares | nenhumas chances |
"Tem muitas opções" (There are many options)
"Poucos produtos em promoção" (Few products on sale)
"Quero algumas frutas" (I want some fruit)
"Todo mundo gosta" (Everyone likes it)
"Não tem nenhuma vaga" (There's no spot left)
"Tenho muito trabalho" (I have a lot of work)
"Eu falo pouco" (I speak little)
"Alguns dias são difíceis" (Some days are hard)
"Toda segunda eu estudo" (Every Monday I study)
When muito means "very," keep it frozen no matter what:
"Ela é muito bonita" (not "muita bonita")
"Eles são muito altos" (not "muitos altos")
todo mundo (everybody) — todo o mundo can also mean everybody, or the whole world, depending on context
todo lugar (everywhere), de todo jeito (anyway)
In a negative statement, when the negative word follows the verb, use a negative word before the verb too, usually não (or, for example, nunca):
✅ "Não tenho nenhum dinheiro"
Listen to a Brazilian say muito and you’ll hear a nasal diphthong in ui. There is an m at the beginning of the word, but no tilde or following m/n to mark that diphthong as nasal. The same pronunciation pattern occurs in related forms such as muita, muitos, muitas. A historical explanation links this nasalization to the influence of the initial m.
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