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Aula grátisIndefinite pronouns refer to people, things, or quantities without identifying them precisely. Some forms are inherently pronominal, such as alguien, nadie, algo, and nada. Other words are quantifiers that can function independently when the noun is omitted.
Muchos estudiantes llegaron.
(Many students arrived.)
Muchos llegaron.
(Many arrived.)
| Form | Morphological Variation | Refers to | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alguien | Invariable | Unspecified person | someone, somebody | Alguien llamó. (Someone called.) |
| nadie | Invariable | No person | nobody, no one | No vino nadie. (Nobody came.) |
| algo | Invariable | Unspecified thing, idea, or situation | something | Quiero decirte algo. (I want to tell you something.) |
| nada | Invariable | No thing, idea, or quantity | nothing, anything | No ocurrió nada. (Nothing happened.) |
| uno / una | Gender | A generic or unspecified person | one, someone, you | Uno nunca sabe. (You never know.) |
| unos / unas | Gender and number | Unspecified members of a group | some, some people | Unos aceptaron y otros se negaron. (Some agreed and others refused.) |
| alguno / alguna | Gender | An unspecified member | one, any, someone | ¿Tienes alguno? (Do you have one?) |
| algunos / algunas | Gender and number | An unspecified number of members | some | Algunos llegaron tarde. (Some arrived late.) |
| ninguno / ninguna | Gender | Not one member | none, not one, not any | No encontré ninguno. (I did not find any.) |
| ningunos / ningunas | Gender and number; uncommon | No members of a plural set | no, none | No son ningunos desconocidos. (They are certainly not strangers.) |
| poco / poca | Gender | A small quantity | little, not much | Queda poca. (There is little left.) |
| pocos / pocas | Gender and number | A small number | few | Pocos entendieron. (Few understood.) |
| mucho / mucha | Gender | A large quantity | much, a lot | No queda mucha. (There is not much left.) |
| muchos / muchas | Gender and number | A large number | many | Muchos se fueron. (Many left.) |
| demasiado / demasiada | Gender | An excessive quantity | too much | Eso es demasiado. (That is too much.) |
| demasiados / demasiadas | Gender and number | An excessive number | too many | Invitaste a demasiados. (You invited too many.) |
| bastante | Singular | A sufficient quantity | enough | Ya tengo bastante. (I already have enough.) |
| bastantes | Number | A considerable number | enough, quite a few | Bastantes aceptaron. (Quite a few accepted.) |
| todo / toda | Gender | The entirety of something | everything, all of it | Lo sé todo. (I know everything.) |
| todos / todas | Gender and number | Every member of a group | everyone, all | Todos participaron. (Everyone participated.) |
| otro / otra | Gender | A different or additional member | another one | Prefiero otro. (I prefer another one.) |
| otros / otras | Gender and number | Different or additional members | others, some others | Otros no estuvieron de acuerdo. (Others disagreed.) |
| tanto / tanta | Gender | A large or contextually specified quantity | so much, that much | Nunca había visto tanto. (I had never seen so much.) |
| tantos / tantas | Gender and number | A large or specified number | so many, that many | No necesitamos tantos. (We do not need that many.) |
| cualquiera | Singular; no gender distinction | Any unspecified person or thing | anyone, anybody, either one | Cualquiera puede participar. (Anyone can participate.) |
| cualesquiera | Plural; no gender distinction | Any unspecified members | any ones, whichever ones | Cualesquiera servirán. (Any of them will do.) |
| quienquiera | Singular; no gender distinction | Any person who meets a condition | whoever, anyone who | Quienquiera que llame debe esperar. (Whoever calls must wait.) |
| quienesquiera | Plural; no gender distinction | Any people who meet a condition | whoever, any people who | Quienesquiera que sean, deben identificarse. (Whoever they are, they must identify themselves.) |
| los demás / las demás | Article varies; demás is invariable | The remaining people or things | the others, the rest | Los demás ya llegaron. (The others have already arrived.) |
| lo demás | Neuter article + invariable form | Everything else | the rest, everything else | Lo demás no importa. (The rest does not matter.) |
| demás | Invariable; restricted independent use | Remaining unspecified things | the rest, and so on | Llevó comida, bebida y demás. (He brought food, drinks, and so on.) |
The following words can appear without an expressed noun, but they are not as central to the indefinite-pronoun system. They are often analyzed as adjectives or quantifiers with an omitted noun.
| Form | Variation | Typical Analysis | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| escaso / escasa / escasos / escasas | Gender and number | Quantitative adjective with nominal ellipsis | Escasos llegaron a tiempo. (Few arrived on time.) |
| suficiente / suficientes | Number | Quantifier with independent use | Ya tenemos suficientes. (We already have enough.) |
| varios / varias | Gender and number | Indefinite quantifier with independent use | Varios se ofrecieron. (Several volunteered.) |
| cierto / cierta / ciertos / ciertas | Gender and number | Indefinite quantifier; independent use is limited and contextual | Ciertos lo niegan. (Certain people deny it.) |
| cualquier otro / cualquiera de los otros | Compound structure | Combination of indefinite forms | Puedes elegir cualquier otro. (You can choose any other one.) |
| Masc. Sing. | Fem. Sing. | Masc. Plur. | Fem. Plur. |
|---|---|---|---|
| uno | una | unos | unas |
| alguno | alguna | algunos | algunas |
| ninguno | ninguna | ningunos | ningunas |
| poco | poca | pocos | pocas |
| mucho | mucha | muchos | muchas |
| demasiado | demasiada | demasiados | demasiadas |
| todo | toda | todos | todas |
| otro | otra | otros | otras |
| tanto | tanta | tantos | tantas |
| escaso | escasa | escasos | escasas |
| cierto | cierta | ciertos | ciertas |
| varios* | varias* | varios | varias |
The same form may accompany a noun or replace it. In modern grammatical analysis, forms such as muchos, pocos, and demasiados may be interpreted as quantifiers whose noun is understood (e.g. Muchos Ø llegaron). For students, it is still useful to describe the second use as pronominal, because the word functions independently and replaces the expressed noun.
| Determiner or Quantifier + Noun | Independent or Pronominal Use |
|---|---|
| Tengo algunos libros. | Tengo algunos. |
| Vinieron muchos estudiantes. | Muchos vinieron. |
| No compré ningún coche. | No compré ninguno. |
| Invitó a demasiadas personas. | Invitó a demasiadas. |
| Necesitamos más sillas. | Necesitamos más. |
| Leeré todos los capítulos. | Los leeré todos. |
The following forms should not be included as indefinite pronouns.
It is an invariable adverb used before adjectives and adverbs: tan alto, tan lejos. It never replaces a noun.
It normally expresses identity or emphasis: el mismo libro, ella misma. In los mismos, the article creates a nominal expression referring to already identified people or things, not an indefinite reference.
It is an adverbial form used before adjectives and adverbs: muy interesante.
It is an invariable distributive determiner and normally requires a noun or equivalent expression: cada estudiante, cada uno.
Nadie, nada, and ninguno are negative-polarity forms. When they follow the verb, Spanish also requires 'no'. When they appear before the verb, 'no' is omitted.
Alguno, ninguno, and cualquiera have shortened forms before certain nouns. As pronouns, the full forms are retained.
| Core indefinite pronouns | alguien, nadie, algo, nada, uno/una |
| Variable quantifiers with pronominal uses | alguno, ninguno, poco, mucho, demasiado, todo, otro, tanto |
| Number-variable forms | bastante, cualquiera, quienquiera |
| Special remaining-member form | demás |
| Secondary or elliptical quantifiers | escaso, suficiente, varios, cierto |
| Not pronouns | tan, muy, mismo, cada |
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