Quantity
How many or how much is there?
Meaning
Quantity tells us how many things there are or how much of something there is. It can give an exact number, a rough amount, or a measured portion. Languages use number words, amount words, or measuring phrases, even if they have no special endings for quantity. Unlike One or more, Quantity can give a number or an amount rather than just distinguish one from several.
How to spot it
Look for a number, an amount word, or a measuring phrase that answers how many or how much.
In your native language
English uses numbers and amount words such as some, many, and much. Many goes with plural countable nouns, which name things counted one by one, while much goes with uncountable nouns, such as milk, which are not normally counted that way. Units and containers let speakers count portions of an uncountable noun, as in two bags of rice.
We need six chairs.
The number gives an exact quantity, and chairs is plural.
There isn't much milk left.
Much is used with the uncountable noun milk.
I bought two bags of rice.
The bags are counted, while rice stays unchanged.
In your learning language
Spanish uses numbers directly before nouns, with plural nouns after numbers greater than one. Amount words such as mucho and poco take masculine or feminine and singular or plural forms to match the noun. Portion and measurement phrases such as un poco de and un kilo de use de before the substance or item being measured.
Compré tres tomates.
I bought three tomatoes.
The number directly precedes a plural noun, without de.
Queda poca leche en la nevera.
There is little milk left in the fridge.
Poca has a feminine singular form to match leche.
Necesitamos un kilo de arroz.
We need a kilo of rice.
De links the measurement to the substance being measured.
Learners whose language keeps nouns singular after numbers may say *tres tomate instead of tres tomates. Learners whose language has no linking word in measurements may omit de, while others may add it after ordinary numbers where it is not needed.