cuántos
/ˈkwantos/
In Spanish, 'how many' is translated as cuántos.
When you are referring to non-countable or uncountable nouns, you should use the singular form cuánto to mean 'how much'.
Meaning: what number (pron)
Which one should you use?
Use the plural forms cuántos or cuántas to mean 'how many', whereas the singular forms cuánto or cuánta mean 'how much'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Use cuántos for masculine plural nouns and cuántas for feminine plural nouns. For singular nouns, use cuánto for masculine (how much) and cuánta for feminine (how much).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkwantos/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking cuántos años tienes to determine age is common, but the literal translation is 'how many years do you have'.
- While 'how many' is a question, the phrase cuántos can also be used in exclamations to mean 'so many', such as in '¡Cuántos niños!' which translates to 'So many children!'
- In certain colloquial expressions, cuánto is used in the phrase ¡Cuánto tiempo! to mean 'Long time no see'.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuántos tengo que hacer?How many do I have to do?This sentence shows how to ask how many of an unspecified task or item must be completed using cuántos.Tatoeba #1125856 by cueyayotl, translation #1125729 by sundown
- ¿Cuántos gatos tiene Tom?How many cats does Tom have?This sentence demonstrates asking for the number of cats owned by a person using cuántos.Tatoeba #1822001 by hayastan, translation #1821349 by Amastan
- ¿Cuántos turcos hay aquí?How many Turks are here?This sentence is an example of asking for the number of people of a certain nationality present using cuántos.Tatoeba #2094480 by Shishir, translation #10241979 by LimeGreenTeknii
- ¿Cuántos tiene usted de esos libros?How many of those books do you have?
- ¿Cuántos tienes de esos dulces?How many of those candies do you have?
- 359 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are planning a small party.
- Sofía¿Cuántos invitados vendrán a la fiesta?How many guests are coming to the party?
- DanielCreo que vendrán diez personas.I think ten people are coming.
- Sofía¡Perfecto! Yo prepararé la comida.Perfect! I will prepare the food.
- DanielGracias, Sofía. Yo compraré las bebidas.Thanks, Sofia. I will buy the drinks.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cuántos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
