Quantifiers (molto, poco, troppo, tanto, abbastanza)

Ho molti amici, ma lavoro troppo.I have many friends, but I work too much.

The words molto (a lot), poco (little, few), troppo (too much), tanto (so much) and abbastanza (enough) can work in two ways. Before a noun, all of them except abbastanza are adjectives and agree with it. Before a verb, an adjective or another adverb they are adverbs and never change.

Quick shortcut: before a noun, molto, poco, troppo and tanto agree with it (molta acqua, molti amici), while abbastanza never changes. Before a verb, an adjective or an adverb, all of them stay the same (mangia molto, molto bella, molto bene).

1. As adjectives: agree with the noun

When the word comes before a noun, it takes the gender and number of that noun, like any adjective ending in -o:

The same goes for poco, troppo and tanto: poco tempo, poca acqua, pochi amici, poche persone; troppo caffè, troppa gente, troppi libri, troppe cose; tanto lavoro, tanta fame, tanti soldi, tante volte.

Abbastanza is invariable: abbastanza tempo, abbastanza amici, abbastanza soldi.

Molto, poco, troppo and tanto agree with the noun in gender and number: singular for tempo, acqua, gente, plural for amici, libri, volte.

2. As adverbs: they never change

With a verb, the word says how much or how often, and it always keeps the same form (molto, poco, troppo, tanto, abbastanza):

• Mangia molto. (She eats a lot.)
• Studiamo poco. (We study little.)
• Lavori troppo. (You work too much.)
• Dormo abbastanza. (I sleep enough.)

Before an adjective or another adverb, they also stay the same:

• Maria è molto bella. (Maria is very beautiful.) The word is molto, even though bella is feminine.
• Parli troppo velocemente. (You speak too fast.)
• Sto abbastanza bene. (I'm fairly well.)
• La zuppa è tanto buona! (The soup is so good!)

So the same word can be an adjective in one sentence and an adverb in the next: Ho molta fame (adjective, agrees with fame) but Sono molto stanca (adverb, never changes).

3. Poco and un po' di

Poco means "little, few", and often suggests that it is not much or not enough. Un po' (di) means "a little, some" and is more neutral or positive:

• Ho poco tempo. (I don't have much time.) Ho un po' di tempo. (I have a little time.)
• Questo caffè è poco dolce. (This coffee isn't sweet enough.) Aggiungo un po' di zucchero. (I'll add a bit of sugar.)

Before an adjective, poco often means "not very": poco simpatico (not very nice).

4. Questions and negatives

The question words quanto, quanta, quanti, quante ("how much, how many") follow the same agreement, for example Quanto tempo hai? Quante persone ci sono? See Question words.

In negative sentences, non goes before the verb: Non ho molto tempo. Non mangia troppo. Non ho molti amici qui.

5. When the noun is left out

If the noun is already known, a quantifier can stand alone. Then it agrees with the noun that is understood: Hai amici? — Sì, molti. For ne, see Ne for quantities.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Maria è molta bella. → ✅ Maria è molto bella. (before an adjective, the adverb never changes)
• ❌ Ho molto amici. → ✅ Ho molti amici. (before a noun, the adjective agrees)
• ❌ Mangiamo molti. → ✅ Mangiamo molto. (after a verb, the adverb never changes)
• ❌ Ho molto fame. → ✅ Ho molta fame. (fame is feminine singular)
• ❌ Ci sono poco persone. → ✅ Ci sono poche persone. (persone is feminine plural)

Quick check

Here are a few sentences with a missing quantifier. Each blank can be filled with the right form of the word in brackets.

1. Non ho ___ tempo oggi. (molto)
2. Ci sono ___ persone qui. (troppo)
3. Maria è ___ stanca. (tanto)
4. Mangio ___ la sera. (poco)
5. Hai ___ soldi per il biglietto? (abbastanza)
6. Hai ___ amici in Italia? (tanto)

Key takeaways

• Molto, poco, troppo, tanto are adjectives before a noun and agree with it: molta acqua, pochi amici. Abbastanza is invariable.
• Before a verb, an adjective or an adverb they are adverbs and never change: mangia molto, molto bella.
• Poco means "little, few" and often suggests "not much"; un po' di means "a little, some" and is more neutral.
• A quantifier can stand alone when the noun is understood: Hai amici? — Sì, molti.