Spanish 3.4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns

In this lesson, we study indefinite adjectives and pronouns in Spanish.

Indefinite adjectives describe a noun in a vague or non-specific way, e.g., “otra gente” (other people), “cada persona” (eachperson), “varias cosas” (several things), “todas las escuelas” (all schools).

On the other hand, an indefinite pronoun replaces the noun in a vague and non-specific way, e.g., “Te digo algo” (I tell you something), “Hablé con alguien” (I spoke to someone), “Todo está bien(All is well).

Many indefinite pronouns are identical to their indefinite adjective counterpart, e.g., “todo(all), “otro(other), “mucho” (muchor many).

Unlike most adjectives in Spanish, indefinite adjectives precede the noun they describe. Some also change form to agree with the noun in gender and number. Indefinite adjectives and pronouns are used abundantly in Spanish. Thus, it is very useful to learn the most common ones.

List of Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns in Spanish

Here is a list of the most common indefinite adjectives and pronouns:

 MeaningExamples
bastante
suficiente
enoughTengo bastante dinero.I have enough money.
demasiado, -a, -os, -astoo much, too manyEste auto es demasiado caro.This car is too expensive.
uno a otro
una a otra
each otherDeben ayudarse unos a otros.They must help each other.
uno u otro
una u otra
one or the otherDebes elegir una u otra de estas casas.You must choose one or the other of these houses.
ambos, -asbothAmbas opciones están disponibles.Both options are available.
ni uno, -anot a single oneNi una sola persona apareció.Not a single person showed up.
ni uno ni otro
ni una ni otra
neither the one nor the otherNo puedo elegir ni uno ni otro.I can choose neither one nor the other.
los otros
las otras
the othersLos otros no están disponibles.The others are not available.
los demásthe rest ofMe gustan los gatos y los demás animales.I like cats and the rest of the animals.
mismo, -a, -os, -assame, selfEs la misma persona que vimos anoche.It is the same person we saw last night.
cierto, -a, -os, -ascertainSolo ciertas personas pueden hacer eso.Only certain people can do that.
otro, -a, -os, -asother, anotherQuisiera otra copa de agua por favor.I’d like another glass of water, please.
todo, -aall, everyTodo el año llueve en el país.All year round, it rains in the country.
todos, -asall, everybodyTodos nosotros somos de Australia.All of us are from Australia.
poco, -alittle, not muchNecesitamos poco tiempo para llegar.We need little time to arrive.
pocos, -asfewTiene pocos amigos en la escuela.He has few friends at school.
mucho, -a, -os, -asmuch, manyHay muchas opciones para los jóvenes.There are many options for young people.
varios, -asseveralVarios campos están abiertos para todos.Several fields are open to everyone.
cualquier(a)any, whicheverDame cualquier periódico.Give me any newspaper.
propio, -a, -os, -asown, self, sameLo hizo con sus propias manos.He did it with his own hands.
tal(es)such a, suchNunca he visto tal celebración.I have never seen such a celebration.
ninguno, -ano one, not anyNinguna casa era grande.Not any of the houses were big.
algún
alguna, -os, -as
some, any, a/anSolo tengo una casa y algunos libros.I only have a house and some books.
alguno, -a, -os, -asone, someone, any, anyone Alguno de ustedes me puede ayudar.One of you can help me.
cadaeach, everyJugamos al fútbol cada sábado.We play soccer every Saturday.
algosomethingQuiero decir algo muy importante.I want to say something very important.
alguiensomebodyHablé con alguien muy interesante.I talked with someone very interesting.
nadanothingHoy no voy a hacer nada en todo el día.I am going to do nothing all day today.
nadienobodyHoy no hay nadie en la oficina.Nobody is in the office today.
quienquierawhoeverQuienquiera que sea, voy a cumplir.Whoever it is, I will comply.

Indefinite Adjectives vs. Indefinite Pronouns

Many indefinite pronouns are identical to their indefinite adjective counterpart, e.g., “todo(all), “otro(other), “mucho” (muchor many).

Note that “cada(each) can only be used as an indefinite adjective because it is always followed by a noun, e.g., “cada libro(each book), “cada persona” (each person), etc.

On the other hand, “algo” (something), “alguien” (somebody), “nada” (nothing), “nadie” (nobody), and “quienquiera” (whoever) can only be used as indefinite pronouns because they cannot be followed by a noun, e.g., “No pasó nada(Nothing happened).

Bastante” vs. “Suficiente

Although both “bastante” and “suficiente” are often translated as “enough” in English, “suficiente” indicates that something is just barely enough, whereas “bastante” often has a more positive connotation that indicates an abundance and is not typically used in negative contexts.

For example, both “Tengo suficiente dinero” and “Tengo bastante dinero” indicate that you have enough money. Nevertheless, the former indicates that you have just enough to get by or to buy something, for example, whereas the latter indicates that you have quite a lot of it.

On the other hand, you would say “No tengo suficiente dinero” to indicate that you do not have enough money to buy something, for example. However, you would not say “No tengo bastante dinero” unless you want to emphasize that you do not have quite a lot of it.

Quiz: Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives in Spanish

Spanish: Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns

1 / 12

1. Nothing happened.

SP: No pasó .

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

2 / 12

2. Both options are available.

SP: opciones están disponibles.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

3 / 12

3. I’d like another glass of water please.

SP: Quisiera copa de agua por favor.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

4 / 12

4. All year round, it rains in the country.

SP: el año llueve en el país.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

5 / 12

5. The rest of the world is suffering.

SP: del mundo está sufriendo.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

6 / 12

6. I am going to do nothing all day today.

SP: Hoy no voy a hacer en todo el día.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

7 / 12

7. The others are not available.

SP: no están disponibles.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

8 / 12

8. Nobody is in the office today.

SP: Hoy no hay en la oficina.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

9 / 12

9. I have enough money.

SP: Tengo dinero.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

10 / 12

10. Brush your teeth after each meal.

SP: Cepilla tus dientes después de comida.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

11 / 12

11. There are many people here.

SP: Hay gente aquí.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

12 / 12

12. All of us are from Australia.

SP: nosotros somos de Australia.

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

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