SPANISH INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES

Indefinite adjectives (determinantes indefinidos) are always placed directly before the noun they
determine.
Indefinites are used as adjectives, pronouns or even adverbs. They express quantitative, qualitative,
collective or distributive values.

I. QUANTITATIVE INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES

* ALGUNO (Some)
Alguno cannot be used in a negative sentence after “sin” (without)
Like adjectives, ALGUNO agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines (except in the
masculine singular): alguna (feminine singular), algunas (feminine plural), algunos (masculine plural).
Alguno s’apocope devant un nom masculin singulier, c’est-à-dire qu’il perd le –o final, devenant algún.
Alguno loses the final -o in front of a masculine singular noun, becoming algún.
Examples :
– Hace algún tiempo que ya no hace deporte ==> He hasn’t played sports for a while.
– He conocido algunas mujeres ==> I met some women.
– Algunos chicos me hablaron ==> A few men talked to me.
N.B : In a negative sentence, when ALGUN is placed after the noun, it is translated as “no”.
Example : No siente felicidad alguna ==> He feels no joy.

* NINGUNO (None)
This adjective is often used in a negative sentence after “sin” (without).
NINGUNO agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines (except in the masculine singular):
ninguna (feminine singular), ningunas (feminine plural), ningunos (masculine plural).
Ninguno is apocopied before a masculine singular noun, before ningún.
Example :
– No hay ninguna solución ==> There is no solution.
– Ningún problema ==> No problem.
– Ninguno quiere frutas por aquí ==> No one wants fruit around here.
N.B: When NINGUNO is placed before the verb of a negative sentence, the negation “no” disappears:
– Ningún chico quiere seducirla ==> No boy wants to seduce her.

* CADA (Every)
CADA is an invariable indefinite adjective.
Used in structures like CADA UNO/CADA UNA, it can be translated as “Every(one)“.
Examples :
– Cada uno quiere estar en paz ==> Everyone wants to be at peace.
– Cada día, conduzco mis hijos a la escuela ==> Every day I take my children to school.

* TODO (All)
TODO agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines, it cannot be used with a numeral.
Example :
– Caminamos todo el día ==> We walked all day.
– Fueron contratados los dos ==> They were both hired.
(Note the absence of “todos” in the Spanish version, due to the presence of the numeral “dos”)

* DEMASIADO – BASTANTE – MUCHO & POCO

In Spanish, these words are adjectives or pronouns. Therefore, they agree in gender and number with
the noun to which they are attached:
Poco/Poca/Pocos/Pocas ==> A little of…
Mucho/Mucha/Muchos/Muchas ==> A lot of…
Bastante / Bastantes ==> Enough…
Demasiado / Demasiada / Demasiados / Demasiadas ==> Too many…
Example :
– Hoy, hay poca gente en la calle ==> There are few people in the street today.
– He comido mucho chocolate ==> I ate a lot of chocolate.
– Tengo bastante dinero para cómprame un coche ==> I have enough money to buy a car.
– Hay demasiado ruido en este bar ==> There is too much noise in this bar.

II. QUALITATIVE INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES

* CUALQUIERA (Any)
Cualquiera agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it is attached and is apocopied in front
of a masculine singular noun.
When used as a noun, cualquiera can be translated as “everyone”, “anyone” or “anybody”.
On the other hand, if it is placed before the noun (masculine or feminine), it changes to cualquier.
Example :
– Cualquier sitio me conviene ==> Any place is good for me.
– Cualquiera puede tener éxito trabajando duro ==> Anyone can be successful if they work hard.
– No es mujer cualquiera ==> It’s not just any woman.

* OTRO (Another)
The adjective OTRO has the specificity of always being used without an indefinite article.
It also agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it is attached.
Example :
– Quiero otra taza de café ==> I want another cup of coffee.
– Voy a tener otro pero ==> I’m going to get another dog.

* MISMO (Same/Himself-Herself)
MISMO agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it is attached.
This indefinite can be translated as “same” but also as the pronouns “himself”, “herself”, “themselves”.
Example :
– Nos entrevistamos con el comandante mismo ==> We had an interview with the commander himself
(in person).
– Tienen los mismos pantalones ==> They have the same pants.
– Lo hizo el mismo ==> He made them himself.

* TAL – SEMEJANTE – IGUAL

These adjectives are never preceded by an indefinite article.
They are respectively translated as “such”, “similar” and “equal/identical”.
If followed by a proper noun or a first name, “Tal” can be translated by “a certain” or by the locution “in
question”.
Example :
– Tal día como hoy empecé a trabajar ==> I started working on a day like this.
– El tal Juan se cree muy listo ==> The Juan in question thinks he is very intelligent.
– Su voz es semejante a la de su padre ==> His voice is similar to his father’s.
– Estos autos son aparentemente iguales ==> These cars are apparently identical.