Spanish

Alternative forms

• quanto (obsolete)

Pronoun

cuanto n ‎(correlative of tanto)

1. whatever quantity, as much, however much

   Dame cuanto tienes. — “Give me however many you have.”

2. (in “en cuanto a...”) however much concern; “regard”; regarding; as for

   En cuanto al imperativo,.... — “With regard to the imperative,....”

3. (in “en cuanto”) as much time; “the moment”; “the meantime”

   En cuanto hablé,.... — “The moment I spoke,....”

   En cuanto pueda, responderé. “As soon as I can, I'll respond”

Usage notes

• (whatever, as much, however much): The phrase “por cuanto” is often translated into English as “inasmuch as”.
• (whatever, as much, however much): To express the interrogative, cuánto (with an accent mark) is used instead:

  ¿Cuánto tienes? — “How much do you have?”

• (in “en cuanto a...”, regard): The phrase “en cuanto a...” (historically often written as “en cuanto á...”) is often translated into English with alternate constructions like “as for” or “as to”:

  En cuanto al imperativo,.... — “As for the imperative,....”

• (in “en cuanto...”, the moment): The phrase “en cuanto...” is often translated into English as “as soon as”:

  En cuanto hablé,.... — “As soon as I spoke,....”

• (in “en cuanto...”, the moment): The phrase “en cuanto...” to talk about the future is often translated into English with the subjunctive

  En cuanto pueda,.... — “As soon as I can,....”

Adjective

cuanto m ‎(feminine singular cuanta, masculine plural cuantos, feminine plural cuantas)

1. as much [of]; as many; however much; however many

   Bebe cuanta agua quieres. — “Drink as much water as you want.”

2. (used in plural) as many things or people, all
3. (after “unos”) few; quite a few; a handful

   unos cuantos unas cuantas — “a few” or “quite a few”, depending on context.

   Habían unas cuantas personas en la reunión.

   There were only a handful of people at the meeting.

   Coge unos cuantos.

   Take a handful (a few).

4. (with comparatives) however much; however many; (constructing parallel comparatives) “the..., the...”
   • 1882, Víctor Balaguer, Tragedias: Los Esponsales de la Muerta, page 366:

     Cuanta más agua le quitan más le queda.

     — “The more water they remove for him, the more remains.”

Usage notes

The adjective cuanto is often used substantively with an implied noun. For example, with the topic agua already established, the noun may be omitted:

Bebe cuanto quieres. — “Drink as much [water] as you want.”

To express the interrogative, cuánto (with an accent mark) is used instead:

¿Cuánto aqua quieres? — “How much water do you want?”

Adverb

cuanto ‎(correlative)

1. as much; however much; in whatever quantity

Usage notes

To express the interrogative, the cuánto (with an accent mark) is used instead:

¿Cuánto cuesta? — “How much does it cost?”

Related terms

• cantidad
• cuan
• cuántico
• cuánto ‎(“how much?”)
• tanto ‎(“so much, as much”)

See also

• ¿Cuánto cuesta? ‎(“How much does it cost?”)

Etymology 2

Recent borrowing from Latin quantum.

Noun

cuanto m ‎(plural cuantos)

1. (physics) quantum