Spanish Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns  


Those marked with an asterisk are Pronouns only

Alguno, *alguien (pronounced álguien), (some, somebody, anybody)
*Algo, alguna cosa (something, anything)
*Uno-a,-os-as (one, a person, some, some persons)
Uno á otro (one another, each other)
Uno ú otro (one or the other, either)
Uno y otro, ambos, entrambos (both)
Ni uno ni otro (neither the one nor the other)
Ni uno (not a single one)
Los otros, los demás (the others)
Mismo (same, self)
Cierto-a,-os-as (a certain, certain)
Cada (each)
*Cada uno, *cada cual (each, each one)
Otro (other, another[1])
Todo (all, everything, every)
Todos (everybody, all)
Poco (little)
Pocos (few)
Unos pocos, unos cuantos (a few)
Mucho-a,-os-as (much, many)
Varios (several)
Cualquiera (sing.), Cualesquiera (pl.), (any, whichever)
*Quienquiera (sing.), quienesquiera (pl.), (any, whoever, whomever)
*Cualquiera cosa (anything, whatever)
Propio-a, os-as (own, self, same)
Tal (sing.), tales (pl. such a, such)
*Fulano, zutano, mengano (So-and-So)
Cuanto (todo lo que), (all that which)
Cuantos (todos los que), (all those who)
Ninguno (no one, nobody, not any)
*Nada (nothing), *nadie (no one, nobody)
*Quien ... quien, *cual ... cual (some ... some)

Footnote 1: "Another" is "otro," not "un otro."
Cada is an adjective only, as:

  • Cada huelga de obreros daña la industria nacional: Each workmen's strike injures national industry.

Alguien, algo, cada, nada, nadie are invariable, and the verb accompanying them is always singular, as:

  • Alguien hizo un error de pluma: Somebody made a slip of the pen.
  • Algo es mejor que el dinero, el honor: There is something better than money, honour.
  • ¿Hay algo peor que la ingratitud? Is there anything worse than ingratitude?
  • Nada es absolutamente perfecto y nadie es infalible: Nothing is absolutely perfect and nobody is infallible.

Further difference in meaning between alguien and alguno--

Alguien refers to persons only, and cannot be followed by de.
Alguno to persons or things, and may be followed by de,[2] as:

  • Alguien or Alguno se ha quejado: Somebody has complained.
  • Quiere naranjas y melocotones y yo tengo algunos: He wants oranges and peaches, and I have some.
  • Alguno de ellos lo hará: Someone amongst them will do it.

The English "any," "anything," are translated by alguno, alguna cosa (algo) when interrogative; ninguno, ninguna cosa (nada) when negative; and cualquiera, cualquiera cosa when affirmative, as:

  • ¿Quiere V. algún refresco ó algo que comer? Do you want any refreshments[3] or anything to eat?
  • No quiero ningunos Holandillos: I do not want any Hollands.
  • Cualquier(a) muchacho de escuela echaría de ver que estas Batistas Victoria son más ordinarias: Any schoolboy could see that these Victoria Lawns are of lower quality.

Alguno and Ninguno are left understood oftener than in English, as:

  • ¿Comprará V. (algunos) títulos de la nueva emisión? Will you buy any stock of the new issue?
  • Él no pide consejos: He does not ask any advice.

When nadie and ninguno, or any other negative word, as the adverb nunca (never), etc., precede a verb, no other negative is required; but when they follow it, no (not) must precede the verb, as: No he visto á nadie or á nadie he visto: I have seen nobody.

Footnote 2: Same difference between nadie and ninguno.]
Footnote 3: In Spanish the singular is found instead of the plural, as: ¿Tiene V. algún libro que prestarme? (have you any books to lend me?).]
Verbs ending in "car" or "gar" change the "c" and "g" into qu and gu respectively before e, as:

Embarcar[4] (to embark, to ship) Cargar[4] (to load)
Past Def. Embarqué Cargué
Pres. Subj. Embarque,-ques, que, -quemos,-quéis,-quen. Cargue,-gues,-gue, -guemos,-guéis,-guen.
Footnote 4: The primary parts (except, of course, the Infinitive) will be omitted in future when they are regular. The derivative parts will also be omitted when they are regularly formed from their primary parts according to the rules given. See synopsis at the end of the book.]



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