cuanto

Cuanto is a Spanish word that functions primarily as an interrogative and exclamative determiner or pronoun to indicate quantity. It is used to ask “how much” or “how many” and agrees with the noun it accompanies: cuánto (masc. sing.), cuánta (fem. sing.), cuántos (masc. plur.), cuántas (fem. plur.). It appears before a noun or as a pronoun in questions and exclamations, for example: ¿Cuánto dinero tienes? or ¡Cuánto me alegro!

In addition to its interrogative and exclamative use, cuanto can serve in correlative or relative constructions without an accent, meaning “as much as” or “as many as.” It is also found in phrases such as cuanto antes, cuanto más, and todo cuanto, where it helps express extent or quantity in subordinate clauses: Cuanto más estudias, mejor te va; voy a hacerlo cuanto antes; todo cuanto dijo resultó cierto.

Morphology and usage notes: the accent on cuá nto marks the interrogative/exclamative function, while the unaccented cuanto is common in fixed correlative phrases and in relative clauses. The form adapts for gender and number to agree with the noun it modifies or replaces.

Etymology: cuanto derives from Latin quantus, ultimately from quantum, meaning “how great” or “how much.” It is a fundamental element in Spanish grammar for expressing quantity and comparison.

See also: cuánta, cuántos, cuántas, cuanto antes, cuanto más.