Quantifiers in English
Complete with rules, uses, tips, and
examples in both English and Nepali.
1. Quantifiers for Countable Nouns (गणनायोग्य संज्ञाहरू)
These are used with things you can
count (e.g., books, people, apples).
|
Quantifier |
Meaning
(Nepali) |
Use
& Tips |
English
Example |
Nepali
Example |
|
Many |
धेरै (संख्यामा) |
Used in negative sentences and
questions. In positive sentences, we usually use "a lot of"
instead. |
How many books did you buy? |
तपाईंले कति धेरै किताबहरू किन्नुभयो? |
|
Few |
थोरै (नकारात्मक अर्थ) |
Means not many; almost none. Gives
a negative feeling. |
I have few chances to travel. (I
wish I had more). |
मसँग यात्रा गर्न थोरै अवसरहरू छन्। (मलाई अझै चाहियो)। |
|
A few |
केही (सकारात्मक अर्थ) |
Means some; a small number. Gives
a positive feeling. |
I have a few close friends. (That
is enough for me). |
मसँग केही घनिष्ठ साथीहरू छन्। (त्यो मेरो लागि पर्याप्त छ)। |
|
Several |
धेरै (तर सीमित) |
More than "a few" but
less than "many." Usually used in positive sentences. |
Several students passed the test. |
धेरै विद्यार्थीहरूले परीक्षा पास गरे। |
|
A couple of |
दुई/केही |
Means two things, or a very small
number (informal). |
I need a couple of minutes. |
मलाई केही मिनेट चाहियो। |
|
Each |
हरेक (एक्लै) |
Refers to every single one
individually. Used with singular nouns. |
Each student has a book. |
हरेक विद्यार्थीसँग एउटा किताब छ। |
|
Every |
सबै (समूहमा) |
Refers to all the members of a
group as a whole. Used with singular nouns. |
Every student likes the teacher. |
सबै विद्यार्थीहरूलाई शिक्षक मन पर्छ। |
2. Quantifiers for Uncountable Nouns (अगणनीय संज्ञाहरू)
These are used with things you
cannot count (e.g., water, time, money, rice).
|
Quantifier |
Meaning
(Nepali) |
Use
& Tips |
English
Example |
Nepali
Example |
|
Much |
धेरै (मात्रामा) |
Used in negative sentences and
questions. Rarely used in positive statements. |
How much water is left? |
कति धेरै पानी बाँकी छ? |
|
Little |
थोरै (नकारात्मक अर्थ) |
Means not much; almost none. Gives
a negative feeling. |
I have little time left. (I am
stressed about it). |
मसँग थोरै समय बाँकी छ। (म तनावमा छु)। |
|
A little |
अलिकति (सकारात्मक
अर्थ) |
Means some, but not a lot. Gives a
positive feeling. |
I have a little time. Let's talk. |
मसँग अलिकति समय छ। कुरा गरौं। |
|
A bit of |
अलिकति |
Informal version of "a
little." Used in casual conversation. |
Can you give me a bit of advice? |
के तपाईं मलाई अलिकति सल्लाह दिन सक्नुहुन्छ? |
3. Quantifiers for Both Countable & Uncountable
Nouns (दुवैका लागि)
These are the safest quantifiers
because they work with almost everything.
|
Quantifier |
Meaning
(Nepali) |
Use
& Tips |
English
Example |
Nepali
Example |
|
Some |
केही/अलिकति |
Used in positive sentences and
offers/requests. |
I need some help. (Uncountable) |
मलाई केही मद्दत चाहियो। |
|
Any |
कुनै/केही |
Used in negative sentences and
questions. |
Is there any milk? (Uncountable) |
के त्यहाँ कुनै दूध छ? |
|
No |
कुनै पनि छैन |
Means "not any." Used
with a positive verb to make a negative meaning. |
There is no milk left. |
त्यहाँ कुनै पनि दूध बाँकी छैन। |
|
A lot of / Lots of |
धेरै (प्रशस्त) |
Used in positive sentences mostly.
Very common in spoken English. |
I have a lot of work.
(Uncountable) |
मसँग धेरै काम छ। |
|
Plenty of |
प्रशस्त/पर्याप्त |
Means "enough and more."
Very positive. |
We have plenty of time. |
हामीसँग प्रशस्त समय छ। |
|
Enough |
पर्याप्त |
Means "as much as
necessary." |
I don't have enough money.
(Uncountable) |
मसँग पर्याप्त पैसा छैन। |
Important
Tips & Grammar Rules
Tip
1: "Many" vs. "Much" vs. "A lot of"
Use Many (Countable) and Much
(Uncountable) mainly in Questions & Negative sentences.
Examples:
- Do you have many bags? ✅ (Correct)
- Do you have much luggage? ✅ (Correct)
In Positive sentences, use A
lot of instead.
- I have many money. ❌ (Wrong) → I have a lot of
money. ✅ (Correct)
- I have much friends. ❌ (Wrong) → I have a lot of
friends. ✅ (Correct)
Tip
2: "Few" vs. "A few" (and "Little" vs. "A
little")
This is the most common mistake!
Remember the "No vs. Yes" rule:
Few / Little = NO (Negative feeling, almost zero).
- I have few friends. (I feel lonely).
- I have little water. (I will be thirsty).
A few / A little = YES (Positive feeling, some is better
than nothing).
- I have a few friends. (I am happy with my small group).
- I have a little water. (I won't be thirsty now).
Tip
3: "Some" vs. "Any"
Usually,
- Some = Positive
- Any = Question / Negative
Examples:
- I have some apples. (Positive)
- I don't have any apples. (Negative)
- Do you have any apples? (Question)
Exception (Extra Tip):
Use Some in questions when
you are offering something or expecting a "Yes" answer.
- Would you like some tea? (Offering)
- Can I have some water? (Request)
Tip
4: Subject–Verb Agreement
The verb changes depending on
whether the noun is countable or uncountable.
Uncountable = Singular Verb
- There is a lot of water.
- How much money is there?
Countable = Plural Verb
- There are a lot of students.
- How many people are here?
Tip
5: "Each" vs. "Every"
Each focuses on the individual
(used for 2 or more things).
- Each student has a different pencil.
(Thinking about them one by one).
Every focuses on the whole group
(used for 3 or more things).
- Every student passed.
(Thinking about the whole class).
📝
Quick Practice (English & Nepali)
Try to fill in the blank:
1. I have _______ books to read. (धेरै) ➡️ a lot of
2. There is _______ water in the glass.
(अलिकति) ➡️ a little
3. She doesn't have _______ patience. (धेरै) ➡️ much
4. I need _______ minutes to finish
this. (केही) ➡️ a few
5. Are there _______ tickets left? (कुनै) ➡️ any
40
mixed sentences using all the quantifiers covered above.
They are organized into sections so
you can clearly see how each quantifier works in both positive, negative, and
question forms. Every sentence is written in English first, followed by the
Nepali translation.
Section A: Using MANY & MUCH (Questions &
Negatives)
How many students are in the
classroom?
कक्षाकोठामा कति
धेरै विद्यार्थीहरू छन्?
I don’t have many clothes to wear
today.
मसँग आज लगाउन
धेरै लुगाहरू छैनन्।
How much sugar do you need for the
tea?
तपाईंलाई चियाको
लागि कति धेरै
चिनी चाहियो?
There isn’t much rice left in the
kitchen.
भान्सामा धेरै
चामल बाँकी छैन।
Did you see many people at the park?
के तपाईंले पार्कमा
धेरै मानिसहरू देख्नुभयो?
She doesn’t drink much coffee in the
evening.
उनी साँझमा धेरै
कफी पिउँदिनन्।
Section B: Using FEW vs. A FEW (Countable Nouns)
I have few ideas for the project. (I
am worried).
मसँग प्रोजेक्टको लागि
थोरै विचारहरू छन्।
(म चिन्तित छु)।
I have a few ideas for the project.
(That is good).
मसँग प्रोजेक्टको लागि
केही विचारहरू छन्।
(त्यो राम्रो हो)।
There are few apples in the basket.
Go buy some.
टोकरीमा थोरै
स्याउहरू छन्।
केही किनेर ल्याऊ।
There are a few apples in the
basket. We can make juice.
टोकरीमा केही
स्याउहरू छन्।
हामी जुस बनाउन
सक्छौं।
Few people came to the meeting
because of the rain.
पानी परेको कारणले
बैठकमा थोरै मानिसहरू
आए।
I met a few friends at the
restaurant yesterday.
मैले हिजो रेस्टुरेन्टमा केही साथीहरूलाई
भेटें।
Section C: Using LITTLE vs. A LITTLE (Uncountable
Nouns)
We have little time to catch the
train. (We will miss it).
हामीसँग ट्रेन
समात्न थोरै समय
छ। (हामीले गुमाउनेछौं)।
We have a little time to catch the
train. (We can run).
हामीसँग ट्रेन
समात्न अलिकति समय
छ। (हामी दौडन
सक्छौं)।
There is little milk in the fridge.
Please buy some.
फ्रिजमा थोरै
दूध छ। कृपया
केही किन्नुहोस्।
There is a little milk in the
fridge. It’s enough for tea.
फ्रिजमा अलिकति
दूध छ। चियाको
लागि पर्याप्त छ।
He has little patience with lazy
people.
उसलाई अल्छी मानिसहरूप्रति थोरै धैर्यता
छ।
Can you give me a little advice on
this matter?
के तपाईं मलाई
यस विषयमा अलिकति
सल्लाह दिन सक्नुहुन्छ?
Section D: Using SOME & ANY (Both types)
I need some water to take this
medicine.
मलाई यो औषधि
खान केही पानी
चाहियो।
I bought some bananas and oranges
from the market.
मैले बजारबाट केही
केरा र सुन्तलाहरू
किनें।
There aren’t any eggs in the fridge.
फ्रिजमा कुनै
पनि अण्डाहरू छैनन्।
Is there any bread for breakfast?
बिहानको खाजाको
लागि कुनै रोटी
छ?
Would you like some coffee?
(Offering - expecting Yes)
के तपाईं अलिकति
कफी लिनुहुन्छ? (प्रस्ताव
- हो भन्ने आशा)।
Can I have some more rice, please?
(Request)
के म अलिकति
अरू चामल पाउन
सक्छु? (अनुरोध)।
Section E: Using NO (Both types)
There is no sugar in my tea. It is
bitter.
मेरो चियामा कुनै
पनि चिनी छैन।
यो तितो छ।
There are no chairs in the room.
Everyone is standing.
कोठामा कुनै पनि
कुर्सीहरू छैनन्।
सबैजना उभिरहेका छन्।
I have no money to buy that
expensive phone.
मसँग त्यो महँगो
फोन किन्न कुनै
पनि पैसा छैन।
No students were absent yesterday.
हिजो कुनै पनि
विद्यार्थी अनुपस्थित
थिएनन्।
Section F: Using A LOT OF / LOTS OF / PLENTY OF
(Positive sentences)
She has a lot of experience in
teaching.
उनीसँग पढाउनेमा धेरै
अनुभव छ।
We have lots of vegetables in our
garden.
हाम्रो बगैंचामा धेरै
तरकारीहरू छन्।
There are plenty of parking spaces
available.
त्यहाँ प्रशस्त पार्किंग
ठाउँहरू उपलब्ध
छन्।
I drank a lot of juice at the party.
मैले पार्टीमा धेरै
जुस पिएँ।
Section G: Using ENOUGH (Both types)
Do we have enough chairs for all the
guests?
के हामीसँग सबै
पाहुनाहरूको लागि
पर्याप्त कुर्सीहरू
छन्?
She doesn’t have enough money to pay
the bill.
उनीसँग बिल तिर्न
पर्याप्त पैसा
छैन।
I have enough time to finish my
homework.
मसँग मेरो गृहकार्य
सकाउन पर्याप्त समय
छ।
We didn’t buy enough snacks for the
movie.
हामीले चलचित्रको लागि
पर्याप्त खाजाहरू
किनेनौं।
Section H: Using SEVERAL, A COUPLE OF, EACH, EVERY
Several people have complained about
the noise.
धेरै मानिसहरूले आवाजको
बारेमा गुनासो गरेका
छन्।
I will be back in a couple of
minutes.
म केही मिनेटमा
फर्किन्छु।
Each student must submit their
assignment. (Individual)
हरेक विद्यार्थीले आफ्नो
असाइनमेन्ट बुझाउनै
पर्छ। (एक्लै)।
Every student passed the final exam.
(Whole group)
सबै विद्यार्थीहरूले अन्तिम
परीक्षा पास
गरे। (समूह)।
📌 Bonus Summary Table for Quick Revision
|
Quantifier |
Used
With |
English
Example |
Nepali
Example |
|
Many |
Countable (Q/Neg) |
How many apples? |
कति धेरै स्याउ? |
|
Much |
Uncountable (Q/Neg) |
How much water? |
कति धेरै पानी? |
|
Few |
Countable (Neg) |
Few people came. |
थोरै मानिस आए। |
|
A few |
Countable (Pos) |
A few people came. |
केही मानिस आए। |
|
Little |
Uncountable (Neg) |
Little time left. |
थोरै समय बाँकी। |
|
A little |
Uncountable (Pos) |
A little time left. |
अलिकति समय
बाँकी। |
|
Some |
Both (Pos/Offer) |
Some milk / Some eggs. |
केही दूध / केही
अण्डा। |
|
Any |
Both (Q/Neg) |
Any milk? / Not any eggs. |
कुनै दूध? / कुनै
अण्डा छैन। |
|
No |
Both |
No milk / No eggs. |
कुनै पनि दूध
छैन / अण्डा छैन। |
|
A lot of |
Both (Pos) |
A lot of work/friends. |
धेरै काम/साथीहरू। |
|
Enough |
Both |
Enough money/books. |
पर्याप्त पैसा/किताबहरू। |
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