Quantity Expressions and Countability

In brief

Italian uses quantity words with both things you can count and things you measure. With countable nouns, the noun is usually plural: molti libri (many books). With uncountable nouns, it is usually singular: molta acqua (a lot of water). Unlike English much and many, molto changes to match the noun’s gender and number.

Form

molto, molta, molti, molte; poco, poca, pochi, poche; troppo, troppa, troppi, troppe + noun. Abbastanza and un po’ di do not change form.

Usage

• Use molti, pochi or troppi with plural countable nouns, and molta, poca or troppa with singular feminine uncountable nouns such as acqua.
• Abbastanza (enough) does not change with the noun: abbastanza tempo, abbastanza sedie.
• Un po’ di means a little or some and works with either type of noun: un po’ di pane, un po’ di biscotti.

Examples

• Bevo molta acqua ogni giorno. — I drink a lot of water every day.
• Abbiamo pochi libri in casa. — We have few books at home.
• C’è troppo zucchero nel caffè. — There’s too much sugar in the coffee.
• Hai abbastanza tempo per finire? — Do you have enough time to finish?

Common mistake

❌ Bevo molto acqua.

✅ Bevo molta acqua.

Acqua is feminine singular, so the quantity word must be molta.

Remember

Match molto, poco and troppo to the noun; abbastanza stays the same.