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Pronouns in Spanish are fundamental in this language and are divided into several categories. In today's article, don Quijote tells you what indefinite Spanish pronouns are and why they are essential in grammar. Discover how and when they are used, basic examples, and put them into practice with our final exercise to reinforce your learning.
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What are indefinite pronouns in Spanish?
Indefinite pronouns in Spanish allow us to talk about people, things, or quantities in an imprecise or unspecific way. They are used constantly in everyday communication and can be found in both spoken and written language.
Therefore, indefinite pronouns replace a noun and are used to refer to a person, thing or quantity in a vague or indeterminate way. In other words, indefinite pronouns do not specify exactly who or what we are talking about.
Unlike indefinite determiners, pronouns do not accompany a noun, but replace it.
For example:
- Alguien llamó a la puerta (Someone knocked on the door)
- No tengo nada que añadir (I have nothing to add)
In these example sentences, someone and nothing replace an unmentioned noun and are therefore indefinite pronouns.
What are the indefinite Spanish pronouns?
There are many indefinite pronouns in Spanish, but some are much more common than others. Below, we will teach you the most important ones and group them by their meaning.
The indefinite pronouns for people or things are: alguien, nadie, algo, nada, uno / una and otros / otras.
Some examples are:
- Alguien quiere hablar contigo (Someone wants to talk to you)
- Nadie entendió la explicación (No one understood the explanation)
- Algo no está bien (Something is not right)
- Nada es imposible si lo intentas (Nothing is impossible if you try)
The indefinite pronouns of quantity are: mucho / mucha / muchos / muchas (much), poco / poca / pocos / pocas (little), todo / toda / todos / todas (all), bastante / bastantes (quite a lot), demasiado / demasiada / demasiados / demasiadas (too much/too many) and varios / varias (several). As you can see, indefinite quantity pronouns vary according to gender and number.
Examples:
- Muchos piensan que aprender español es difícil (Many people think that learning Spanish is difficult)
- Pocos saben la respuesta correcta (Few people know the correct answer)
- Todo fue un éxito (Everything was a success)
- Bastantes personas llegaron tarde a clase (Quite a few people arrived late to class)
Indefinite pronouns of choice or distribution are: cualquiera, ambos / ambas and ninguno / ninguna.
Examples:
- Cualquiera puede cometer un error (Anyone can make a mistake)
- Ambos aprobaron el examen (Both passed the exam)
- Ninguno respondió correctamente (None answered correctly)