2025.10.06

How to Use English Quantifiers｜A Guide to some, any, many, and Other Expressions of Quantity

Izumi

In English, expressions of quantity such as “How many?” or “How much?” are used very frequently. In everyday conversation, being able to naturally say things like “a little,” “a lot,” or “none at all” makes a big difference in both accuracy and politeness.

In this lesson, I will explain how to use basic English quantifiers and clarify the distinction between countable and uncountable nouns.

Contents

1. Expressions of Quantity and the Basic Rules of Quantifiers
- 1-1. The Difference Between Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 1-2. Basic List of Quantifiers and Their Usage
2. The Difference Between some and any
3. The Difference Between many and much
4. The Nuance Difference Between few / little and a few / a little
5. Summary

1. Expressions of Quantity and the Basic Rules of Quantifiers

1-1. The Difference Between Countable and Uncountable Nouns

In English, the choice of quantifier depends on whether the noun is countable (things that can be counted) or uncountable (things that cannot be counted).

Category	Examples	Description
Countable Nouns	book, apple, dog, chair	Nouns that can be counted (one, two, etc.). They also take a plural form (-s).
Uncountable Nouns	water, sugar, time, money, advice	Abstract nouns or mass nouns that generally cannot be counted.

This distinction determines whether to use many or much, and explains the difference between few and little.

1-2. Basic List of Quantifiers and Their Usage

The following table shows common quantifiers and how they are used:

Quantifier	Countable / Uncountable	Meaning	Example
some	Both	some, a few, a certain amount of	some water / some books
any	Both	some/any (used in questions and negatives)	any milk? / not any apples
many	Countable	many (large number)	many people / many countries
much	Uncountable	much (large amount)	much time / much money
a lot of	Both	a lot of, plenty of	a lot of friends / a lot of tea
a few / few	Countable	a few = some / few = hardly any	a few books / few chances
a little / little	Uncountable	a little = some / little = hardly any	a little water / little hope

2. The Difference Between some and any

Some is mainly used in affirmative sentences and means “a few” or “some.” It is also used in offers and requests.

I have some questions.
Would you like some coffee?

Any is used in questions and negative sentences, meaning “any” or “none.”

Do you have any brothers or sisters?
I don’t have any idea.

Both some and any can be used with countable and uncountable nouns.

3. The Difference Between many and much

Many means “a large number of” and is used with countable nouns.

There are many students in the classroom.
How many apples do you want?

Much means “a large amount of” and is used with uncountable nouns.

There isn’t much sugar left.
How much money do you need?

These quantifiers are often combined with intensifiers such as so, too, and very.

There were so many people at the concert.
He drank too much coffee.

4. The Nuance Difference Between few / little and a few / a little

The meaning changes significantly depending on whether or not “a” is present.

With “a”: focus is on some existence
Without “a”: focus is on lack or absence

With Countable Nouns: few / a few

Expression	Meaning	Nuance	Example
few	hardly any	negative, emphasizing lack	Few students passed the test.
a few	some (not many, but some)	positive, emphasizing existence	A few students passed the test.

With Uncountable Nouns: little / a little

Expression	Meaning	Nuance	Example
little	hardly any	negative, insufficient	There is little hope.
a little	some (a small amount)	positive, emphasizing presence	We still have a little time.

Even though they are grammatically similar, these subtle differences in nuance can significantly affect the impression in conversation.

5. Summary

The first step is to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns.
Some / any can be used with both types of nouns, but their usage depends on whether the sentence is affirmative, negative, or interrogative.
Many / much both mean “a lot,” but many is used with countable nouns, and much with uncountable nouns.
Few / little and a few / a little differ in nuance: with “a” they emphasize existence, without “a” they emphasize absence.