Lesson 17: Quantity

Countable & Uncountable · Quantifiers · How Much / How Many

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Lesson Vocabulary

Click 🔊 to hear each word.

Countable Nouns — can add -s, can use numbers

apple/ˈæpl/ябълка

egg/eɡ/яйце

coin/kɔɪn/монета

friend/frend/приятел

idea/aɪˈdɪə/идея

problem/ˈprɒbləm/проблем

minute/ˈmɪnɪt/минута

person/ˈpɜːsn/човек → people (хора)

chair/tʃeər/стол

bag/bæɡ/чанта / торба

Uncountable Nouns — NO -s, NO numbers

water/ˈwɔːtər/вода

milk/mɪlk/мляко

rice/raɪs/ориз

bread/bred/хляб

sugar/ˈʃʊɡər/захар

coffee/ˈkɒfi/кафе

money/ˈmʌni/пари

time/taɪm/време

information/ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃn/информация

advice/ədˈvaɪs/съвет

luggage/ˈlʌɡɪdʒ/багаж

furniture/ˈfɜːnɪtʃər/мебели

Quantifiers

some/sʌm/малко / няколко (позитивно)

any/ˈeni/никакъв / нещо (въпрос/отрицание)

much/mʌtʃ/много (неброимо)

many/ˈmeni/много (броимо)

a lot of/ə lɒt əv/много (универсално)

a few/ə fjuː/няколко (достатъчно, броимо)

few/fjuː/малко (недостатъчно, броимо)

a little/ə ˈlɪtl/малко (достатъчно, неброимо)

little/ˈlɪtl/малко (недостатъчно, неброимо)

no/noʊ/никакъв (пред съществително)

none/nʌn/нищо / никакъв (самостоятелно)

Weights & Volumes — for shopping

a gram/ɡræm/грам 100 grams of cheese

a kilogram / kilo/ˈkɪləɡræm/килограм a kilo of sugar

half a kilo/hɑːf ə ˈkɪləʊ/половин килограм half a kilo of flour

a litre/ˈliːtər/литър a litre of milk

a millilitre/ˈmɪlɪliːtər/милилитър 200ml of cream

enough/ɪˈnʌf/достатъчно

Containers & Partitives

a bottle of/ˈbɒtl/бутилка (от)

a glass of/ɡlɑːs/чаша (стъклена, от)

a cup of/kʌp/чаша (от)

a slice of/slaɪs/резен / парче (от)

a piece of/piːs/парче (от)

a loaf of/loʊf/питка / самун (от)

a carton of/ˈkɑːtn/картонена кутия (от)

a bowl of/boʊl/купа (от)

a bar of/bɑːr/блокче (от)

a tin / can of/tɪn/ /kæn/консерва (от)

a jar of/dʒɑːr/буркан (от)

a bag of/bæɡ/торба / пакет (от)

Grammar Lab

A · Countable vs Uncountable

What is a Countable Noun?

✅ COUNTABLE — can be counted, can add -s, can use a / an and numbers.

an apple → two apples
one friend → five friends
a problem → ten problems

🚫 UNCOUNTABLE — cannot be counted, NO -s, NO a / an, NO numbers.

❌ "two waters" ✔ "two glasses of water"
❌ "an advice" ✔ "a piece of advice"
❌ "three breads" ✔ "three loaves of bread"

⚠️ Tricky nouns for Bulgarian speakers — these are uncountable in English but feel plural or different in Bulgarian:

English (Uncountable)	Bulgarian feels like...	Correct English
advice	съвети (plural)	He gave me some advice. ✔ ❌ He gave me some advices.
information	информации (plural)	I need some information. ✔ ❌ I need some informations.
furniture	мебели (plural)	We bought some furniture. ✔ ❌ We bought some furnitures.
luggage	багажи (plural)	I have too much luggage. ✔ ❌ I have too many luggages.

Exercise A Easy — Countable or Uncountable?

1. bread

2. friend

3. money

4. idea

5. advice

Exercise B Hard — Choose the correct sentence

B · Some / Any

Some vs Any — The Basic Rule

SOME — use in positive (+) sentences

"I have some money."
"There is some milk in the fridge."
"We need some bread."

ANY — use in negative (−) sentences and most questions (?)

"There isn't any time."
"I don't have any money."
"Is there any sugar?"

⚠️ Important Exception — SOME in Questions (Offers & Requests)

Use SOME (not any) when you are offering something to someone: "Would you like some coffee?" ✔ (You are offering coffee — you expect "yes") ❌ "Would you like any coffee?" — sounds unnatural and less polite
Use SOME when you are asking for something (a request): "Can I have some water, please?" ✔ (You expect to receive it) "Could you give me some advice?" ✔
Quick test: Is a "yes" answer expected? → Use SOME. Is the answer unknown? → Use ANY.
"Would you like some tea?" → Probably yes = SOME
"Do you have any tea?" → Don't know = ANY

Exercise C Easy — Some or Any?

1. She doesn't have ___ time today.

2. I bought ___ milk at the shop.

3. Are there ___ apples in the bag?

4. We have ___ good news for you.

5. He didn't give me ___ advice.

Exercise D Hard — Some or Any? (includes Offers & Requests)

1. Would you like ___ help with that?

2. Do you have ___ brothers or sisters?

3. Can I have ___ sugar in my coffee, please?

4. There isn't ___ bread left in the house.

5. Would you like ___ more rice? (Offer)

C · No vs None

No vs None — Zero Quantity

NO + noun — use before a noun in a positive sentence structure (replaces "not any")

"I have no money." ✔
"There is no bread." ✔
"She has no time." ✔

Same meaning as:
"I don't have any money."

NONE — used alone (without a noun), as the answer

"How much money do you have?" → "None." ✔
"How many friends did he invite?" → "None of them came." ✔
"Any problems?" → "None at all." ✔

❌ Never: "I have none money."

Exercise E Easy — No or None?

1. I have ___ idea what to do. (before noun)

2. "How much time do you have?" — "___ at all."

3. There is ___ sugar in my coffee.

4. "Did you get any messages?" — "___, nothing."

5. She has ___ money in her wallet.

D · Much / Many / A lot of

Large Amounts

Word	Used with	Sentence type	Example
A lot of	Both	All (+) (−) (?)	There is a lot of work.
Many	Countable	Neg / Question	I don't have many friends. / Do you have many problems?
Much	Uncountable	Neg / Question	We don't have much time. / How much money?
Too many	Countable	Excessive	There are too many people here.
Too much	Uncountable	Excessive	I have too much stress.

🎯 Tip for A1 learners

A lot of is your safe choice — it works with both countable and uncountable in positive sentences. In negative sentences and questions, switch to many (countable) or much (uncountable).

✔ "She has a lot of ideas." | ✔ "She doesn't have many ideas."
✔ "There is a lot of water." | ✔ "There isn't much water."

Exercise F Easy — Much or Many?

1. How ___ eggs do you need?

2. We don't have ___ time left.

3. There are too ___ cars in the city.

4. She doesn't drink ___ coffee.

5. Did you make ___ mistakes in the test?

Exercise G Hard — Fill in: much / many / a lot of / too much / too many

1. I ate ___ chocolate and now I feel sick.

2. She has ___ experience for this job.

3. There are ___ choices — I can't decide!

4. He doesn't have ___ patience.

5. Do you have ___ questions?

E · A few / Few / A little / Little

Small Amounts — The Positive/Negative Feeling

Positive feeling — "enough"

A FEW (countable):
"I have a few minutes." = I have enough time, let's talk.

A LITTLE (uncountable):
"I have a little money." = Not much, but enough for coffee.

Negative feeling — "not enough"

FEW (countable):
"I have few friends." = I am lonely. Sadly not many.

LITTLE (uncountable):
"We have little hope." = The situation is bad.

🔑 Memory trick

Think of the article "a" as positive energy. With it → optimistic. Without it → pessimistic.
"A few friends came." (good!) vs "Few friends came." (sad — almost nobody came)

Exercise H Easy — Choose: a few / few / a little / little

1. I have ___ money. (Just enough for the bus — positive)

2. She has ___ friends. (She is very lonely — negative)

3. Wait — I need ___ more minutes. (Enough time — positive)

4. There is ___ sugar left — we need to buy more. (Not enough — negative)

5. He speaks ___ English — enough to travel. (Positive)

Exercise I Hard — Fill in: a few / few / a little / little

1. I have ___ coins — let me count them. (positive/enough)

2. The company has ___ hope now. (negative feeling)

3. Can you give me ___ advice? (positive/enough)

4. ___ people came to the meeting. (negative — disappointing)

5. Add ___ salt to the soup. (positive/enough)

F · How Much / How Many

Asking About Quantity

HOW MANY + Countable (Plural)

Structure: How many + [noun] + do/does + subject + have?

"How many apples do you have?"
"How many friends does she have?"
"How many eggs do we need?"
"How many people are there?"

HOW MUCH + Uncountable

Structure: How much + [noun] + is there / do you have?

"How much water is there?"
"How much money do you have?"
"How much time do we have?"
"How much does it cost?" (price)

⚠️ Special uses of How Much

"How much does it cost?" / "How much is it?" — always used for price, even though money is uncountable. This is the standard shopping question.
"How much is this bag?" → "It's ten leva."
Answers use "some", "a lot", "a few/little", "none" etc.:
"How many friends do you have?" → "A few." / "Not many." / "None."
"How much milk is there?" → "A little." / "Not much." / "None at all."

Exercise J Easy — How much or How many?

1. ___ coffee do you drink per day?

2. ___ eggs are in the fridge?

3. ___ money do you have with you?

4. ___ people are coming to the party?

5. ___ sugar do you want in your tea?

Exercise K Hard — Write how much or how many to complete the question

1. "___ bread do we need?"

2. "___ coins are in your pocket?"

3. "___ does this jacket cost?"

4. "___ advice did she give you?"

5. "___ problems did you have?"

G · Containers & Partitives

How to Count Uncountable Nouns

Since uncountable nouns cannot be numbered directly, we use a container or partitive expression in between. This is how you ask for specific amounts in shops and restaurants.

a bottle of

a bottle of water / wine / olive oil

бутилка (от)

a glass of

a glass of milk / juice / water

чаша стъклена (от)

a cup of

a cup of coffee / tea

чаша (от)

a loaf of

a loaf of bread

питка / самун (от)

a slice of

a slice of bread / pizza / cake

резен / парче (от)

a piece of

a piece of cake / furniture / advice

парче (от)

a carton of

a carton of milk / juice / eggs

картонена кутия (от)

a bowl of

a bowl of soup / rice / cereal

купа (от)

a bar of

a bar of chocolate / soap

блокче (от)

a tin / can of

a can of soda / tuna / tomatoes

консерва (от)

a jar of

a jar of honey / jam / peanut butter

буркан (от)

a bag of

a bag of flour / sugar / rice

торба / пакет (от)

H · Enough

Enough — Is the Quantity Sufficient?

📉

NOT ENOUGH

"We don't have enough eggs."
"There isn't enough time."
"She has no money."

✅

ENOUGH

"I have enough money."
"There is enough bread."
"We have enough chairs."

📈

TOO MUCH / MANY

"I have too much stress."
"There are too many people."
"She ate too much cake."

🎯 Structure — Enough + Noun

Enough always comes before the noun, just like "some" or "any".

✔ "I have enough money to buy it." | ❌ "I have money enough."
✔ "We don't have enough time." | ❌ "We don't have time enough."
✔ "Are there enough chairs?" | ❌ "Are there chairs enough?"

Enough works with both countable and uncountable nouns — it is your universal "sufficient" word.

Countable: "I have enough eggs." (броимо)
Uncountable: "Is there enough water?" (неброимо)

⚠️ Enough — with adjectives (A2 preview)

When enough goes with an adjective, it comes after it — the opposite of with nouns!
"She is old enough to drive." (adjective → enough after)
"Is it warm enough outside?" (adjective → enough after)
You don't need to produce this at A1, but you will hear it — so don't be confused.

Exercise L Easy — Too much/many, Enough, or Not enough?

1. I can buy the coffee. I have the money. →

2. The shop has 500 chairs. Only 5 people are shopping. →

3. The recipe needs 3 eggs. We have 2. →

4. She drank 5 cups of coffee and can't sleep. →

5. The meeting is at 9. It is 8:55. We have 5 minutes. →

Exercise M Hard — Fill in: enough / too much / too many / not enough

1. I can't buy it. I don't have ___ money.

2. The bag is full. There are ___ things inside.

3. We have exactly 10 chairs for 10 people — ___ for everyone.

4. I only have 5 minutes. That is ___ time to finish.

5. He put ___ salt in the soup — it tastes terrible!

I · The Café Rule — Nouns That Change

Some Nouns Can Be BOTH Countable and Uncountable

🎯 The Key Idea

Some nouns change their meaning — and their countability — depending on the context. When used as a substance or material, they are uncountable. When used as a portion or specific item, they become countable.

This is why a waiter in a café says "Two coffees, please" — he means two cups, not the substance coffee itself.

Word	Uncountable — substance / material	Countable — portion / specific item
coffee / tea	"I drink coffee every morning."The general substance — no article needed.	"Can I have a coffee, please?" / "Two coffees."= one cup / two cups — a specific, ordered portion.
paper	"I need some paper to write on."The material — sheets, not counted.	"I bought a paper at the kiosk."= a newspaper — one specific item.
glass	"The window is made of glass."The material.	"Can I have a glass of water?"= the container — a countable object.
cake / pizza	"Do you like cake?" / "We ordered pizza."The food in general.	"She baked a cake." / "Two pizzas, please."= a whole one — a specific, countable item.
water / beer / wine	"Is there any water in the bottle?"The substance.	"Three beers, please." / "Two waters."= ordered drinks in a restaurant — portions.

⚠️ Practical Rule for A1

When you order or ask for a specific portion in a café, shop, or restaurant → treat it as countable: "Two coffees and a water, please."
When you talk about the substance, habit, or general idea → treat it as uncountable: "I love coffee." / "I don't drink much water."
This is a very natural part of English — native speakers switch between the two forms all the time.

Exercise N Easy — Countable or Uncountable in context?

1. "I drink coffee every morning." — Is "coffee" here countable or uncountable?

2. "Can I have a coffee, please?" — Is "coffee" here countable or uncountable?

3. "The table is made of glass." — Countable or uncountable?

4. "She baked a cake for the party." — Countable or uncountable?

5. "I need some paper to print this." — Countable or uncountable?

Exercise O Hard — Choose the correct form for the context

1. The waiter takes the order. → "Three ___, please." (ordered drinks)

2. You are talking about your morning habits. → "I don't drink much ___."

3. You are in a restaurant and want a newspaper. → "Do you have ___ I can read?"

4. You are describing a material. → "The bottle is made of ___."

5. You are ordering food for the whole table. → "Two ___, please." (whole items to eat)

J · Shopping Measurements

Weights & Volumes — Real Shopping Language

In Bulgarian shops you use grams, kilograms and litres. English uses the same metric units. Here is how to say them and use them in sentences at the counter or in a recipe.

gram g

100 grams of cheese
200g of ham

100 грама сирене

kilogram / kilo kg

a kilo of sugar
two kilos of flour

килограм захар

half a kilo 500g

half a kilo of tomatoes
half a kilo of minced meat

половин килограм домати

litre l

a litre of milk
two litres of water

литър мляко

millilitre ml

200ml of cream
500ml of juice

200 милилитра сметана

a dozen 12

a dozen eggs
half a dozen rolls

дузина (12 броя)

Structure	Example	Bulgarian
number + unit + of + noun	"Two kilos of flour, please."	Два килограма брашно, моля.
How much + noun + do you need?	"How much cheese do you need?"	Колко сирене ти трябва?
How many + unit + of + noun?	"How many kilos of sugar?"	Колко килограма захар?
I'd like / Can I have + amount	"I'd like half a kilo of ham."	Бих искал половин кило шунка.
That's + price	"That's 3.50 leva."	Това е 3.50 лева.

🛒 At the counter — a full dialogue

Shop assistant: "Good morning! Can I help you?"
Customer: "Yes, I'd like 200 grams of cheese and half a kilo of ham, please."
Assistant: "Of course. Anything else?"
Customer: "A litre of milk, please. How much is that?"
Assistant: "That's 8.40 leva."

Exercise P Easy — Choose the correct unit

1. I need ___ of milk. (a 1-litre container)

2. She bought ___ of flour for the cake.

3. The recipe needs ___ of cheese. (a small amount)

4. He ordered ___ for breakfast. (12 pieces)

5. I'd like ___ of water, please. (standard bottle)

Exercise Q Hard — Fill in the unit or quantity word

1. "I'd like ___ of ham, please." (500g)

2. "How ___ flour do you need?"

3. "Two ___ of water, please." (1l bottles)

4. "Can I have 200 ___ of cheese?"

5. "I need ___ sugar." (2kg, positive sentence)

K · Quick Reference — Decision Tree

Which Word Do I Use? — Visual Guide

Use this chart when you are unsure which quantifier to choose. First decide: countable or uncountable? Then look at your sentence type.

What noun are you talking about?

↓

Is it Countable or Uncountable?

↓

COUNTABLE

some / a lot of / many / a few"I have some friends." / "There are a lot of people."

−

any / not many / few"I don't have any eggs." / "Few people came."

any / how many / many"Are there any chairs?" / "How many apples?"

offer

some"Would you like some biscuits?"

excess

too many"There are too many problems."

suff.

enough"I have enough chairs." / "Not enough eggs."

zero

no / none"I have no coins." / "None at all."

UNCOUNTABLE

some / a lot of / a little"I have some water." / "There's a lot of traffic."

−

any / not much / little"There isn't any milk." / "Little hope left."

any / how much / much"Is there any sugar?" / "How much time?"

offer

some"Would you like some coffee?"

excess

too much"I have too much stress."

suff.

enough"Is there enough water?" / "Not enough time."

zero

no / none"No time." / "None left."

Reading Texts

Read each text carefully, then answer the 3 questions below it.

Text 1 of 2

At the Supermarket

Anna is at the supermarket. She has a shopping list. She needs a loaf of bread, a carton of milk, and a jar of honey. She also wants a bar of chocolate.

Anna doesn't have much money today — only twenty leva. She picks up a bottle of olive oil, but it costs too much. She puts it back. There are a lot of people in the shop, so the queue is very long. Anna finds some apples, but there aren't any oranges left. She asks a shop assistant: "Excuse me, how many oranges do you have?" The assistant says: "None, I'm sorry. We have a little fruit left, but not many choices today."

Anna pays for her things. She has a few coins left in her bag. It is not a lot of money, but it is enough for the bus home.

1. Why does Anna put the bottle of olive oil back?

2. What does Anna ask the shop assistant?

3. What does Anna have left after paying?

Text 2 of 2

Stefan's Problem

Stefan works at a small company. He has too much work and too little free time. His boss gives him a lot of tasks every day, but very few colleagues help him.

Stefan doesn't have much money this month — he has a few small bills to pay. He doesn't have any savings. He has some good friends, but few of them live in the same city.

His friend Ivana calls him: "Would you like some coffee? Come and relax." Stefan says: "I have no time today. I have too many problems at work." Ivana gives him a little advice: "Ask your boss for some help. You can't do everything alone." Stefan thinks about this. He knows she is right — he has too much stress and too little support. There is not much he can do without a little help from others.

1. What is Stefan's main problem at work?

2. What does Ivana offer Stefan?

3. What advice does Ivana give Stefan?

Grammar Exercises — 18 Sets

All exercises practise grammar only. Scroll to work through all 18 sets.

Mini Games

Countable or Uncountable? Sort each word into the correct bin.

—

COUNTABLE
(can count it)

UNCOUNTABLE
(can't count it)

Score: 0 | Level: 1/12