Ordinals and Quantity Expressions in Catalan

Overview

At the A2 level, you need to go beyond basic cardinal numbers and learn ordinal numbers (first, second, third) and quantity expressions (much, little, too much, enough). These are essential for describing order, ranking, and amounts in everyday conversation.

Ordinal numbers in Catalan agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, just like adjectives. Quantity expressions like molt/a/s/es (much/many) and poc/a/s/poques (few/little) also agree with the noun, while some quantifiers like massa (too much) and prou (enough) are invariable.

Understanding these expressions lets you describe quantities precisely: not just "there are people" but "there are many people," "there are too many people," or "there are enough people."

How It Works

Ordinal Numbers

Number	Masculine	Feminine	English
1st	primer	primera	first
2nd	segon	segona	second
3rd	tercer	tercera	third
4th	quart	quarta	fourth
5th	cinquè	cinquena	fifth
6th	sisè	sisena	sixth
7th	setè	setena	seventh
8th	vuitè	vuitena	eighth
9th	novè	novena	ninth
10th	desè	desena	tenth

Quantity Expressions

Catalan	English	Agreement
molt/a/s/es	much/many/a lot	Agrees with noun
poc/a/s/poques	little/few	Agrees with noun
bastant/s	quite a lot/enough	Number only
massa	too much/many	Invariable
prou	enough	Invariable
gaire	much (neg./questions)	Invariable
cap	no/none	Invariable (singular)
cada	each/every	Invariable
tot/a/s/es	all/every	Agrees with noun

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
la primera vegada	the first time	Feminine ordinal
el tercer pis	the third floor	Masculine ordinal
Hi ha massa gent.	There are too many people.	Invariable quantifier
Ja n'hi ha prou.	That's enough already.	With en + hi
Tinc molts amics.	I have many friends.	Masculine plural agreement
Poques persones ho saben.	Few people know it.	Feminine plural
Cada dia estudio.	Every day I study.	Invariable
No tinc gaire fam.	I'm not very hungry.	Negative context
Tots els nens juguen.	All the children play.	Full agreement
La segona porta a la dreta.	The second door on the right.	Feminine ordinal
El cinquè dia del mes.	The fifth day of the month.	Higher ordinal
No hi ha cap problema.	There's no problem.	Negative quantifier

Common Mistakes

Forgetting gender agreement with ordinals

• Wrong: la primer vegada
• Right: la primera vegada
• Why: Ordinals agree in gender: primer/primera, segon/segona, tercer/tercera.

Using "molt" instead of "molts/moltes" before a plural noun

• Wrong: Tinc molt amics.
• Right: Tinc molts amics.
• Why: Before a noun, molt agrees: molt (m.sg.), molta (f.sg.), molts (m.pl.), moltes (f.pl.). As an adverb modifying an adjective, it stays invariable: "molt alt."

Treating "massa" and "prou" as variable

• Wrong: Tinc masses llibres.
• Right: Tinc massa llibres.
• Why: "Massa" and "prou" are invariable — they never change form regardless of gender or number.

Practice Tips

1. Describe a building floor by floor: "Al primer pis hi ha la botiga. Al segon pis hi ha oficines. Al tercer pis hi ha pisos."
2. Practice quantity expressions with food: "Tinc molt de pa. No tinc gaire formatge. Hi ha massa sal. No hi ha prou aigua."
3. Use "cada" and "tot" in daily descriptions: "Cada matí esmorzo. Tots els dilluns treballo. Totes les tardes passejo."

Related Concepts

• Numbers — cardinal numbers as the foundation
• Basic Adjectives — agreement rules that ordinals follow