what is it?
Quantifiers are words that express an amount or scope — how many or how much of something is involved. This page covers five groups: jeder (every/each), alle (all), viel(e) / wenig(e) (much/many, little/few), ein paar / ein bisschen (a few / a little), and ander- (other/different). Each group has its own rules for declension and agreement that are easy to confuse.
when to use it
jeder / jedes / jede — use with a singular countable noun to mean «every» or «each». It always takes a singular verb, just like English «every».
alle — the plural counterpart of jeder. Use it with plural nouns to mean «all» or «all of the».
viel / wenig (undeclined) — use before uncountable (mass) nouns such as Zeit, Geld, or Wasser to mean «much/a lot of» or «little».
viele / wenige (declined) — use before plural countable nouns to mean «many» or «few».
ein paar — use before a plural noun to mean «a few» (always lowercase, always invariable). Use ein bisschen / ein wenig before a mass noun to mean «a little».
ander- — use to mean «other» or «different». It declines like a regular adjective and must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
formation
jeder declines exactly like the demonstrative dieser. The table below shows the nominative and accusative forms, which are the most common at A2.
| gender | nominative | accusative |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | jeder Mann | jeden Mann |
| neuter | jedes Kind | jedes Kind |
| feminine | jede Frau | jede Frau |
| plural (→ alle) | alle Männer / Kinder / Frauen | alle Männer / Kinder / Frauen |
viel / wenig before mass nouns: no ending is added. Before plural countable nouns, add the standard plural adjective endings.
| noun type | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mass noun (no ending) | viel Zeit | a lot of time |
| mass noun (no ending) | wenig Geld | little money |
| plural countable | viele Freunde | many friends |
| plural countable | wenige Fehler | few mistakes |
ein paar and ein bisschen / ein wenig are completely invariable — they never change form regardless of case or gender.
| quantifier | used with | example |
|---|---|---|
| ein paar (invariable) | plural noun | ein paar Minuten — a few minutes |
| ein bisschen (invariable) | mass noun | ein bisschen Milch — a little milk |
| ein wenig (invariable) | mass noun | ein wenig Zeit — a little time |
ander- declines like a regular adjective. After the indefinite article ein, it takes mixed adjective endings.
| gender | nominative | accusative |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | ein anderer Weg | einen anderen Weg |
| neuter | ein anderes Buch | ein anderes Buch |
| feminine | eine andere Straße | eine andere Straße |
| plural | andere Wege | andere Wege |
When ander- follows etwas or nichts, it is written with a capital letter and takes the neuter ending: etwas anderes (something else), nichts anderes (nothing else).
examples in context
common pitfalls
Plural verb with jeder. Because jeder means «every», learners sometimes treat it like alle and use a plural verb. This is wrong: jeder always governs a singular verb.
✗ Jeder bekommen ein Buch. ✓ Jeder bekommt ein Buch.
Declining viel/wenig before mass nouns. Before uncountable nouns, viel and wenig carry no ending. Adding one is a common error.
✗ Vielen Zeit / weniges Geld. ✓ Viel Zeit / wenig Geld.
Capitalizing ein paar. Written with a capital P, ein Paar means a matched pair (ein Paar Schuhe = a pair of shoes). The quantifier meaning «a few» is always lowercase and invariable.
✗ Wir warten ein Paar Minuten. ✓ Wir warten ein paar Minuten.
Leaving ander- undeclined. Unlike ein paar, ander- must agree with its noun. Omitting the adjective ending is a frequent mistake.
✗ Gibt es einen ander Weg? ✓ Gibt es einen anderen Weg?