Todo agrees with the noun it describes
Before a noun, todo usually comes in front of an article, possessive, or demonstrative, just as English says “all the” or “all my.” It matches the noun's gender and number.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | todo el libro | todos mis amigos |
| Feminine | toda la clase | todas estas fotos |
Singular means “all of one thing”; plural means “every”
This is where English speakers slip most often. The singular covers one whole thing from beginning to end. The plural covers every one of a repeated thing.
| All of one | Every one |
|---|---|
| todo el día · all day | todos los días · every day |
| toda la semana · all week | todas las semanas · every week |
| toda la noche · all night | todas las noches · every night |
| todo el año · all year | todos los años · every year |
Todo el mundo takes a singular verb
Todo el mundo means “everyone,” but grammatically it is one noun phrase: Todo el mundo sabe la respuesta. With todos, the verb is plural: Todos saben la respuesta.
Cada looks at each one; todos los looks at the group
cada + singular noun
Cada never changes form and takes a singular noun: Cada estudiante tiene su libro. It is also the word for intervals: cada dos semanas (every two weeks), cada ocho horas. After a number, the noun is plural.
todos los + plural noun
Todos los estudiantes tienen libro. For habits, both work: cada día stresses each day individually, todos los días the routine as a whole.
In formal Spanish, todo + a singular noun with no article also means “every” or “any”: Todo ciudadano tiene derecho a votar. The everyday phrase toda clase de means “all kinds of.”
Todo means everything; todos means everyone
- Todo está listo. (Everything is ready.)
- Lo sé todo. As an object, todo is often doubled with lo.
- Todo lo que dices es verdad. Todo lo que means “everything that.”
- Todos llegaron tarde. (Everyone arrived late.)
“All of us” has no de
Say todos nosotros, todas ellas, and todos ustedes (or todos vosotros in Spain). A direct translation such as todos de nosotros is a common mistake.
Todo lo que can trigger the subjunctive
When todo lo que refers to something open-ended or not yet known, the verb after it goes into the subjunctive. When it refers to something specific and known, it stays in the indicative.
Come todo lo que quieras.
Eat whatever you like. The amount is not decided yet.
Comí todo lo que quería.
I ate everything I wanted. It already happened.
Expressions with todo
| sobre todo | above all, especially |
| de todos modos | anyway |
| a pesar de todo | in spite of everything |
| del todo | completely (No estoy del todo seguro.) |
| ante todo | first and foremost |
| todo recto | straight ahead (directions in Spain) |
Make each form before you reveal it
___ el mundo habla de esa serie.
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Voy al gimnasio ___ los días.
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Estudié ___ la noche para el examen.
Say or form the answer before you check it.
___ nosotros vamos a la fiesta. (all of us)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Tome una pastilla ___ ocho horas.
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Pide todo lo que ___. (necesitar, tú: whatever you may need)
Say or form the answer before you check it.