A2 · The pronouns
todo and tudo, algum and nenhum
todo goes with a noun, tudo stands alone — one letter apart.
At a glance
- Remember
- todo with a noun, tudo without.
- Form
- todo o diathe whole day
- Signal words
- todo
- tudo
- alguém
- ninguém
- nenhum
- cada
- qualquer
- Trap
- Wrong:Já está todo feito.Right:Já está tudo feito.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese.
| the whole day | todo o dia |
| every day | todos os dias |
| everybody | toda a gente |
| everything | tudo |
| somebody, nobody | alguém, ninguém |
| something, nothing | alguma coisa, nada |
| some book | algum livro |
| no problem | nenhum problema |
| each | cada |
| any (at all) | qualquer |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
todo stands before a noun, tudo stands alone.
Toda a gente sabe que tudo mudou.Everybody knows that everything has changed.
todo o dia is the whole day, todos os dias every day.
Choveu todo o dia.It rained all day.
algum and nenhum go with a noun, alguém and ninguém stand alone.
Tens alguma pergunta? — Não, nenhuma.Have you got a question? — No, none.
After the verb, ninguém, nada and nenhum need a não in front.
Não vi ninguém na rua.I didn't see anybody in the street.
Example sentences
Está tudo pronto para a festa.Everything is ready for the party.
Cada aluno recebe um livro.Each pupil gets a book.
Podes ligar-me a qualquer hora.You can call me at any time.
Ninguém sabe onde está a chave.Nobody knows where the key is.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English « all » does not care whether a noun follows; Portuguese does. Todo needs a noun behind it — if there is none, it is tudo. Já está todo feito is half a sentence: the whole of what? Já está tudo feito means « it's all done already ».
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Todo stands before a noun and agrees with it: todo o dia, toda a gente, todos os dias. Tudo stands alone and means « everything »: está tudo bem, comeu tudo. One letter, two words — and English « all » covers both, so « it's all done » is the place where the wrong one slips in.
The article after todo carries the meaning: todo o diais the whole daytodos os diasis every day For « each » there is cada, which never changes: cada dia, cada pessoa. Qualquer means « any, whichever »: qualquer pessoa, a qualquer hora; its plural is quaisquer.
Alguém and ninguém, alguma coisa and nada stand alone. Algum and nenhum go with a noun and have four forms: algum livro, alguma ideia, nenhum problema, nenhuma dúvida.
When ninguém, nada or nenhum come after the verb, the sentence needs a não as well: não vi ninguém — word for word « I didn't see nobody ». What standard English rules out is the rule here. After a noun, algum turns negative and emphatic: não tenho dúvida alguma — « no doubt whatsoever ».
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