5. “Todo” in Spanish: All or Every?

This article is Part 5 of 6 in the Spanish Adjectives series.

1. Intro to Spanish Adjectives: Agreement & Placement
2. Formation and Placement
3. Comparisons and Superlatives
4. Past Participles
5. Todo
6. Indefinite Adjective

Have you ever tried to say “all of something” in Spanish and gotten stuck on whether it should be todo, toda, todos, or todas? Trust me, I’ve been there. The good news is it’s easier than it looks once you break it down. Let’s explore each form of todo and talk about how you can use it in everyday Spanish.

Understanding “Todo”

The word todo generally means all or every in Spanish. Because Spanish is a language that cares about gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural), todo changes forms to match the noun it describes.

Here’s a quick chart:

Examples: • todo el libro (the entire book)
• toda la clase (the whole class)
• todos los días (every day)
• todas las personas (all the people)

Notice how you choose -o or -a and whether you add an -s or not, depending on what you’re talking about.

Using “Todo” with a Determiner

In many cases, todo comes before a determiner, like a definite article (el, la, los, las) or a possessive (mi, tu, su, etc.).

• Todos los vecinos salieron a la calle. (All the neighbors went out onto the street.)
• Toda mi vida soñé con viajar. (All my life I dreamed of traveling.)

It’s just like English, where you might say “all the neighbors” or “all my life,” but remember to match todo in gender and number with the noun.

Using “Todo” without a Determiner

Sometimes, you’ll see todo without an article right after it, and it means every. This usage focuses on the concept of “any and all.”

• Se ve de todo tipo de cosas en un mercado grande. (You see every kind of thing in a big market.)
• Conocí a toda clase de personas en la universidad. (I met every kind of person in college.)

Here, toda modifies clase directly, without la. That’s how it changes from “all the” to “every.”

Common Phrases with “Todo”

You’ve probably heard these around Spanish speakers or in movies. They’re very common and handy:

• todo el mundo → everyone
• todos los días → every day
• todo el día → all day long
• a pesar de todo → in spite of everything
• de todos modos → anyway
• todo recto → straight ahead

Using these expressions will help you sound more natural and fluent. They’re almost like little idioms.

Practice Exercises

Try these exercises to check your understanding. Then compare your answers down below.

Exercise A: Fill in the Blank

1. ____ el mundo habla de esa serie de televisión.
2. ____ mis amigos viven en la misma ciudad.
3. Voy a estudiar ____ la noche para el examen.
4. ____ mi familia vendrá mañana a visitarme.
5. Te encuentras con ____ clase de personas cuando viajas.

Exercise B: Correct the Mistakes

Find and correct any mistakes in the use of todo.

1. Todas el mundo está loco por ese juego.
2. Quiero pasar todo mi cumpleaños contigo.
3. Voy a viajar todos los mes el próximo año.
4. Toda los días hago ejercicio.

AI Prompts for Continued Learning

Here are some prompts to keep practicing:

1. Grammar Guide
   “Adopt a role of a Grammar Guide and teach me how to apply todo (todo, toda, todos, todas) to match gender and number. Use brief, simple examples and focus on direct explanation of the rules.” [Open in ChatGPT]
2. Vocabulary Coach
   “Adopt a role of a Vocabulary Coach and give me quick-study tips on everyday expressions with todo. Include short lists of phrases and practical exercises for memorizing them.” [Open in ChatGPT]
3. Cultural Context Advisor
   “Adopt a role of a Cultural Context Advisor and show me where and how Spanish speakers naturally use todo. Provide examples from different regions or dialects so I can better understand real-world usage.” [Open in ChatGPT]

Keep an eye out for todo in the conversations you hear, the books you read, and the shows you watch. After some practice, it will become second nature. Great work! On to the final lesson!

Attribution
Adapted from Todo under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.