Spanish Phrase
¿Cuántos sois?
Meaning
Literally, “How many are you?” It asks for the number of people in a group that is being addressed with the informal plural 'vosotros'. The question expects an answer like “Somos tres” (We are three).
When to use
Use this phrase when you are speaking to a group of friends, classmates, or colleagues in Spain and you need to know how many people are in that group. In Latin America the same idea is expressed with “¿Cuántos son?” because ‘vosotros’ isn’t used there.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Cuántossois?
Cuántos (interrogative adjective)
Used to ask about quantity; it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
sois (2nd person plural of ser)
The present indicative of ser for the informal 'vosotros' form, used mainly in Spain.
Interrogative punctuation
Spanish questions are enclosed by opening (¿) and closing (?) inverted question marks.
🗨In Conversation
¿Cuántos sois?
How many are you?
Somos cuatro.
We are four.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Cuántos estáis?
‘Estáis’ is the present of estar, which refers to location or state, not identity. Use ‘sois’ with ser for identity/count.
¿Cuántos están?
Mixing the third‑person plural of estar with a question about identity sounds unnatural.
¿Cuántos somos?
‘Somos’ is first‑person plural; you would only use it when talking about your own group, not when addressing others.
↔Alternatives
¿Cuántos son?
How many are you? (Latin America)
¿Cuántas personas hay?
How many people are there?
¿Cuántos somos?
How many are we? (when speaking about your own group)
Cultural Tip
The verb form ‘sois’ belongs to the ‘vosotros’ conjugation, which is used only in Spain. In most of Latin America speakers use ‘ustedes’, so the question becomes ‘¿Cuántos son?’ or ‘¿Cuántas personas son?’ Remember to match the gender of ‘cuántos/cuántas’ with the people you’re referring to.