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In Spanish we can make exclamatory sentences expressing surprise about a small quantity, the lack of something or how infrequently something happens:
Learn about using qué poco in Spanish
Look at these sentences with the exclamatory words ¡qué poco <verb>!
In the examples above, qué poco is used in front of a verb to express surprise at how infrequently the action happens. Notice that when there is a subject, it is placed at the end of the sentence, after the verb.
To express infrequency we use only the masculine singular form of poco (not poca/os/as).
It would be incorrect to say:
¡Qué pocas habla tu marido!
¡Qué pocos come este niño!
Now look at these sentences with the exclamatory words ¡qué poco/-a/-os/-as <noun>!
The examples above are expressing surprise about the small amount of something. Notice how when using the singular form (poco/-a) we are talking about uncountable nouns (luz, dinero, etc.) and when using the plural forms (pocos/-as) we are talking about countable nouns (amigos, clases, etc.). However in all the cases above, poco needs to agree in number and gender with the noun it is referring to. Qué, however, is always invariable and always has a written accent [´].
Be careful not to use the words cuánto (how much) or cómo (how) instead of qué.
"¡Cuánto poco dinero tengo!"
"!Cómo poco dinero tengo!"
To see other expressions with exclamatives, look at Using Cuánto + verb in exclamations about quantities in Spanish and Forming Spanish exclamatory sentences with qué [noun] or qué [adjective]
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