Ĉiom means “the whole quantity” or “all of the relevant amount.” It is the regular universal member of the -om quantity series, but it is rare in practice and often overlaps with much more common ĉio. Skilled usage depends on preserving the distinction between amount, things, and individuals.
The universal-quantity cell
Esperanto's table words form a closed grid of five logical series and nine semantic domains. Initial ĉi- contributes total, universal force. Final -om selects quantity or number. Their fixed combination ĉiom therefore means “the total amount.”
| Form | Quantity force |
|---|---|
| kiom | how much/many; what quantity |
| tiom | that much/many |
| iom | some amount, normally a little |
| ĉiom | the whole quantity |
| neniom | no quantity; none at all |
Kiom da benzino vi volas? — Mi prenos ĉiom, kiom restas en la ujo.
How much fuel do you want? — I will take the entire amount remaining in the container.
The answer treats the fuel as a measured amount. A following kiom-clause identifies the upper boundary: the whole quantity that remains.
Ĉiom is quantity-like, not a plural pronoun
Although ĉiom can serve as subject or object in meaning, it remains an invariant quantity word. It does not refer to several distinct individuals one by one. It gathers the relevant material, number, or extent as one total amount.
Ni bezonas nur du litrojn, sed la vendisto ofertis ĉiom.
We need only two liters, but the seller offered the entire amount.
La sako ne povos enteni ĉiom; lasu du pakaĵojn ĉi tie.
The bag will not be able to hold all of it; leave two packages here.
The second example can concern a number of packages, but ĉiom views them through their total quantity. If the individuals themselves matter, use ĉiuj.
La sako ne povos enteni ĉiujn pakaĵojn.
The bag will not be able to hold all the packages.
The two sentences describe the same capacity problem from different angles. Ĉiujn pakaĵojn refers to the individual packages and therefore takes plural -j and accusative -n; ĉiom treats their total quantity as one invariant amount.
Ĉiom, ĉio, and ĉiuj
English all covers several structures that Esperanto keeps apart:
| What is total? | Esperanto | Typical paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| the amount | ĉiom | la tuta kvanto |
| things/matters as a whole | ĉio | ĉiuj aferoj; la tuto |
| individual members | ĉiuj | ĉiu membro de la grupo |
La gastoj trinkis ĉiom de la suko, sed ili ne manĝis ĉion sur la tablo.
The guests drank the entire amount of the juice, but they did not eat everything on the table.
Ĉiuj gastoj ricevis glason, sed ne ĉiuj trinkis la tutan enhavon.
All the guests received a glass, but not all of them drank the entire contents.
In the first sentence, ĉiom de la suko selects the full amount from an identified supply. Ĉion takes accusative because -o correlatives allow -n; ĉiom remains unchanged even though it too is understood as an object.
Naming the measured material
Like other -om words, ĉiom can in principle take a da-phrase naming what is measured: ĉiom da akvo. This is structurally regular but uncommon because speakers normally say la tuta akvo or la tuta kvanto da akvo.
La tuta akvo elfluis antaŭ ol ni rimarkis la truon.
All the water flowed out before we noticed the hole.
La pumpilo eltiris la tutan kvanton da akvo el la kelo.
The pump removed the entire quantity of water from the basement.
These are the recommended neutral alternatives. Use ĉiom de la akvo when the rare correlative itself is useful and the definite whole must be explicit; use ĉiom da akvo only when its unusual compactness is intentional.
Post la paneo ni devis forĵeti ĉiom de la degelinta glaciaĵo.
After the breakdown, we had to throw away the whole amount of the melted ice cream.
That sentence is grammatical but lexically unusual. La tutan degelintan glaciaĵon would be more idiomatic in ordinary conversation.
For the general syntax of measured noun phrases, see the preposition da page.
Correlation and bounded totals
The pattern ĉiom, kiom ... defines a total relative to a boundary: all the amount that a person has, needs, or can supply. This is the environment where ĉiom is most transparent.
Prenu ĉiom, kiom vi bezonas por la riparo.
Take the entire amount that you need for the repair.
Ĉu ni uzu nur du litrojn da farbo? — Ne, uzu ĉiom, kiom alportis la pentristo.
Should we use only two liters of paint? — No, use the entire amount the painter brought.
Even here, la tutan farbon, kiun ... will often sound more natural if the paint is named directly rather than treated as an abstract measured quantity. That alternation is a conceptual choice, not merely stylistic substitution.
Partial and zero quantity
Ne ĉiom means “not the whole quantity”: some may remain. Neniom means “none of the quantity”: zero remains. Because ĉiom is rare, ne la tuta kvanto is often the clearest way to express partial totality.
Ni uzis ne ĉiom de la farbo; iom restis por morgaŭ.
We did not use the whole amount of the paint; some remained for tomorrow.
Post la dua tavolo restis neniom da farbo.
After the second coat, no paint remained.
This contrast mirrors ne ĉiuj versus neniuj, but the domain is quantity rather than individual membership.
Form, norm, and frequency
All -om correlatives are invariant: ĉiom takes neither plural -j nor accusative -n. This holds even when it is semantically the object of a transitive verb. The Fundamento includes ĉiom, so it is standard. PMEG notes that it is practically restricted to noun-like quantity use and often approaches ĉio, which is much more frequent. Modern corpus patterns support teaching recognition before active production.
La kliento pagis ĉiom tuj, sen peti rabaton.
The customer paid the entire amount immediately, without asking for a discount.
Common Mistakes
Adding accusative or plural endings
❌ La kliento pagis ĉiomn.
Incorrect — ĉiom remains invariant even as a semantic object.
✅ La kliento pagis ĉiom.
The customer paid the entire amount.
❌ Ĉiomj alvenis en apartaj skatoloj.
Incorrect — ĉiom cannot take plural -j.
✅ Ĉiuj mendoj alvenis en apartaj skatoloj.
All the orders arrived in separate boxes.
Using ĉiom for individual people
❌ Ĉiom studentoj konsentis.
Incorrect — ĉiom cannot directly determine a plural noun, and individuals call for ĉiuj.
✅ Ĉiuj studentoj konsentis.
All the students agreed.
Making ĉio determine a noun
❌ Ĉio lakto elfluis el la rompita ujo.
Incorrect — ĉio cannot directly determine the noun lakto.
✅ La tuta lakto elfluis el la rompita ujo.
All the milk flowed out of the broken container.
Inventing a transparent-looking hybrid
❌ Ĉiu-kiom da mono restis?
Incorrect — universal and quantity meanings belong in the fixed cell ĉiom.
✅ Ĉiom de la mono restis.
The whole amount of the money remained.
Key Takeaways
Ĉiom means the entire relevant quantity. It is standard but rare, noun-like in its practical use, and invariant even as an object. Distinguish it from ĉio for all things and ĉiuj for all individuals. In most neutral contexts, la tuta kvanto or la tuta/tutan + noun will be more idiomatic, while ĉiom, kiom ... is the clearest environment for the correlative itself.
Related Topics
- Kiom: The Question/Relative Quantity CorrelativeA2 — Ask and relate amounts, numbers, measurements, and emphatic degrees with the invariant quantity word kiom.
- Tiom: The Demonstrative Quantity CorrelativeB1 — Use tiom for a demonstrated amount, number, or emphatic degree, with correct da-phrases and no case or plural ending.
- Iom: The Indefinite Quantity CorrelativeB2 — Use iom for a small but meaningful indefinite quantity or degree, with da phrases and without case or plural endings.
- Ĉio: The Universal Thing CorrelativeB2 — Use ĉio for the totality of things or matters, ĉion as an object, and postposed modifiers such as ĉio grava.
- Quantity ComparisonB2 — Compare amounts and counts with pli da, pli multaj, tiom… kiom…, and numerical thresholds while keeping degree and addition distinct.