Ambos, Varios, and Demás | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Alongside the headline determiners, Spanish has a handful of smaller but very useful words you'll meet constantly: ambos (both), varios (several), and demás (the rest, the others). Each has its own quirks, but all three are easy once you know the patterns.

Ambos — Both

Ambos (masculine) and ambas (feminine) mean both. They only exist in the plural — there's no singular. Crucially, they go directly before the noun without an article.

Form	Used with
ambos	masculine or mixed plural nouns
ambas	feminine plural nouns

Ambos chicos ganaron el concurso.

Both boys won the contest.

Ambas respuestas son correctas.

Both answers are correct.

No los or las needed: it's ambos chicos, not los ambos chicos. English lets us say both boys or the both boys (rare), but Spanish chooses one path and sticks with it.

Los Dos — The Everyday Alternative

In casual Latin American speech, many people prefer los dos / las dos over ambos. Both are correct; ambos just sounds slightly more formal.

Los dos llegaron al mismo tiempo.

The two of them arrived at the same time.

Varios — Several

Varios / varias means several — more than a couple, but not specifically numbered. It's plural-only and agrees in gender.

Tengo varios amigos en Argentina.

I have several friends in Argentina.

Compré varias cosas en el mercado.

I bought several things at the market.

Unlike English several, which feels specific, Spanish varios is a bit softer — it can mean quite a few or a handful. It's slightly stronger than algunos.

Demás — The Rest, The Others

Demás is invariable in form, but it's always preceded by a definite article (los demás, las demás) or the neuter lo (lo demás). It means the rest, the other ones, everything else.

Juan se quedó en casa; los demás fueron al cine.

Juan stayed home; the others went to the movies.

Ya limpié la cocina; lo demás lo haré mañana.

I already cleaned the kitchen; I'll do the rest tomorrow.

Las demás estudiantes todavía no entregaron la tarea.

The other students (f) still haven't turned in the homework.

Notice:

los demás / las demás = the others / the rest (people or countable things)
lo demás = the rest (abstract, uncountable)

Comparison Table

Spanish	English	Agreement	Notes
ambos / ambas	both	gender; plural only	no article
los dos / las dos	both (the two)	gender; plural only	more casual
varios / varias	several	gender; plural only	no article
los/las demás	the others, the rest	gender; plural only	requires article
lo demás	the rest (abstract)	invariable neuter	requires lo

Fixed Expressions

entre ambos / entre los dos — between the two of us / them
y lo demás — and the rest
y demás (informal) — and so on, and others
por lo demás — otherwise, as for the rest

Por lo demás, el proyecto va muy bien.

Otherwise, the project is going very well.

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If you aren't sure whether ambos sounds too formal, just use los dos. It works in every register and every country — nobody will blink. Reserve ambos for writing or more careful speech.

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Varios can also be an adjective meaning various, assorted: hay varios colores (there are various colors). This usage is basically the same as several, but highlights variety.

These three words — ambos, varios, demás — punch well above their weight. Add them to your active vocabulary and your Spanish will instantly feel more polished.

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