Tanto (So Much, So Many) | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Tanto is the Spanish word for so much and so many. Like most quantifiers, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. But it has one superpower that the others don't: it also appears in comparisons of equality (as much as, as many as) — making it one of the most versatile determiners you can learn.

The Four Forms

Masc. sing.	Fem. sing.	Masc. pl.	Fem. pl.
tanto	tanta	tantos	tantas

Tanto as "So Much / So Many"

Used on its own with a noun, tanto means so much or so many — an emphatic statement of quantity.

¡Tanta gente en la plaza!

So many people in the square!

Notice that gente is feminine singular in Spanish even though English treats people as plural — so we say tanta gente, not tantos gente.

No tengo tanto tiempo libre últimamente.

I don't have so much free time lately.

Tantos años pasaron desde entonces.

So many years have passed since then.

Used as an adverb modifying a verb, tanto is invariable and means so much:

¿Por qué trabajas tanto?

Why do you work so much?

Tanto...Como — As Much As / As Many As

This is the classic comparison of equality. To say as X as Y with a quantity, use tanto + noun + como.

Tengo tanto dinero como tú.

I have as much money as you.

Ella come tantas frutas como su hermano.

She eats as many fruits as her brother.

The agreement still matches the noun: tanta paciencia, tantos problemas, tantas ideas.

Form	Used with	Example
tanto... como	masc. sing. or uncountable	tanto trabajo como
tanta... como	fem. sing. or uncountable	tanta fe como
tantos... como	masc. plural	tantos libros como
tantas... como	fem. plural	tantas amigas como

With Verbs: Tanto Como

When you want to say as much as without a specific noun, just use tanto...como around the verb phrase. Here tanto is invariable.

Estudio tanto como mi hermana.

I study as much as my sister.

Tan... Como for Adjectives and Adverbs

A close cousin: when comparing adjectives or adverbs, not nouns, Spanish uses tan...como instead of tanto...como.

Soy tan alto como mi padre.

I'm as tall as my father.

Think of it this way: tanto pairs with a noun or verb, tan pairs with an adjective or adverb. See Comparisons of Equality for the full story.

Common Expressions with Tanto

por lo tanto — therefore
mientras tanto — meanwhile
entre tanto — in the meantime
tanto mejor — all the better
y tantos — -something (treinta y tantos = thirty-something)
no tanto — not so much

Tiene cuarenta y tantos años.

He's forty-something years old.

Por lo tanto, necesitamos una nueva estrategia.

Therefore, we need a new strategy.

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Be careful not to mix tan and tanto. If you're describing how much of something, use tanto. If you're describing how something is (a quality), use tan: tan bonito, tan rápido, tan inteligente.

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The phrase no es para tanto is a hugely useful everyday expression meaning it's not that big a deal. Use it to calm someone down: ¡Cálmate, no es para tanto!

Between emphatic so much, comparisons of equality, and a dozen fixed expressions, tanto does a lot of work for one little word.