Intensity and consequence (tellement que, tant que)

Living the life of a celebrity (la star) means dealing with overzealous fans (le fan) and paparazzi (le paparazzi) tracking (traquer) your every move.

Intensity and Consequence: tellement que

To express that an action is so intense it leads to a specific consequence, use tellement que (so much that).

When modifying a verb, place tellement after the conjugated verb, and que before the phrase describing the consequence:

  • verb + tellement
    • rest of sentence + que
      • consequence
The flashes dazzle the star so much that she falls.
Les flashs éblouissent tellement la star qu'elle tombe.
The paparazzi stalk the star; they stalk her so much that she is afraid.
Les paparazzis traquent la star ; ils la traquent tellement qu'elle a peur.

Notice that que becomes qu' before a vowel or mute h (as in qu'elle).

A Useful Synonym: tant que

You can also use tant que to mean exactly the same thing. When modifying a verb, tant que and tellement que are completely interchangeable.

The fans shout so much that they get noticed.
Les fans crient tant qu'ils se font remarquer.
The paparazzi insist so much that they stay all night.
Les paparazzis insistent tant qu'ils restent toute la nuit.

The Price of Fame

With constant attention, a celebrity's privacy (l'intimité) and relationship with fame (la célébrité) can suffer.

The paparazzi stalk the star so much that there is no privacy.
Les paparazzis traquent tant la star qu'il n'y a pas d'intimité.
The star works so much that she hates fame.
La star travaille tellement qu'elle déteste la célébrité.