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Il y a tellement d'acheteurs pendant les soldes que c'est insupportable.

Il y a tellement d'acheteurs pendant les soldes que c'est insupportable.
There are so many shoppers during the sales that it's unbearable.
From Lesson 218:Intensity with nouns (tellement de... que)·French

Questions & Answers about Il y a tellement d'acheteurs pendant les soldes que c'est insupportable.

Why is it tellement d'acheteurs and not tellement des acheteurs since acheteurs is plural?
Just like with other expressions of quantity (like beaucoup de or un peu de), you always use de (or d' before a vowel) after tellement or tant, even if the noun that follows is plural.
Could I use tant d' instead of tellement d' in this sentence?
Yes! When expressing intensity with a noun (meaning so much or so many), tellement de and tant de mean exactly the same thing. You could perfectly say Il y a tant d'acheteurs... with no change in meaning.
Why does the sentence use c'est insupportable instead of il est insupportable?
We use c'est followed by a masculine singular adjective when describing a general situation, event, or idea (in this case, the crowded stores). If you were describing a specific person, like a misbehaving child, you would use il est insupportable to mean he is unbearable.
Does les soldes always mean the sales?
Yes, when it is masculine plural (les soldes), it refers to seasonal sales or discounts in stores. Be careful not to confuse it with the feminine singular la solde, which refers to a soldier's pay!

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