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¡La de cachivaches que compran!

¡La de cachivaches que compran!
The amount of junk that they buy!
From Lesson 414:Exclamations of quantity or degree (¡lo que...!, ¡la de...!)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¡La de cachivaches que compran!

Why is it La de and not Los de, since cachivaches is masculine plural?
The phrase la de in this exclamatory structure is fixed. It is essentially short for a singular feminine concept like la cantidad (the amount). Because it refers to this invisible singular noun, it never changes to match the gender or number of the actual noun that follows it.
Can I leave out the word que in this sentence?
No, que is mandatory here. The formula is always ¡la de + noun + que + verb! It acts as the bridge connecting the extreme quantity of the noun (cachivaches) to the action being performed on it (compran).
What exactly does cachivaches mean, and why is it plural if English 'junk' is singular?
Cachivaches translates to junk, clutter, or useless knick-knacks. Unlike the English word 'junk' which is uncountable, un cachivache is a single piece of junk (a physical object). Because it is countable, you will almost always see it in the plural form when talking about a pile of clutter.
Could I just use cuánto and say ¡Cuántos cachivaches compran! instead?
Yes, ¡Cuántos cachivaches compran! is perfectly correct and means the same thing. Using ¡la de... que...! is simply a very common, native-sounding alternative that heavily emphasizes the sheer, unbelievable volume of the items being bought.

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