tanto
so much
A versatile word that expresses quantity
Encoding Strategies:
repetition
The most useful translation for tanto is so much. It expresses how much of something there is, usually a large amount.
tanto
so much, so many (adjective)
An adjective that expresses a large or surprising amount.
Tengo tanto trabajo que no puedo salirI have so much work that I can't go out
Había tantas personas en el concierto que no podíamos movernosThere were so many people at the concert that we couldn't move
so much, that much (adverb)
An adverb that expresses a high degree of intensity, frequency, or duration.
Te extraño tantoI miss you so much
Estudió tanto que se quedó dormido sobre los librosHe studied so much that he fell asleep on his books
so much, so many (pronoun)
A pronoun that expresses a large or surprising quantity.
No esperaba tantoI wasn't expecting so much
Tantos llegaron que no había sillas para todosSo many came that there weren't enough chairs for everyone
point, goal (sports)
A point or goal is just how much you've scored, and a tanto is one unit of that.
El delantero marcó tres tantos en el segundo tiempoThe forward scored three goals in the second half
Nuestro equipo lleva cinco tantos de ventajaOur team has a five-point lead
tanto ... como
as much as, as many as (comparison)
Tanto expresses a quantity and como compares it to something else.
Come tanto como su hermano mayorHe eats as much as his older brother
both ... and (conjunction)
When you compare two things, you have to mention both of them. Over time the comparison faded away and the "both" was all that was left.
Tanto el profesor como los estudiantes llegaron tardeBoth the teacher and the students arrived late
al tanto
up to date, in the know, informed
When you have the full amount of relevant information, you're informed or up to date.
Mantenme al tanto de cualquier novedadKeep me up to date on any developments
¿Estás al tanto de lo que pasó ayer?Are you aware of what happened yesterday?
mientras tanto
meanwhile, in the meantime
Mientras means "while" and points to the duration of some event. Tanto expresses the amount of that time, so the phrase says something like "while [it takes] that-much [time for the other thing to finish]." This "whole span of time the other thing takes" is exactly the interval we call meanwhile.
Ve calentando la sopa; mientras tanto, yo pongo la mesaStart heating the soup; meanwhile, I'll set the table
Termina tu tarea; mientras tanto, yo preparo la cenaFinish your homework; in the meantime, I'll make dinner
otro tanto
the same, as much, likewise
Otro tanto means "another so much" — i.e. an equal amount. It's used to say someone did or contributed the same as someone else.
Ella ayudó con la mudanza y él hizo otro tantoShe helped with the move and he did the same
Si tú pones veinte euros, yo pondré otro tantoIf you put in twenty euros, I'll put in the same
por lo tanto
therefore, consequently, so
Indicates that the second part of a sentence is a natural result or direct consequence of what was just said before. Lo refers to whatever was just said, so lo tanto is saying, "whatever I just laid out amounts to that much." Por means "because of," so por lo tanto means "because of all that" — you wave back at the whole case you just made.
Llegó tarde y, por lo tanto, perdió el vueloHe arrived late and therefore missed the flight
No estudió nada; por lo tanto, reprobó el examenShe didn't study at all; consequently, she failed the exam