A2 · Elementary

Muy, mucho, tan, tanto

When to use muy or mucho, tan or tanto — and why 'muy mucho' is wrong.

muy vs mucho

muy goes before an adjective or adverb and never changes form.

mucho goes before a noun (and then agrees: mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas) or comes after a verb (then it stays invariable).

Examples

Estoy muy cansado.I am very tired.
Tengo mucho trabajo.I have a lot of work.
Como mucho.I eat a lot.
Hay muchas personas aquí.There are many people here.

tan vs tanto

tan goes before an adjective or adverb and never changes form.

tanto goes before a noun (agrees: tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas) or comes after a verb (then stays invariable).

Examples

Es tan simpático.He is so nice.
Tengo tanto sueño.I am so sleepy.
No hables tanto.Don't talk so much.
Tiene tantas ideas.He/she has so many ideas.

The 'muy mucho' mistake

'Muy mucho' doesn't exist as a combination before an adjective — a common mistake among learners who want to combine two intensifiers.

Wrong: Está muy mucho cansado. → Correct: Está muy cansado, or Está cansadísimo.

For extra emphasis you can also use -ísimo instead of muy + adjective.

Examples

Está muy cansado.He is very tired.
Te quiero muchísimo.I love you so much.

demasiado, bastante, poco

demasiado (too much/many) and poco (little/few) agree in gender and number before a noun (demasiada gente, pocos amigos). Bastante (enough, quite) only agrees in number (bastante/bastantes), not gender.

Examples

Hay demasiada gente en la playa.There are too many people on the beach.
Tenemos bastante tiempo.We have enough time.
Es un poco caro.It's a bit expensive.
Tiene pocos amigos.He/she has few friends.

💡 Tips

💡
muy goes before an adjective or adverb and never changes form.
💡
mucho/tanto/demasiado/poco agree in gender and number when they precede a noun.
💡
'muy mucho' doesn't exist — choose one or the other, or use muchísimo for extra emphasis.

🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)

← Por and paraFormation of the present subjunctive →

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