¿Es correcto decir mucho? Is it correct to use the adberv mucho when modifying hambre?
Un editor con mucha experiencia y tres profesores de español me dicen que es correcto decir mucho hambre y no mucha hambre - ¿Que piensan ustedes?....................................................................
A very experience newspaper editor and three teacher of spanish tell me that is correct to say mucho hambre and not mucha hambre- What do you think?
14 Answers
¡Hola!, Gus:
Here is the fly in the pie so to speak:
"When a feminine singular noun begins with a stressed á or ha, the masculine definite article is used instead of the feminine definite article to aid in pronunciation. When the same noun is plural, the regular feminine article is used."
So, while "hambre" is feminine, Spanish uses "el" in place of "la" before the word "hambre". So, El Hambre NOT La hambre.
However the same rule does not seem to apply to mucha/mucho. So, "Mucha hambre" is probably more grammatically correct. This entry is from our SpanishDict.com dictionary:
hambre [ahm’-bray] noun
1. Hunger, appetite; the pain felt from fasting. (f)
•Tener hambre -> to be hungry, to have an appetite
2. Scarcity of provisions, famine (de población entera). (f)
3. Greediness, eagerness of appetite or desire. (f)
•Muerto de hambre -> starved with hunger
•Vengo con mucha hambre -> I’m terribly hungry
•Hambre canina -> ravenous hunger
Velazquez® Spanish and English Dictionary. Copyright © 2007 by Velazquez® Press. All rights reserved
¿Qué piensan? - Whadya think?
Moe
Well, if it is being used as an adverb, then it modifies the verb and not the noun. In that case it would be mucho. As far as I know, it could be used both ways...
Tengo mucha hambre (I have a lot of hunger)
Tengo mucho hambre (I really have hunger)
But the question is how do native speakers perceive it as being used: as an adverb or as an adjective?
HI WEbdunce, you could argue, that in a colloquial conversation this might be possible, or even preferable in certain areas.
However, we are talking about an editor, whose obligation and job is to correct mistakes! And this is a quite flagrant mistake!
This is what we know about mucho:
Palabras como todo, poco, mucho, bastante, nada, algo... pueden funcionar como determinantes, pronombres o adverbios.
Son determinantes si acompañan a nombres.
Son pronombres si se refieren o sustituyen a un nombre.
Son adverbios si modifican a verbos, adjetivos o adverbios.
so, if you ask me, this particular newspaper editor would do us all a favour in finding another job. 
If an editor cannot distinguish between an adverb and an adjective (the case here) , sad...very sad.
Everyone I know says "mucho hambre" but the noun "hambre" is actually feminine even though it's "el hambre". I once posted "mucho hambre" on here....got corrected to "mucha hambre". According to wordreference.com it is "mucha hambre" but they both seem to be used, although "mucha" seems to be the correct form.
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=93692
Mucha hambre / *mucho hambre
P: ¿Se puede usar alguna vez "mucho hambre"? Gracias por su ayuda.
R: Desde el punto de vista gramatical, no. Todo sustantivo femenino que comience por -a- tónica queda determinado por los artículos el (si va antepuesto directamente al sustantivo) y las, y los adjetivos concuerdan en femenino: el hambre, mucha hambre, el hambre canina, las hambres caninas, la tremenda hambre.
Here is the newapaper's editor answer:
"Es correcto decir mucha hambre, porque el adverbio modifica el género, es el mismo caso de decir el azúcar moreno o la azúcar morena, con los adjetivos."
I am not worry about the editor. He is ok read his explanation somewhere above. What really worries me is that two teachers are in fact teaching this to their pupils, mucho hambre What is next,getting rid of the ¿ñ?.
What is really surprising are the statistics:
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 19.400 de "mucho hambre.
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 153.000 de "mucha hambre.
19000 entries for mucho hambre! And if an editor says mucho hambre is acceptable, he should find another job fast!
Probably, the 19,000 are a few typos by natives and then a lot of people who speak Spanish as a second or third language that feel that hambre is masculine.
Carlos said:
We use to say: "...muchA hambre". We never said: "...muchO hambre", because it does't sound well.
Thank you, Carlos. This confirms for me that mucha is acting an adjective modifying hambre (and not an adverb modifying tener) in this common phrase.
However, it doesn't answer my deeper question about how to distinguish when mucho is being used as an adverb or an adjective. But, this may be a question that is not easily answered, which is understandable.
19000 entries for mucho hambre! And if an editor says mucho hambre is acceptable, he should find another job fast!
So, mucho is being used as an adjective, then? How can one tell if it is an adjective or an adverb?
However, if most people in his area say "mucho hambre" (under the mistaken notion that hambre is masculine, I guess), then he would actually be better off to use it in the incorrect-but-commonly-used way. (However, it would be preferable if he understood it as incorrect if it is incorrect.)
What is really surprising are the statistics:
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 19.400 de "mucho hambre.
Resultados 1 - 10 de aproximadamente 153.000 de "mucha hambre.
19000 entries for mucho hambre! And if an editor says mucho hambre is acceptable, he should find another job fast! 
Jeezzle, my friend, the "thank you my friend was directed to you. It is just that Moe comment somehow got in between. I loved your answer. And, the adress you send was real usefull. Thank you.
PS I wrote a comment to Moe also, I said, I agrre with you (moe).
Good answer Moe.
Thank you my friend.
