there is not so much difference between one and another

Question

I would like to translate these two sentences:

No hay tanta diferencia entre uno y otro.

There is not so much difference between one and another

No hay tantas diferencias entre uno y otro.

There are not so many differences between one and another.

Are they all right?

Answer 1

I always thought uno y otro translated to "the one or the other."

There aren't many differences between the one and the other.

There isn't much difference between the one and the other.

Oops. I used or rather than and because I think the context is disjunctive rather than conjunctive (common error in English usage- it should be "or").

If context allows, we would also say "between them" instead of "between the one and the other" - webdunce, SEP 14, 2009

Answer 2

There are not so many differences between the one and the other so that they cannot get on well with each other.

The word "so" in this sentence sounds strange. I would omit it altogether.

Answer 3

Hay tantas diferencias entre uno y otro que ellos nunca se llevarán bien

¿Esto significa lo mismo que...

Hay tantas diferencias entre ellos que nunca se llevarán bien

Si es así...

There are so many differences between them that they will never get on with each other.

No me gusta eso de "the one and the other"

Saludos

Thank you. - nila45, SEP 17, 2009

Answer 4

Hi Marianne,

All right, you say that the correct sentence would be:

There are not so many differences between the one and the other that they cannot get on well with each other.

(No hay tantas diferencias entre uno y otro para que ellos no puedan llevarse bien). In that case, the meaning is that. Am I right?

And the other way, to say that is (under my point of view): there are not so many differences for them not to get on well with each other.

(No hay tantas diferencias para que ellos no se lleven bien). Is it correct?

Yes, that sounds good. :-) - --Mariana--, SEP 15, 2009

Answer 5

Sorry, but there is a little problem when translating.

There are not so many differences between the one and the other that...

No hay tantos problemas entre el uno y el otro que... (there isn't any sentence that can fit there). At least, in Spanish it does not sound well. Could you finish the sentence in case that you have one example?

The problem is that I need to put the sentence into affirmative for this sound good to me like this:

There are so many differences between the one and the other that they will never get on with each other.

(Hay tantas diferencias entre uno y otro que ellos nunca se llevarán bien).

Then, the sentence seems to make sense for me.

I will have to say something like this:

There are not so many differences between the one and the other so that they cannot get on well with each other.

(No hay tantas diferencias entre uno y otro para que ellos no se puedan llevar bien).

Answer 6

There is not so much difference between them that....(you cannot identify which is which).

There are not so many differences between them that... you can't tell them apart.

(That is why you sentences sounded incorrect to me. They sound incomplete like a sentence fragment.)

There is not so much difference between the one and the other that...

There are not so many differences between the one and the other that....

Ahora me suenan bien.

Answer 7

Well, I feel satisfied with your answers. Anyway, I would like to know if they admit "so much" (tanta) or "so many" (tantas) as we also say in Spanish.

the "so" sounds incorrect to me in both sentences. Both are fine without it. - 0074b507, SEP 15, 2009