What's the difference between "demasiado" and "tan"?

Question

I just learned a new word "demasiado" which can be an adjective or an adverb. If it is used as an adverb, then what's the difference between it and "tan"?

I found the following phrases from SD's online dictionary:

(1) tan grande; tan rápido; tan largo; tan feo

(2) demasiado grande; demasiado rápido; demasiado pesado

Answer 1

"tan" means "so" as in "estoy tan cansado." or "i am so tired". "demasiado" is "too" or "too much". "estoy demasiado cansado para hacerlo." "i am too tired to do it." they might seem similar but the difference gets clearer when you compare "you are so smart" and "you are too smart."

Hola, RIP. Thanks for your reply. So, do you imply that "tan" is a positive word, but "demasiado" is a negative one? - joygogo, Dec 17, 2013

Did I? Yes, in the last example, it does. "I am so hungry that I could eat a horse. But I am too small for that." here, there is no approving the hunger or disapproving the size. Yet the words can't exchange their places. - LeGoodGuy, Dec 17, 2013

"Tan" and "demasiado" work exactly the same way as english "so" and "too". - LeGoodGuy, Dec 17, 2013

Thanks for telling me! ^_^ - joygogo, Dec 18, 2013

Answer 2

You should also note that when demasiado is used as an adverb it is not conjugated, but when used as an adjective it must be conjugated for gender and number just like any other adjective:

"él / ella / Ud. trabaja demasiado" (adverb)

"tenemos demasiado trabajo que hacer / tengo demasiadas tareas que hacer" (adjective)

Great tips! Muchas gracias! - joygogo, Dec 17, 2013

Answer 3

The same as in:

It is too hot.

It is so hot.

But when you say "too" hot and "so" hot, the tone is somewhat different, isn't it? - joygogo, Dec 17, 2013

It is too hot. I cannot drink it. No it is too hot for us to drink. It is so hot that we can burn our lips. - LeGoodGuy, Dec 17, 2013

Boy! I've given so many examples. Too many examples? Too much of anything is not good isn't it? That is so true. ..;) lol - LeGoodGuy, Dec 17, 2013

Same thing in Spanish...demasiado and tan...:-D - chileno, Dec 17, 2013

When it comes to giving good examples, the more, the better! - joygogo, Dec 18, 2013