Expressing How Much?

Question

In which situations are the following phrases appropriate to use when expressing "how much"? If some of these are interchangeable, please let me know.

Cuanto? Lo mucho que? Lo tanto que? Tanto así? Que tan?

Gracias.

Answer 1

Most of the translations you wrote about how much (i understood "how much" as a question) are not correct:

¿Cuanto? This is the only correct. It is used for all. In Spanish how much and how many are the same. In function of the gender or the number the word Cuanto changes:

• ¿Cuanto dinero tienes?

• ¿Cuantas personas habia en el cine?

• ¿Cuantos árboles hay en el parque?

¿Lo mucho que? This one cannot be used in interrogative form. In Spain, we use it in affirmative form:

• Nunca sabrás lo mucho que te he querido -> You never know how much I loved you

¿Lo tanto que? No sense for me in Spanish in any form

¿Tanto así? No sense for me in Spanish in any form

¿Que tan? This is more familiar for me but, at least in Spain, this is a literature or an old form to ask. Never used in common life (in Spain).

• ¿Que tan grande es el universo? -> How big is the Universe?

In Spain, this last example would be. ¿Como es de grande el Universo?

Great answer - Mardle, Mar 8, 2016

Thank you, amigo. - rac1, Mar 8, 2016

The items that didn't make sense to you, I noticed were used more often Latin American countries. - cmusba, Mar 8, 2016

http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/qué-tan-vs-cuánto.1236763/ This is an interesting discussion of regional differences. - bosquederoble, Mar 8, 2016