“So Much” in Italian: Così Tanto
“So much” in Italian is così tanto, and “so much that” is così tanto che. The first part gives the intensity and the second part gives the result: Ti voglio bene così tanto (“I care about you so much”), Ho studiato così tanto che mi fa male la testa (“I studied so much that my head hurts”). You can shorten così tanto to tanto in casual speech, and there are a few other structures for different situations. Here they are together:
| English | Italian | Example |
| So much (with a verb) | così tanto | Ti voglio bene così tanto. I care about you so much. |
| So much, so many (with a noun) | così tanto / tanta / tanti / tante | Ho così tanti impegni. I have so many commitments. |
| So much that | così tanto che | Ho studiato così tanto che mi fa male la testa. I studied so much that my head hurts. |
| So + adjective that | così + adjective + che | È così stanco che si addormenta subito. He is so tired that he falls asleep right away. |
| So much that (result) | tanto che | Ha piovuto tutto il giorno, tanto che abbiamo annullato la gita. It rained all day, so much so that we cancelled the trip. |
| So much as to + verb | così tanto da + infinitive | Ho mangiato tanto da stare male. I ate so much that I felt sick. |
What does così tanto che mean in Italian?
If you’re wondering how to say so much that in Italian, you came to the right place. Keep on reading to figure it out!
Così tanto che is the Italian way for saying so much that in English.
Let’s have a look at the examples below to understand better:
Ho studiato così tanto che mi fa male la testa.
I’ve studied so much that my head hurts.
Abbiamo ballato così tanto che i piedi ci fanno male.
We dance so much that our feet hurt.
How to use così tanto che?
We use this structure when we want to emphasize that something was done or happened to a very big extent and there are consequences.
Let’s take the following sentences as an example:
Ho mangiato così tanto che mi fa male la pancia.
I ate so much that my stomach hurts.
This means that the consequence of eating so much is that now my stomach hurts.
As you can see, there is a cause and a consequence.
Così tanto che lets us link the cause with the consequence in the very same sentence.
Così tanto che: examples
Let’s have a look at some more examples:
Mi manca così tanto che non riesco a dormire.
I miss him so much that I cannot sleep.
Ci piace così tanto che abbiamo deciso di comprarlo.
We like it so much that we decided to buy it.
Luigi parla così tanto che a volte non riesco a seguirlo.
Luigi speaks so much that sometimes I cannot follow him.
Così Tanto with Nouns: Agreement
With a verb, tanto is an adverb and never changes: Studia così tanto. Before a noun it is an adjective and agrees in gender and number, like tanto lavoro (masculine singular), tanta fame (feminine singular), tanti amici (masculine plural) and tante cose (feminine plural).
Ho così tanto lavoro che non esco mai.
I have so much work that I never go out.
Ha così tanti amici che non ricorda i nomi.
He has so many friends that he cannot remember the names.
Abbiamo così tante cose da fare!
We have so many things to do!
So + Adjective + That: Così … Che
To say that an adjective or adverb is so strong that it causes a result, put così before it and che after it. You can also use talmente instead of così, which is slightly more emphatic.
Fa così caldo che non riesco a dormire.
It is so hot that I cannot sleep.
Il film è così bello che l’ho visto tre volte.
The film is so good that I watched it three times.
Sono talmente stanco che vado subito a letto.
I am so tired that I am going straight to bed.
Così Tanto Da + Infinitive
When the person in the first clause is also the person in the result, Italian often replaces che + a full clause with da + the infinitive. It sounds lighter and is very common with negative results.
Ho mangiato così tanto da non riuscire a muovermi.
I ate so much that I could not move.
È così stanco da non riuscire a parlare.
He is so tired that he cannot speak.
In the sentence Ho studiato così tanto che mi fa male la testa, the result has a different subject (the head), so Italian keeps che.
How to Say “Not So Much”
Put non before the verb: non così tanto or non tanto means “not that much”.
Non mi piace così tanto.
I do not like it that much.
Non ho mangiato così tanto.
I did not eat that much.
To learn more about the word tanto on its own, from adverb to filler, read my lesson on the meaning of tanto.
Quick Practice
Translate these sentences into Italian, then check the answers.
- I love you so much that I cannot say it.
- It is so cold that I am staying at home.
- She has so many books that she does not know where to put them.
Answers:
- Ti amo così tanto che non riesco a dirlo.
- Fa così freddo che resto a casa.
- Ha così tanti libri che non sa dove metterli.
