En tinc tants que en tinc tants com tu

Els adverbis tan i tant i l’adjectiu/pronom tant (i variants) tenen dos sentits principals: igualment, en el mateix grau —cas en què sol anar acompanyat del mot com— i talment, en tal grau, en tal quantitat, cas en què sol anar acompanyat del mot que. Dit altrament, podem dir que la combinació tan(t)… com expressa equivalència, mentre que tan(t)… que expressa conseqüència. La traducció en anglès d’aquests girs depèn de la categoria gramatical del mot que modifiquen; destacarem tres d’aquestes categories: noms plurals, noms singulars i verbs, i adjectius i adverbis. A saber:

Davant de noms plurals

Els girs tants -es… com i tants -es… que es tradueixen en anglès per as many… as i so many… that, respectivament, davant de noms plurals.

1) Tinc tants amics com tu.
I have as many friends as you.

2) Té tants nassos com dies té l’any.
He has as many noses as the year has days.

3) Expliquen el tema tantes vegades com calgui fins que tothom l’entengui.
They explain the subject as many times as needed until everyone understands it.

4) Té tants problemes que no sap què fer.
He has so many problems (that) he doesn’t know what to do.

5) No sabia que tinguessis tants de parents a l’estranger.
I didn’t know you had so many relatives living abroad.

6) Ha perdut tantes classes que tardarà una mica a posar-se al dia.
He’s missed so many classes that it’s going to take him a while to catch up.

7) En tinc tants que en tinc tants com tu.
I have so many (of them) that I have as many as you.

Davant de noms singulars i verbs

Els girs tant -a… com i tant -a… que es tradueixen en anglès per as much… as i so much… that, respectivament, davant de noms singulars i verbs.

1) Bec tant vi com tu; bec tant com tu.
I drink as much wine as you; I drink as much as you.

2) Doneu-me tanta informació com sigui possible.
Give me as much information as possible.

3) No costen tant com temia.
They don’t cost as much as I feared.

4) —Menjo tant sucre que m’estic engreixant. —Doncs no en mengis tant!
I eat so much sugar that I’m getting fat.” “Well, don’t eat so much (of it)!

5) Aquesta cadira pesa tant que no la puc aixecar.
This chair weighs so much that I can’t lift it.

6) Feien tant soroll que no podíem dormir.
They were making so much noise that we couldn’t sleep.

7) No en volia tant. No et preocupis tant! Per què t’importa tant?
I didn’t want so much. Don’t worry so much! Why do you care so much?

Davant d’adjectius i adverbis

Els girs tan… com i tan… que es tradueixen en anglès per as… as i so… that, respectivament, davant d’adjectius i adverbis

1) La princesa era tan bonica com el sol.
The princess was as beautiful as the sun.

2) És gairebé tan ample com llarg.
It’s almost as wide as it is long.

3) Aquest rellotge no va tan bé com abans.
This clock doesn’t work as well as it used to.

4) És tan tossut que no escolta a ningú.
He’s so stubborn (that) he won’t listen to anyone.

5) Aquests arbres floreixen tan aviat que a vegades encara hi ha neu a terra.
These trees boom so early that sometimes there is still snow on the ground.

6) No l’agafis tan fort. No sabia que era tan bonica. Per què és tan fosc, el cafè?
Don’t hold her so tight. I didn’t know she was so pretty. Why is the coffee so dark?

Excepció: Quan vol dir talment, en tal grau, en tal quantitat, l’adverbi tan es tradueix en anglès per such quan modifica el gir «adjective/article + nom».

7) Deu ser difícil ser casat amb una dona tan famosa.
It must be difficult being married to such a famous woman.

8) Feia tan bon temps que vam optar per caminar.
It was such a nice day that we decided to walk.

Frases i locucions

Per acabar, observem que hi ha un gran nombre de locucions i frases fetes que incorporen els mots tant (i variants) i tan. Vet aquí uns exemples extrets del Diccionari català-anglès/anglès-català de locucions i frases fetes:

a les tantes
very late, in the small/wee hours

de tant en tant
from time to time, (every) now and then, occasionally

entre tant
meanwhile, in the meantime, for the moment

fer tant de paper com en Palou a sa Pobla
to be of no account/consequence

i tant!
yes indeed!, you bet!, undoubtedly!, I’ll say!

no n’hi ha per tant; no serà tant
it’s not that big a deal; no need to make a federal case of it

per tant
so, therefore, thus

qui t’empeny que tant rodoles?
who rattled your cage?

si tant convé
probably; if need be, in/at a pinch

tan bon punt
just as soon as

tant de bo!
[la possibilitat existeix] I wish!, I hope so!; [la possibilitat no existeix] if only it were so!; no such luck!

tant és; tant fer naps com cols; tant se fa/val; tant se li’n dóna naps com cols
it’s all the same, it doesn’t matter; to be six of one and half-a-dozen of the other

tant me fa
I couldn’t care less; I don’t give a damn [vulg.]

tant per tant
all things considered, all in all, everything being equal; (one) might as well

tant sí com no
haphazardly, willy-nilly, any which way

tant si plou com si (fa sol / no plou)
come what may, no matter what

tant te vull que et trac un ull
to desire something so much that one harms it

tants a tants
as many of one as of the other; other/all things being equal; estar ~ = be even

tants caps tants barrets
to each his own; everyone has a different opinion