Español — Result clauses with tan/tanto… que

To say that something is so intense it causes a result, Spanish uses tan or tanto before the que clause. The word choice and its agreement depend on what follows.

How it works

✓ Rule

Use tan + adjective/adverb + que before qualities (Es tan alto que no cabe por la puerta), tanto/-a/-os/-as + noun + que before nouns, agreeing in gender and number (Había tanta gente que no cabíamos), and verb + tanto que after a verb (Trabaja tanto que nunca descansa).

Examples

Structures and agreement of tan/tanto… que
Pattern	Example	Meaning
tan + adj. + que	Es tan alto que no cabe por la puerta.	He is so tall that he doesn't fit through the door.
tan + adv. + que	Habla tan rápido que no le entiendo.	He speaks so fast that I don't understand him.
tanto + masc. sing. + que	Tengo tanto trabajo que no puedo salir.	I have so much work that I can't go out.
tanta + fem. sing. + que	Había tanta gente que no cabíamos.	There were so many people that we didn't fit.
tantos + masc. pl. + que	Comió tantos dulces que se puso malo.	He ate so many sweets that he got sick.
tantas + fem. pl. + que	Hizo tantas preguntas que nos cansó.	She asked so many questions that she tired us out.
verbo + tanto que	Trabaja tanto que nunca descansa.	He works so much that he never rests.

Good to know

⚠ Note

Don't confuse tan and tanto. Tan is invariable and only precedes adjectives or adverbs (never *tan trabajo). Before a noun you need tanto/-a/-os/-as with agreement, and after a verb tanto stays invariable — say Trabaja tanto que…, never *Trabaja tantos que….