We talked about quanto in another lesson, as part of the expression E questo è quanto. But there's more to say about this useful word. It's not all about asking how much something costs at the market. We use quanto in comparisons, and in particular, balanced comparisons.
In this case, quanto, and tanto are paired to compare equal quantities or qualities of things — similar to how we use "as - as" in English.
"Tanto è bravo Gaetano, quanto è pigra Luisa".
"Luisa is as lazy as Gaetano is a hard worker." "Gaetano is as good as Luisa is lazy."
Caption 47, Corso di italiano con Daniela 5) Proposizioni subordinate comparative - Part 1
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Here are some more examples from Yabla videos, from everyday speech.
Lei quindi non è un cacciatore? Per carità. Detesto tanto la pratica quanto la categoria.
So you aren't a hunter? For the love of God. I hate the practice as much as the category.
Captions 24-26, Il Commissario Manara S2EP11 - Uno strano incidente di caccia - Part 4
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This pair of adjectives can be used in the negative sense too, as in this example discussing the history of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Il problema non era tanto il peso del marmo, quanto il terreno.
The problem was not so much the weight of the marble, as it was the terrain.
Caption 5, Meraviglie EP. 4 - Part 8
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We'll go into how to construct comparisons with tanto/quanto to make balanced comparisons in a future lesson.
While we are on the subject of quanto, there is another way we use it in Italian that needs a bit of explaining. In quanto means "inasmuch," "since," "because," or simply "as."
No, dico per, per la cosa delle detrazioni fiscali, perché noi, in quanto associazione, possiamo... -Detrarre.
No, I'm saying for, for tax deductions, because we, as an association, we can... -Deduct.
No, I'm saying for, for tax deductions, because we, since we're an association, we can... -Deduct.
Captions 25-27, Liberi tutti EP4 Ma la giacca la vuole tutta? - Part 2
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In quanto is used when talking about roles, for example: In my role as a teacher, I have to set a good example. In quanto insegnante, devo essere un buon esempio.
Have you seen or heard other uses of quanto we haven't discussed? Let us know at newsletter@yabla.com.
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We've talked recently about comparatives of equality, and so it makes sense to talk about yet another kind of comparative. We're not really comparing two or more items, but rather giving one item a very high vote. BANNER PLACEHOLDERIn English we use words or prefixes such as "super," "very," "extra," "maximum," "mega."
There is a super easy way to make adjectives into absolute superlatives in Italian.
Daniela explains how this works:
There are certain adjectives we use quite frequently in this form to express an absolute superlative.
One is bello (beautiful, nice):
Another is piccolo (small):
Still another is nuovo (new):
There are lots of others, and you will, little by little, start noticing them as you listen to spoken Italian, where they occur most frequently. BANNER PLACEHOLDERPractice: Here's a head start.
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Daniela is back with some more Italian lessons, classroom-style. This time she will be teaching us how to compare things. And the good news is that apart from a few exceptions like buono (good), migliore (better), il/la migliore (the best), you won't have to learn the comparative forms of an adjective. Basically, you just have to use the adverb più (more) or meno (less).
Sometimes this corresponds to the English, because in English, not all adjectives have a comparative form.
"Arrivederci" [quando vado via] è una forma di saluto più elegante, formale.
"Arrivederci" [when I leave] is a more elegant, formal form of saying "goodbye."
Caption 27, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Salutare - Part 1
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But in many cases, there is a specific comparative form in English.
In the following example, a recipe is being described.
Si può personalizzare: più piccante, meno piccante.
You can personalize: sharper or milder.
Caption 38, L'Italia a tavola - Il frico friulano - Part 1
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So, if you are translating, you have to find the "right" word in English. But as you become more familiar with Italian, you will start thinking in Italian, and the English equivalent won't really come into play.
One tricky thing is that you have to take into account whether you are comparing things or actions. The preposition you use, di (than) as opposed to che (than), will change accordingly.
Lucca è una città più piccola di Firenze (Lucca is a smaller city than Florence). Lucca è meno grande di Firenze (Lucca is smaller than Florence).
A Lucca, è più comodo girare in bici che girare in macchina (in Lucca, it's easier to get around by bike, than to get around by car).
Practice:
Watch Daniela's video, first of all. Then go around your house, or wherever you happen to be, and compare things.
Questo libro è più grande di quel libro (this book is bigger than that book).
Gain confidence in comparing things using di (than). Then move on to comparing actions. It's a little trickier, with che (than).
Comprare online sarà più veloce che andare al negozio (purchasing online will be quicker than going to the store).
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