Every language has different ways to say "a lot." Let's look at what Italian has to offer. We covered some of the ways in a previous lesson, but let's look at a few more.
Ricci mi ha chiesto un mucchio di soldi.
Ricci asked me for a pile of money.
Caption 19, Il Commissario Manara S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 13
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Un mucchio is a heap, a pile. Think of a pile of dirty laundry, a pile of leaves, heaped one on top of the other.
perché t'ha raccontato una marea di frottole. -No!
because he told you a bunch of tall tales. -No!
Caption 23, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3EP3 - Il tarlo del sospetto - Part 6
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La marea is "the tide." A tide of tall tales.
Considerate che di colle ce ne sono una marea: colla per il tessuto, colla per le pietre, corla [sic], corla [sic], eh, colla per, per la pelle.
Consider that there are a bunch of different glues: glue for fabric, glue for stone, glue, glue, uh, glue for, for skin.
Captions 61-63, Professioni e mestieri Belle Arti - La pasta modellabile
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Ho speso una valanga di soldi per questa macchina fotografica (I spent an avalanche [a whole lot] of money for this camera).
Sto facendo il viaggio più bello della mia vita, mamma. Ci divertiamo un casino.
I'm having the best trip of my life, Mom. We're having a lot of fun.
Captions 16-17, Ma che ci faccio qui! Un film di Francesco Amato - Part 13
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Casino is a colloquial term that originally meant "brothel." It currently means, colloquially, "mess," "a lot of noise and confusion," or "a lot of trouble," but it has also come to mean "a whole lot." It's best to use it exclusively among friends, in view of its original meaning.
In a future lesson, we'll talk about ways to say "a lot," when it's used as an adverb.
Parecchio, molto
No, papà è che c'ho parecchio lavoro da fare,
No, Dad, it's that I have quite a lot of work to do;
sono un po' sotto pressione.
I'm under a bit of pressure.
Caption 17, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne
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Parecchio might be less familiar to you than molto.
Ho molto lavoro (I have a lot of work).
Like molto, parecchio is used as an adjective and in this case has different endings depending on whether it modifies a masculine or feminine noun and depending on whether it’s plural or singular.
Il lavoro is masculine, so it’s parecchio lavoro or molto lavoro.
Ci sono parecchie cose strane.
There are a lot of strange things.
Caption 72, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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La cosa is feminine and it’s plural, so we say parecchie cose or molte cose.
But like molto, parecchio is also an adverb. In the following example, parecchio could easily replace molto.
Mi piace molto il posto e poi ho ritrovato vecchi amici
I like the place a lot and then I met up with old friends
e la zia è deliziosa come sempre.
and Aunt is charming as always.
Captions 13-14, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne
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Un sacco
Un sacco is quite colloquial, as is “bunch!” Sacco translates as “bag,” or “sack," so imagine a big bag of something!
Non fare questa faccia, vedrai che ti farai un sacco di amici.
Don't make that face. You'll see that you'll make a bunch of friends.
Caption 10, La Tempesta - film
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Guarda che ti faranno un sacco di domande, eh.
Look, they will ask you a bunch of questions, huh.
Caption 46, Provaci ancora prof! - S2EP2 Una mina vagante
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Eh, ma cosa potrà mangiare questo povero bambino?
Yeah, but what can this poor child eat?
E un sacco di cose... polenta, -Riso. -riso.
A bunch of things... cornmeal, -Rice. -rice.
Captions 5-6, Un medico in famiglia Stagione - 3 S3EP3 - Il tarlo del sospetto
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We might also translate un sacco here as "plenty."
Tanto
Tanto is another word for a lot. Like the other words above, it can be used as an adjective:
E... insomma, dopo un tempo che in quel momento
And... in short, after a time, which in that moment
non sapevo stimare se era tanto o poco.
I couldn't assess whether it was a lot or a little.
Captions 54-55, Anna presenta - Il mio parto
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Certo che firmo per la barella, non avevo tanta scelta.
Of course I'll sign for a gurney. I didn't have much choice.
Caption 33, Anna presenta - Il mio parto
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Tanto can be used as an adverb as well.
Non andavo tanto veloce, ma mi hanno fatto la multa.
I wasn’t going very fast, but they gave me a ticket.
It’s always good to know several different ways to say something. Variety is the spice of life!
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