tam ... quam, tantus ... quantus (As ... As)

As ... as, So Much ... as

Level 5

The first word of the pair points ahead and the second word answers it.

How It Works

Pair	Meaning	Example
tam ... quam	as ... as	tam altus quam pater (as tall as his father)
tantus ... quantus	as great, as much as	tantam pecuniam quantam (as much money as)
talis ... qualis	such as	qualis pater, talis filius
tot ... quot	as many as	quot homines, tot sententiae
totiens ... quotiens	as often as	quotiens venit, totiens gaudeo (every time he comes, I am glad)

Put the two halves in either order. A short saying often leaves out the verb, as in quot homines, tot sententiae.

Sometimes only one half is written. Tantam fidem alone means so great a faith, and the listener supplies the rest.

Tam magna est villa quam hortus.
The house is as big as the garden.
Tam goes with magna, and quam hortus finishes the comparison. Hortus is nominative because villa is.
Tantam pecuniam habet Marcus quantam Lucius.
Marcus has as much money as Lucius.
Tantam and quantam agree with pecuniam. The verb habet is understood after Lucius.
Quot homines, tot sententiae.
There are as many opinions as there are people.
Tot and quot never change, and the verb is left out. Terence has this saying in his play Phormio, line 454.
Qualis pater, talis filius.
Like father, like son.
Qualis and talis agree with the nominative nouns pater and filius.
Amen dico vobis, non inveni tantam fidem in Israel.
Truly I say to you, I have not found so great a faith in Israel.
Matthew 8:10. Tantam stands alone, and the answering quantam is not written.

Using ut for as ... as.
Tam magna est villa ut hortus.
Tam magna est villa quam hortus.
After tam, ut begins a result clause (so big that ...). For as ... as, the answering word is quam.
Counting a mass with tot.
Tot pecuniam habet Marcus quot Lucius.
Tantam pecuniam habet Marcus quantam Lucius.
Tot and quot count separate things, such as coins. Money as one amount takes tantus and quantus, which agree with the noun.

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

tam ... quam, tantus ... quantus (As ... As)Level 5As ... as, So Much ... as

The pairs mean as much as and use quam.

tamquamtantusquantustalisqualistotquottotiensquotiens

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