no mucho
/no mut͡ʃo/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "not much" is no mucho.
The phrase no mucho is used to indicate that a quantity or degree of something is small.
Which one should you use?
While no mucho means "not much", the word poco is used to express "a little" or "a small amount".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the informal phrase Poca cosa can be used to mean "little thing" or "not much".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. For example, you would use no mucha when modifying a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/no mutʃo/
Did you know?
- The word mucho comes from the Latin 'multus', which evolved from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'crumbled' or 'crumpled'.
- The English word 'much' and the Spanish word mucho are complete strangers. Despite their similar appearance, they have no linguistic relationship to one another.
- In Spanish, the word mucho is often used to intensify emotional states or exaggerated feelings, whereas English typically uses 'very' or 'a lot'.
Examples in context
- Dolerá un poco, pero no mucho.It will hurt a little, but not much.This sentence is useful for illustrating how to use no mucho to describe a small degree of pain.Tatoeba #793303 by Shishir, translation #267702 by CM
- No mucho, pero es suficiente.Not much, but it is enough.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about their weekend plans.
- Elena¿Tienes planes para el sábado, Alejandro?Do you have plans for Saturday, Alejandro?
- AlejandroNo mucho, ¿por qué lo preguntas?Not much, why do you ask?
- ElenaQuiero invitarte a comer pizza.I want to invite you to eat pizza.
- AlejandroMe parece una idea genial, Elena.That sounds like a great idea, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mucho, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
