no mucho
/no mut͡ʃo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "nothing much" is translated into Spanish as no mucho.
This phrase is a casual response used to indicate that not many interesting things are happening in one's life.
Which one should you use?
While "nothing much" is a complete phrase in English, the Spanish no mucho literally translates to "not much" and functions as a shorthand response.
How does it change in a sentence?
While you can use no mucho to convey the sentiment of "nothing much," Spanish speakers often use the phrase nada especial (meaning "nothing special") to express the same idea of having nothing interesting to report.
How do you pronounce it?
/no mutʃo/
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, a person might replace no mucho with aquí estamos, which literally means 'here we are' but functions as a way to say nothing much is changing.
- The word mucho shares a distant Proto-Indo-European root with the idea of being 'crumbled' or 'crushed', from the root *ml̥tos.
- If you want to sound more natural when saying 'nothing much', you might find yourself saying nada de nada instead, which literally means 'nothing of nothing'.
Examples in context
- – ¿Qué hay de nuevo? – No mucho.– What's new? – Nothing much.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena meet by chance on the street.
- Mateo¡Hola, Elena! ¿Qué hay de nuevo?Hi, Elena! What's new?
- ElenaHola, Mateo. No mucho, ¿y tú?Hi, Mateo. Nothing much, and you?
- MateoYo también estoy tranquilo.I'm also doing fine.
- ElenaMe alegro mucho.I'm very glad.
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.
