tan rápido
/tan ɾapido/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'so quickly' is translated into Spanish as tan rápido.
tan rápido is used to describe an action that occurs at a very high speed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tan, meaning 'so' or 'as' and rápido, meaning 'fast' or 'quick'.
Which one should you use?
While the form tan rápidamente is grammatically correct, the form tan rápido is much more common in natural, everyday speech.
How do you pronounce it?
/tan ɾapido/
Did you know?
- While tan rápido describes speed, Spanish speakers often use the expression en un abrir y cerrar de ojos to say something happened 'so quickly' that it was like the blink of an eye.
- The Spanish word raudo is a 'doublet' of rápido, meaning they both come from the same Latin root but evolved into two different words.
- If you are describing a person who is 'quick-witted' rather than just physical speed, you might still use rápido, but the nuance shifts from movement to intellect.
Examples in context
- Todo pasó tan rápido.Everything happened so quickly.This sentence shows how to use tan rápido to describe how events passed.Tatoeba #2741930 by marcelostockle, translation #4499156 by CK
- Todo había pasado tan rápido.Everything had happened so quickly.This sentence demonstrates the use of tan rápido in the past perfect tense.Tatoeba #640447 by Shishir, translation #619829 by ulyssemc1
- ¿Por qué creció esta planta tan rápido?Why did this plant grow so quickly?This sentence shows how to ask a question using tan rápido regarding growth speed.Tatoeba #13622929 by Seael, translation #13623807 by araneo
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are walking through a park when a cyclist zooms past them.
- DanielEse ciclista pasó tan rápido.That cyclist passed by so quickly.
- MaríaSí, casi no pude verlo.Yes, I could hardly see him.
- Daniel¿Viste qué velocidad llevaba?Did you see how much speed he had?
- MaríaFue impresionante, iba tan rápido.It was impressive, he was going so quickly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rápido, tan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
