30 Minute Italian

ITALIAN Rachel: Hai bisogno di qualcosa dal supermercato? Carlotta: No, no, dai, non ti preoccupare. Rachel: Macché! Tanto, oggi vado al supermercato comunque. Have you ever heard an expression like the one above that starts with “tanto?” You might already know that “tanto” means “a lot” but obviously in this case, that translation doesn’t make much sense. I hear all the time that this sentence structure is confusing! So what does “tanto” mean when used this way? It’s simple, so let me demystify it for you. In this example, “tanto” is used a bit like, “really,” “anyways,” or “as” in English. So for example, in the previous dialogue, the conversation might have looked something like this: ENGLISH Rachel: Do you need something from the supermarket? Carlotta: No, no, come on, don’t worry about it. Rachel: Nonsense! Really, I was going to the supermarket today regardless. Other Examples of “Tanto” 1.) Non abbiamo fretta, tanto andiamo in macchina ci metteremo al massimo 5 minuti. 2.) Tanto anche se piangi non ot