# so much/so many, as much/as many



## Le Bélier

I'm looking for the correct translations of these.  My search efforts have yielded כָּל-כּך for _so much_, and עַד כַּמָּה, _as much_. The latter makes sense to me, but for some reason, the first doesn't seem right.  Would the following be correct using these forms?


יֵשׁ לִי כָּל-כָּך דְּבָרִים לָעָשׂוֹת.
יֵשׁ לוֹ עַד כַּמָּה עֵטִים מִן עֵפְרוֹנוֹת.


_I have so many things to do.
He has as many pens as pencils._

Thank you all in advance.


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## tFighterPilot

כל כך can't stand on it's own. כל כך הרבה means so much. כל כך מעט means so little.

עד כמה doesn't really have any meaning. אותה כמות means as many.


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## scriptum

Le Bélier said:


> _He has as many pens as pencils._


יש לו אותה כמות של עטים ושל עפרונות
יש לו עטים ועפרונות באותה כמות
יש לו עטים ועפרונות בכמות שווה


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## cfu507

The translation of כל כך depends on the context.
התגעגעתי אליך כל כך means I missed you *so much.* You wouldn't say I missed you so. [By the way, I could also use here מאוד]
As you can see, I didn't have to say the word הרבה for so much.

In different context:
כל כך חשוך כאן It's *so* dark in here - כל כך is only so. It was also clear, that I meant במידה רבה and not מעט.

In different context כל כך can't stand on it's own as tFighterPilot suggested:
יש לי כל כך הרבה דברים לעשות
יש לי כל כך מעט דברים לעשות
In both cases כל כך is only *so* and I had to say הרבה or מעט. It is not always obvious that כל כך means כל כך הרבה or כל כך מעט, while in the former example with the darkness כל כך was clearly הרבה.

In Hebrew there is no difference between much and many.

As for עד כמה: 
אעזור לך עד כמה שאוכל I'll help you *as much as* I can. עד כמה ש... is always as much as. But as much as can not be always translated to עד כמה. For example, your sentences. I would say יש לי עטים ועפרונות בכמות שווה.
מספר העטים שברשותי *כ*מספר העפרונות. Here as much was translated to כ which means כמו (simply: as).

Also, you wrote: עֵטִים *מִן* עֵפְרוֹנוֹת. The word מן implies that you have pens and pencils in different amount. The sentence you wrote was wrong. מן implies comparison! (in this context of course).


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## Le Bélier

Thank you, everybody, for the useful responses.  Once I start writing some sentences with these structures, they should make some more sense.



cfu507 said:


> Also, you wrote: עֵטִים *מִן* עֵפְרוֹנוֹת. The word מן implies that you have pens and pencils in different amount. The sentence you wrote was wrong. מן implies comparison! (in this context of course).



Technically speaking, it is a comparison of equality, so still a comparison. 
But I understand what you mean.  This is a very good example of something that is quite a bit different in Hebrew than, for example, French or Spanish.  And also something I should have already known from working with comparative adjectives.  I'll blame it on old age this time.   Thanks again.


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## girloncrack

I believe that instead of עד כמה שאפשר  (as much as possible), you can drop the עד and just say כמה שאפשר


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## cfu507

girloncrack said:


> I believe that instead of עד כמה שאפשר (as much as possible), you can drop the עד and just say כמה שאפשר


 
Yes girloncrack,you can say it too.
אעזור לכם עד כמה שאוכל
אעזור לכם כמה שאוכל

The sentences have the same meaning. In the first sentence I emphasize that I would do anything to help you, I'll do my best, to my limits. The second sentence does'nt emphasize that.


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## cfu507

Le Bélier said:


> Technically speaking, it is a comparison of equality, so still a comparison.


 
Yes, one of the results might be "draw" 
But you got my point. מן implies different quantity, amount, degree...


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## Le Bélier

tFighterPilot said:


> כל כך הרבה means so much. כל כך מעט means so little.



So, would this be grammatically correct?


הוא אמר לי שהיה לו כל כך דנרים לעשות, אבל כל לך מעט זמן כדי לעשות הכולם.


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## girloncrack

I don't think that's quite right...  this would be my guess:

הוא אמר לי שהיו לו כל כך הרבה דברים לעשות, אבל כל כך מעט זמן לעשות אותם​


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