Using the Spanish Word Mucho in the Right Context

Like its English cognate, or related word linguistically, much, the Spanish word  mucho conveys the idea of something being great in quantity or degree. Like English,   mucho can be used as an adverb, adjective or pronoun. Mucho As an Adverb As an adverb, mucho is frequently translated as much or a lot. Unlike when it is used as adjective and pronoun, the word mucho does not change with gender or number. It can change when it used as an adverb before adjectives or other adverbs to mean very, in that case, the word  mucho  is shortened to  muy. However,  mucho  is used when it stands alone to mean very, as in answering a question:  Ã‚ ¿Està ¡s  cansada? Sà ­, mucho, which means,  Are you tired? Yes, very. Spanish Sentence English Translation Fernando habla mucho y dice poco. Fernando talks a lot and says very little. En invierno nieva mucho en los Alpes. In the winter it snows a lot in the Alps. Derek Jeter es mucho mejor de lo que fue Lou Gehrig. Derek Jeter is much better than what Lou Gehrig was. Mi mam me ama mucho. My mother loves me a lot. El iPhone es mucho ms que un telfono. The iPhone is much more than a telephone. Mi ta es muy inteligente. My aunt is very intelligent. Mucho As an Adjective As an adjective, mucho must agree with the noun it refers to in number and gender. It is typically translated as much, a lot of or too many; in plural form, it typically means many or a lot of. Spanish Sentence English Translation He odo que las naranjas tienen mucho azcar. I have heard that oranges have a lot of sugar. Beber mucha leche entera puede provocar sobrepeso. Drinking a lot of whole milk can cause [a person to be] overweight. Twitter tiene muchos usuarios internacionales. Twitter has many international users. Tras su gobierno Schwarzenegger tiene muchas opciones. After his governorship, Schwarzenegger has many options. En el mundo hay muchos millones de personas expuestas al riesgo de erupciones volcnicas. Worldwide there are many millions of people exposed to the risk of volcanic eruptions. Mucho As a Pronoun When it functions as a pronoun, mucho means  a large amount of  and it  must agree in gender and number with the noun it substitutes for. Spanish Sentence English Translation Normalmente, hay cera en los odos, pero cuando hay mucha, puede ser necesario que el mdico la remueva. Normally, there is wax in the ears. But when there is a lot, it can be necessary that the doctor remove it. (Mucha refers to cera, which is singular and feminine.) Para recibir mucho, es necesario dar mucho. In order to receive much, it is necessary to give much. Hay muchos que pierden su vida buscando una perfeccin que nunca se llega a encontrar. There are many who waste their lives looking for a perfection that never shows up to be found. (Muchos is gender neutral and plural.) Muchas quieren ser como Marilyn Monroe. Many want to be like Marilyn Monroe. (Muchas likely refers to women and/or girls.)