La de + noun + que + verb to intensify Flashcards
La de + noun + que + verb (+ subject)
if we want to express “how much or how many of something” in a sentence in a context that implies surprise for the speaker
the speaker puts a lot of emphasis on/intensifies the quantity, in a similar way to when we use ¡Cuánto/cuánta/cuántos/cuántas + noun!
As you can see, it does not matter if the noun is singular or plural, masculine or feminine - “La de” is invariable, it does not need to agree with the noun. It is as if we were omitting the word “cantidad” in the sentence:
¡La (cantidad) de vino que bebió Miguel ayer!
Miguel has drank so much wine today!
¡La de vino que ha bebido Miguel hoy!
Grandma gives me so many kisses when she sees me!
¡La de besos que me da siempre la abuela cuando me ve!
There is so much hunger in this world!
¡La de hambre que hay en este mundo!
I sold so many bracelets yesterday!
¡La de pulseras que vendí ayer!
This structure is generally used in exclamatory sentences but it could also be a statement:
No te puedes ni imaginar la de vueltas que he dado para encontrar tu casa.
You can’t imagine how hard it was to find your house. [lit: how many rounds I gave to find your house]
I am foreseeing how much trouble we are going to have with these neighbours.
Estoy previendo la de problemas que vamos a tener con estos vecinos.
