La de + noun + que + verb to intensify

Using la de + noun + que verb in Spanish

In Spanish, if we want to express "how much or how many of something" in a sentence in a context that implies surprise for the speaker, we can use this construction:

La de + noun + que + verb (+ subject)

This way, the speaker puts a lot of emphasis on/intensifies the quantity, in a similar way to when we use ¡Cuánto/cuánta/cuántos/cuántas + noun!

For example:

¡La de vino que ha bebido Miguel hoy!Miguel has drunk so much wine today!

¡La de besos que me da siempre la abuela cuando me ve!Grandma gives me so many kisses when she sees me!

¡La de hambre que hay en este mundo!There is so much hunger in this world!

¡La de pulseras que vendí ayer!I sold so many bracelets yesterday!

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!

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]

Estoy previendo la de problemas que vamos a tener con estos vecinos.I am foreseeing how much trouble we are going to have with these neighbours.

For a differnt structure expressing the same see:

See also:

 

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Examples and resources

¡La de besos que me da siempre la abuela cuando me ve!Grandma gives me so many kisses when she sees me!
¡La de hambre que hay en este mundo!There is so much hunger in this world!
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]
¡La de pulseras que vendí ayer!I sold so many bracelets yesterday!
Estoy previendo la de problemas que vamos a tener con estos vecinos.I am foreseeing how much trouble we are going to have with these neighbours.
¡La de vino que ha bebido Miguel hoy!Miguel has drunk so much wine today!
I'll be right with you...