Using Tanto instead of Cuánto?

Hola Devin P.

You're absolutely right to notice that both “tanto” and “cuánto” can be used in exclamations about quantity — but they serve slightly different functions.

When you say “¡Hemos comido tanto pollo!”, you're making an affirmative exclamation — you’re surprised or impressed by the amount of chicken you’ve eaten. In this case, “tanto” (so much) is the correct word to express that a large quantity was consumed.

On the other hand, “cuánto” is used to ask or exclaim about how much or how many, often with a slightly more questioning or dramatic tone.

For example:

This expresses surprise too, but feels a bit more evaluative or observational.

So yes — both are correct, but they are not interchangeable in every context. It depends on the structure and tone of the sentence. Your example sentence with "tanto pollo" is perfectly natural in Spanish when making an exclamatory statement.

Great job digging into these subtle differences — keep going!

Saludos

Silvia