Why tanto not tan?

Question

Yo no tengo tanto picardía. I am not so sly. Hi, the lesson says tanto means “so much”. Also, picardía is an adjective so “tan” seems right. I’m confused. Gracias, Shirley.

Accepted Answer

Hola Shirley
I just added a clarifying note to that test-question as the natural translation in English is using a different structure (but it means the same); so, in Spanish you say "tener picardía" (picardía is a noun, not an adjective, saying to "have slyness" (=being sly) - but translating it to "I don't have so much slyness" would have sounded very odd in English; this is why we used the most natural "I am not so sly". 
The "Lit:... "  note should make it clear and avoid confusion now.
I hope it helps.
Saludos
Inma