The dictionary says “falta” means lack/shortage. So I thought “falta tanto tempo para as férias” would mean “lack of much time until the holidays”. But the translation is “so much time until the holidays”
Are there any other examples of “falta tanto” meaning “so much”?
@laranja, yes, that’s a usual way of translating this word, along with “to be missing” or “to be left” (e.g. “falta sal no prato” - “the dish is missing salt”). We need a few different translation choices depending on context. In this type of use, the best translation is “to be left”. “Falta [passar] tanto tempo” - there’s so much time left [to pass]. “Falta [acabar] tanto arroz” - there’s so much rice left [to finish].