🌡️Adverbs of degree
How much: very, too, enough, almost, only, hardly.
13 concepts
Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
very adverb | very ˈvɛɹi | très tʁɛ Très bien, très vite. Beaucoup for verbs: j'aime beaucoup (never 'très aimer'). | muy mwi THE Spanish trap: muy + adjective/adverb (muy bueno), mucho + verb/noun (me gusta mucho) — never 'muy mucho'. |
too / too much adverb | too tuː Too = excessively, not 'very' — learners overuse it: 'the food is too good' sounds like a complaint. At the end of a clause it means 'also'. | trop tʁo Final p silent. In casual speech trop drifts to mean 'very': c'est trop bien ! Trop de + noun = too much/many. | demasiado demaˈsjaðo Invariable before adjectives (demasiado caro); agrees before nouns: demasiadas cosas. |
enough adverb | enough ɪˈnʌf Follows the adjective: big enough, not 'enough big'. | assez ase Precedes the adjective: assez grand. Assez de + noun: assez de temps. Also 'quite': assez bien. | bastante basˈtante Also 'quite a lot': habla bastante. ¡Basta! = enough!/stop it! |
a little adverb | a little ə ˈlɪtəl also: a bit | un peu œ̃ pø Un peu de + noun: un peu de pain. Un petit peu = a tiny bit. | un poco un ˈpoko Un poco de + noun. Poco without un = little/hardly any — the article changes the meaning. |
a lot / much adverb | a lot ə ˈlɒt also: much (negatives/questions), many Two words — 'alot' doesn't exist. | beaucoup boku Beaucoup de + noun, no article: beaucoup de gens (never 'beaucoup des gens'). Merci beaucoup. | mucho ˈmut͡ʃo The other half of muy/mucho: mucho with verbs and nouns. Agrees: muchas gracias. |
almost adverb | almost ˈɔːlməʊst also: nearly | presque pʁɛsk Presque fini = almost done. | casi ˈkasi Casi casi = very nearly / that was close. |
only adverb | only ˈəʊnli also: just | seulement sœlmɑ̃ also: ne … que Ne … que = only, not a negative: je n'ai que dix euros = I only have ten euros. | solo ˈsolo also: solamente Formerly written sólo as the adverb; the accent was officially dropped. Same word as 'alone'. |
quite / rather adverb | quite kwaɪt also: rather, fairly, pretty UK 'quite good' = only fairly good; US 'quite good' = very good. Same word, opposite strength. | assez ase also: plutôt Same word as 'enough': assez bien = quite good. | bastante basˈtante Same word as 'enough': bastante bueno = quite good. |
so / so much adverb | so səʊ So + adjective (so beautiful), so much/many + noun — not 'so much beautiful'. | si si also: tellement Si belle = so beautiful. Yes, the same syllable as 'if' and yes-after-negative — three words in one. | tan tan also: tanto Tan + adjective (tan bonito), tanto + noun/verb (tanto tiempo). Clipped from tanto. |
completely adverb | completely kəmˈpliːtli also: totally, entirely | complètement kɔ̃plɛtmɑ̃ also: tout à fait Tout à fait as a reply = 'exactly, quite right'. | completamente kompletaˈmente also: totalmente, del todo |
hardly / barely adverb | hardly ˈhɑːdli also: barely, scarcely Negative by itself: 'I can hardly see' needs no 'not'. And it does NOT mean 'in a hard way' — that's just 'hard'. | à peine a pɛn Literally 'with pain'. Also 'only just': il vient à peine d'arriver. | apenas aˈpenas Also 'as soon as': apenas llegué, llamé. |
more adverb | more mɔː More + long adjectives, -er + short ones: more interesting, but bigger. | plus plys, ply THE s-trap: plus with sounded s = more (j'en veux plus); plus with silent s in ne … plus = no more (je n'en veux plus). Opposite meanings. | más mas Accent matters: mas without it = 'but' (literary). |
less adverb | less lɛs also: fewer (countables) Purists: fewer people, less water — supermarket signs get it 'wrong' daily. | moins mwɛ̃ Au moins = at least. Moins de + noun. | menos ˈmenos Al menos / por lo menos = at least. |