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Using very, quite, rather, too, enough and other degree adverbs.
Adverbs of degree express the intensity, extent or quantity of an action, quality, state or another modifier.
They answer questions such as "How much?", "To what extent?" and "How intensely?".
The coffee is very hot.
Кофе очень горячий.
"Very" shows the intensity of the adjective "hot".
She speaks very clearly.
Она говорит очень ясно.
"Very" shows the extent to which she speaks clearly.
I really enjoyed the concert.
Мне очень понравился концерт.
"Really" emphasizes the degree of the verb "enjoyed".
The test was extremely difficult.
Тест был чрезвычайно сложным.
"Extremely" expresses a very high degree of "difficult".
The room is quite small.
Комната довольно маленькая.
"Quite" indicates the degree of the adjective "small".
He almost fell asleep.
Он почти заснул.
"Almost" indicates that the action nearly happened but did not fully happen.
The box is too heavy.
Коробка слишком тяжелая.
"Too" indicates an excessive degree of "heavy".
The soup is hot enough.
Суп достаточно горячий.
"Enough" indicates a sufficient degree of "hot".
Common degree adverbs include very, quite, rather, fairly, really, extremely, too, enough, almost and nearly.
Each expresses a different level of intensity or extent.
The movie was very interesting.
Фильм был очень интересным.
"Very" expresses a high degree of the adjective "interesting".
The restaurant is quite expensive.
Ресторан довольно дорогой.
"Quite" expresses a moderate or fairly high degree of "expensive".
It is rather cold today.
Сегодня довольно холодно.
"Rather" indicates a relatively high degree of "cold".
The exam was fairly easy.
Экзамен был довольно легким.
"Fairly" indicates a moderate degree of "easy".
I really like this song.
Мне очень нравится эта песня.
"Really" strongly emphasizes the verb phrase "like this song".
The weather is extremely hot.
Погода чрезвычайно жаркая.
"Extremely" expresses a very high degree of "hot".
The bag is too heavy to carry.
Сумка слишком тяжелая, чтобы ее нести.
"Too" expresses an excessive degree that prevents the action from being possible.
We have almost finished the project.
Мы почти закончили проект.
"Almost" indicates that the action is very close to completion.
Degree adverbs usually appear immediately before the word they modify.
Examples include very interesting, extremely quickly, almost finished and really enjoyed.
The book is very interesting.
Книга очень интересная.
"Very" appears immediately before the adjective "interesting".
She drives extremely carefully.
Она ездит чрезвычайно осторожно.
"Extremely" appears immediately before the adverb "carefully".
I almost forgot your name.
Я чуть не забыл твое имя.
"Almost" appears immediately before the verb "forgot".
They really enjoyed the trip.
Им очень понравилась поездка.
"Really" appears before the verb phrase "enjoyed the trip".
The water is quite cold.
Вода довольно холодная.
"Quite" appears immediately before the adjective "cold".
He speaks very slowly.
Он говорит очень медленно.
"Very" appears immediately before the adverb "slowly".
She is extremely tired.
Она чрезвычайно устала.
"Extremely" appears immediately before the adjective "tired".
We nearly missed the train.
Мы чуть не опоздали на поезд.
"Nearly" appears before the verb phrase "missed the train" to show approximation.
Too expresses excess, while enough expresses sufficiency.
Too normally comes before an adjective or adverb, whereas enough usually follows the adjective or adverb but precedes a noun.
The coffee is too hot to drink.
Кофе слишком горячий, чтобы его пить.
"Too" comes before the adjective "hot" and shows excessive intensity.
She is old enough to drive.
Она достаточно взрослая, чтобы водить машину.
"Enough" follows the adjective "old" and means that the degree is sufficient.
He ran too quickly.
Он бежал слишком быстро.
"Too" comes before the adverb "quickly" to express an excessive degree.
She speaks clearly enough for everyone to understand.
Она говорит достаточно ясно, чтобы все могли понять.
"Enough" follows the adverb "clearly".
There is too much noise outside.
Снаружи слишком много шума.
"Too" comes before the quantity expression "much noise" to show excess.
We have enough time to finish.
У нас достаточно времени, чтобы закончить.
"Enough" comes before the noun "time" when it modifies a noun.
The bag is too heavy for me.
Сумка слишком тяжелая для меня.
"Too" precedes the adjective "heavy".
The room is warm enough now.
Теперь в комнате достаточно тепло.
"Enough" follows the adjective "warm" to express sufficiency.
These adverbs express approximation or limitation but have different meanings and grammatical behavior.
Almost and nearly are often interchangeable, while hardly has a negative meaning and is not equivalent to hard.
I almost missed the bus.
Я чуть не опоздал на автобус.
"Almost" means that the event nearly happened but did not happen.
The bottle is nearly empty.
Бутылка почти пустая.
"Nearly" means almost completely and is close in meaning to "almost".
She hardly slept last night.
Она почти не спала прошлой ночью.
"Hardly" means almost not at all and has a negative meaning.
We have almost finished.
Мы почти закончили.
"Almost" indicates that the action is close to completion.
It is nearly midnight.
Почти полночь.
"Nearly" means very close to the stated time.
He hardly knows anyone here.
Он почти никого здесь не знает.
"Hardly" means that he knows very few people.
I worked hard all day.
Я усердно работал весь день.
"Hard" means with a lot of effort and is different from "hardly".
She could hardly hear me.
Она едва могла меня слышать.
"Hardly" means only just or almost not at all.
The choice of a degree adverb depends on whether the modified adjective is gradable or non-gradable.
Compare very cold with absolutely impossible and fairly interesting with completely exhausted.
The water is very cold.
Вода очень холодная.
"Very" naturally modifies the gradable adjective "cold".
The water is absolutely freezing.
Вода совершенно ледяная.
"Absolutely" naturally modifies the extreme adjective "freezing".
She is fairly tired after the journey.
Она довольно устала после поездки.
"Fairly" is suitable with the gradable adjective "tired".
She is completely exhausted after the journey.
Она совершенно измучена после поездки.
"Completely" is natural with the extreme adjective "exhausted".
The task is very difficult.
Задание очень сложное.
"Very" modifies the gradable adjective "difficult".
The task is absolutely impossible.
Задание совершенно невозможно.
"Absolutely" is appropriate with the non-gradable adjective "impossible".
The explanation was quite clear.
Объяснение было довольно понятным.
"Quite" naturally modifies the gradable adjective "clear".
The answer was completely correct.
Ответ был полностью правильным.
"Completely" emphasizes the absolute state expressed by "correct".
Degree adverbs either strengthen or weaken the intensity of meaning.
Intensifiers increase force, while downtoners reduce or limit it.
The movie was extremely exciting.
Фильм был чрезвычайно захватывающим.
"Extremely" is an intensifier that strongly increases the force of "exciting".
I really enjoyed the meal.
Мне очень понравилась еда.
"Really" intensifies the meaning of the verb phrase "enjoyed the meal".
She was slightly worried about the delay.
Она была слегка обеспокоена задержкой.
"Slightly" is a downtoner that reduces the intensity of "worried".
The room was somewhat noisy.
В комнате было несколько шумно.
"Somewhat" reduces the force of the adjective "noisy".
He is very tired.
Он очень устал.
"Very" is an intensifier that increases the degree of "tired".
The problem is a little difficult.
Проблема немного сложная.
"A little" reduces the degree of the adjective "difficult".
The results were absolutely remarkable.
Результаты были совершенно выдающимися.
"Absolutely" strongly intensifies the adjective "remarkable".
She was rather disappointed.
Она была довольно разочарована.
"Rather" can function as a downtoner by reducing the force of "disappointed".
Degree adverbs can be classified according to the level of intensity they express.
Major groups include maximizers (absolutely, completely), boosters (very, really, extremely), moderators (quite, rather, fairly), diminishers (slightly, somewhat, a little), approximators (almost, nearly) and minimizers (hardly, scarcely, barely).
The room was completely empty.
Комната была совершенно пустой.
"Completely" is a maximizer expressing the highest degree of "empty".
The results were extremely impressive.
Результаты были чрезвычайно впечатляющими.
"Extremely" is a booster that strongly increases the degree of "impressive".
The test was fairly difficult.
Тест был довольно сложным.
"Fairly" is a moderator that expresses a moderate degree of "difficult".
The difference is slightly noticeable.
Разница слегка заметна.
"Slightly" is a diminisher that reduces the degree of "noticeable".
The project is almost complete.
Проект почти завершен.
"Almost" is an approximator showing that "complete" has nearly been reached.
I hardly remember his name.
Я едва помню его имя.
"Hardly" is a minimizer that reduces the extent of "remember".
She really enjoyed the performance.
Ей очень понравилось выступление.
"Really" is a booster that strengthens the meaning of "enjoyed".
The change is somewhat surprising.
Изменение несколько удивительно.
"Somewhat" is a diminisher that limits the intensity of "surprising".
Some degree adverbs modify verbs instead of adjectives or other adverbs.
Examples include completely understand, almost forgot, hardly noticed, strongly recommend and fully agree.
I completely understand your concern.
Я полностью понимаю твою обеспокоенность.
"Completely" modifies the verb "understand" and expresses a full degree of understanding.
She almost forgot the appointment.
Она чуть не забыла о встрече.
"Almost" modifies the verb "forgot" and shows that the action nearly happened.
He hardly noticed the mistake.
Он едва заметил ошибку.
"Hardly" modifies the verb "noticed" and expresses a very low degree.
I strongly recommend this book.
Я настоятельно рекомендую эту книгу.
"Strongly" intensifies the verb "recommend" in a natural collocation.
We fully agree with the decision.
Мы полностью согласны с решением.
"Fully" indicates the complete degree of agreement.
She greatly appreciated your help.
Она очень высоко оценила твою помощь.
"Greatly" expresses a high degree of the verb "appreciated".
They deeply regretted the decision.
Они глубоко сожалели о своем решении.
"Deeply" strongly intensifies the verb "regretted".
I partly agree with you.
Я частично с тобой согласен.
"Partly" limits the extent of the verb phrase "agree with you".
Many degree adverbs form preferred collocations with particular adjectives and verbs.
Examples include deeply concerned, highly successful, strongly agree, bitterly disappointed, utterly ridiculous and perfectly clear.
She is deeply concerned about the situation.
Она глубоко обеспокоена ситуацией.
"Deeply concerned" is a common natural collocation.
The company has been highly successful.
Компания добилась больших успехов.
"Highly successful" is a conventional collocation in formal and professional English.
I strongly agree with your proposal.
Я полностью поддерживаю твое предложение.
"Strongly agree" is a standard collocation; "strongly" naturally intensifies "agree".
She was bitterly disappointed by the result.
Она была глубоко разочарована результатом.
"Bitterly disappointed" is a conventional collocation expressing intense disappointment.
That is an utterly ridiculous idea.
Это совершенно нелепая идея.
"Utterly ridiculous" is a strong and natural collocation.
Your explanation is perfectly clear.
Твое объяснение совершенно понятно.
"Perfectly clear" is a common collocation meaning completely clear.
The patients were deeply worried about their condition.
Пациенты были очень обеспокоены своим состоянием.
"Deeply worried" is a natural collocation for strong emotional concern.
The evidence is highly relevant to the case.
Доказательства имеют большое значение для этого дела.
"Highly relevant" is a conventional formal collocation.
The choice of a degree adverb depends on meaning, collocation, emphasis and register.
Some degree adverbs are characteristic of formal, informal or academic English, while others convey the speaker's attitude or evaluation.
I am really tired after the journey.
Я очень устал после поездки.
"Really" is common in informal and neutral spoken English and adds emphasis.
The findings are highly significant.
Полученные результаты имеют большое значение.
"Highly significant" is characteristic of formal and academic English.
The proposal is somewhat problematic.
Предложение в некоторой степени проблематично.
"Somewhat" is a relatively cautious and formal way to reduce the force of "problematic".
She was absolutely delighted with the news.
Она была совершенно в восторге от этой новости.
"Absolutely" strongly expresses the speaker's positive evaluation of "delighted".
The revised figures are substantially higher than the original estimates.
Пересмотренные показатели существенно выше первоначальных оценок.
"Substantially" is formal and analytical, while "higher" describes the measurable difference.
He is a little annoyed about the delay.
Он немного раздражен из-за задержки.
"A little" weakens "annoyed" and makes the statement less forceful.
The results were remarkably consistent across all groups.
Результаты были удивительно последовательными во всех группах.
"Remarkably" emphasizes that the consistency is unusual or worthy of notice.
The two approaches are broadly similar.
Эти два подхода в целом схожи.
"Broadly" means generally or in most respects rather than completely.
Use degree adverbs with appropriate words and place them correctly in the sentence.
Common mistakes include confusing too with very, placing enough incorrectly, combining unsuitable intensifiers with non-gradable adjectives, confusing hard and hardly, and translating intensifiers directly from another language.
The soup is very hot.
Суп очень горячий.
"Very" indicates a high degree, while "too" would indicate that the heat is excessive.
The soup is too hot to eat.
Суп слишком горячий, чтобы его есть.
"Too" indicates an excessive degree that creates a problem.
She is old enough to drive.
Она достаточно взрослая, чтобы водить машину.
"Enough" follows the adjective "old" rather than appearing before it.
We have enough money for the trip.
У нас достаточно денег для поездки.
"Enough" comes before the noun "money".
The building is absolutely enormous.
Здание совершенно огромное.
"Absolutely" is natural with the extreme adjective "enormous"; "very enormous" is not the normal combination.
He works hard every day.
Он усердно работает каждый день.
"Hard" means with a lot of effort and is an adverb of manner, not the negative degree adverb "hardly".
He hardly works on weekends.
Он почти не работает по выходным.
"Hardly" means almost not at all and has a negative meaning.
I was really surprised by the result.
Я был очень удивлен результатом.
"Really" is placed before the adjective "surprised" rather than after it.