What Are Adverbs of Degree?
Adverbs of degree (los adverbios de grado) tell us how much, to what extent, or how intensely something happens. Common adverbs of degree in Spanish include:
muy → very
mucho → a lot
tan → so
tanto → so much
demasiado → too
bastante → quite / rather
más → more
menos → less
casi → almost
poco → little
apenas → hardly / barely
Usage
Adverbs of degree can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. When modifying an adjective or adverb, degree adverbs appear before them, but when modifying a verb, these adverbs come after it. For example:
bastante difícil
quite difficult
modify an adjective
muy bien
very well
modify an adverb
Duerme poco.
He sleeps little.
modify a verb
Muy vs. Mucho
"Muy" and "mucho" are both intensifiers that mean "to a high degree," but they differ in their usage. While "muy" is used to modify adjectives and adverbs and intensify their quality, "mucho" is used with verbs to show the intensity of the action. Compare the examples:
Es muy alto.
He's very tall.
modifying an adjective
Habla muy rápido.
She/He speaks very fast.
modifying an adverb
Come mucho.
She/He eats a lot.
modifying a verb
Tan vs. Tanto
The difference between "muy" and "mucho" also applies to "tan" and "tanto," where "tan" intensifies adjectives and adverbs while "tanto" is used with verbs. Check out the examples:
Es tan guapa.
She's so beautiful.
modifying an adjective
Habla tan rápido.
He/She speaks so fast.
modifying an adverb
Te quiero tanto.
I love you so much.
modifying a verb
Trabaja tanto.
She/He works so much.
Adverbs of Absolute Degree
A group of adverbs of degree are used to show an absolute degree of a quality. These are typically used with adjectives that express an ungradable quality, something that cannot be present to a higher or lower degree. For example, something can be "muy difícil" but it can't be "muy imposible" because impossibility is a definite or absolute quality. A number of adverbs are used with these adjectives to emphasize their quality. For example:
realmente → really
verdaderamente → truly
totalmente → totally
completamente → completely
absolutamente → absolutely
increíblemente → incredibly
Here are some example sentences:
No sé si eso es realmente necesario.
I don't know if that's really necessary.
"Necesario" is an ungradable adjective, something is either necessary or not.
Es verdaderamente increíble lo que hizo.
What she/he did is truly incredible.
Eso es absolutamente cierto.
That's absolutely true.
Quiz:
Empareja cada oración con lo que modifica el adverbio de grado.
Elige la oración correcta.
Ana está mucho cansada hoy.
Ana está muy cansada hoy.
Ana está cansada mucho hoy.
Ana está cansada muy hoy.
Completa cada oración con el adverbio de grado correcto.
Mi hermano estudia
para el examen.
El niño corre
rápido.
Llegamos
a tiempo; faltaba un minuto.
Eso fue
increíble
Elige la oración que usa un adverbio de grado absoluto.
La respuesta es muy cierta.
La respuesta es absolutamente cierta.
La respuesta es mucho cierta.
La respuesta es tan cierta como imposible.
Ordena las palabras para formar una oración natural.
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