Grammar › Adverbs › Degree
Degree adverbs
Not "how often" but "how much". These adverbs dial an adjective or verb up or down — from "very" through "a bit" to "not at all".
The short version
Degree adverbs sit before the word they intensify. とても and すごく mean "very"; ちょっと "a little". At the low end, あまり ("not very") and ぜんぜん ("not at all") — like on the frequency ladder — demand a negative.
| Adverb | How much | Register / verb |
|---|---|---|
| とても | very | neutral · polite |
| すごく | really | casual-friendly |
| ちょっと | a little | positive |
| あまり〜ない | not very | needs negative |
| ぜんぜん〜ない | not at all | needs negative |
とても・すごく — "very / really"
The everyday intensifiers. とても is neutral and safe in polite speech; すごく (from the adjective 凄い) sounds a touch more conversational.
私もすごく面白かったです。
I found it really interesting too. (すごく + 面白かった)
めっちゃ — the casual dial to eleven
In relaxed talk you'll hear めっちゃ ("super", originally Kansai) and 超 ("mega") outrank even すごく.
あまり・ぜんぜん — turning it down
To say "not much" or "not at all", pair these with a negative. あんまり is just a spoken variant of あまり.
まだあんまり使えてないです。
I still can't really use it much. (あんまり = あまり + negative)
全然覚えてない。
I don't remember at all. (ぜんぜん + negative)
Watch out
🗣 すごい vs すごく. As a degree adverb the correct form is すごく (すごい → adverb すごく, like any い-adjective). In casual speech people do say すごい美味しい, but the textbook-correct, safe-everywhere form is すごく美味しい.
あまり does double duty. あまり means "(not) very much" both as a degree ("not very tasty", あまり美味しくない) and as a frequency ("not very often", あまり行かない). Either way it stays glued to a negative verb — see also frequency adverbs.
Next: どうして・なぜ・なんで — why → · Frequency adverbs → · All grammar
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