More than Just ‘Очень’: A Quick Guide to Russian Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of degree are an important part of Russian grammar, allowing speakers to express nuanced intensities and degrees of adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs.

In Russian, these modifying words come before the words they describe, helping add color and specificity. For example, adverbs of degree allow Russian speakers to describe things not just as “big” or “bad” but “extremely big” or “slightly bad.”

Understanding how to properly use these grammatical structures can help Russian learners achieve greater fluency and descriptive power.

Common Adverbs of Degree in Russian

Adverbs of degree in Russian express the intensity or extent of an action or quality. They provide information about the degree, level, or extent to which something happens. Here are some common adverbs of degree in Russian:

очень – very

Examples:

Это очень важно
This is very important.

Это очень интересная книга.
This is a very interesting book.

Ты мне очень нравишься.
I like you very much.

сильно – strongly, very (spoken)

This adverb is usually used in conjunction with other adverbs of degree.

Ты мне очень сильно нравишься.
I like you very much.

слишком – too, excessively

Это задание слишком сложное.
This task is too difficult.

Ты ведёшь себя слишком эгоистично.
You are behaving too selfishly.

чересчур – excessively

Ты чересчур эмоциональна.
You are excessively emotional.

Он чересчур самоуверен.
He is excessively self-confident.

весьма – quite, rather

Это весьма затруднительная ситуация.
This is quite a difficult situation.

крайне – extremely

Он крайне опасен.
He is extremely dangerous.

чрезвычайно – extraordinarily, extremely

Её поведение чрезвычайно странное.
Her behavior is extraordinarily strange.

Иван чрезвычайно талантлив для своего возраста.
Ivan is extraordinarily talented for his age.

немного – a little

Я немного устал.
I’m a little tired.

Она немного застенчива.
She’s a little shy.

слегка – slightly, a little

Чемодан слегка повреждён.
This suitcase is slightly damaged.

довольно – quite, rather

Ты довольно неплохо говоришь по-русски.
You speak Russian rather well.

Это довольно трудная задача.
This is quite a difficult task.

вполне – quite, fully

Ваш сын вполне самостоятелен.
Your son is quite independent.

Твой ответ вполне разумный.
Your answer is quite reasonable.

полностью – completely

Я полностью согласен с вами.
I completely agree with you.

совсем – completely, entirely

Я совсем не понимаю эту теорию.
I completely don’t understand this theory.

As you can see, Russian has many adverbs to convey subtle variations in intensity and degree. The more examples you see and practice using them in context, the better you will understand their distinct meanings and usage.

See Also: Adverbs of Frequency in Russian

Grammar Rules for Adverbs of Degree

In Russian, adverbs of degree directly precede the word they are modifying. Typically, this is an adjective, verb, or another adverb. Some key grammar rules include:

Adverbs of degree come before the adjective, verb, or adverb they are modifying.

For example:

Она очень красивая. (She is very beautiful).

The adverb очень comes directly before the adjective красивая.

Он слишком много ест. (He eats too much.)

The adverb слишком comes directly before the adverb много.

If using negation, the adverb не comes before the adverb of degree.

Она не очень красивая. (She is not very beautiful).

Like all adverbs in the Russian language, adverbs of degree do not change.

In summary, adverbs of degree serve an essential role in the Russian language in conveying subtle shades of meaning. By mastering the common adverbs of degree and how to correctly position them in a sentence, Russian speakers can achieve greater precision and nuance in their descriptions.

With practice, adverbs of degree can become a useful addition to any Russian speaker’s linguistic toolbox for adding intensity, specificity and color to their language. Though it takes time to fully grasp their grammatical rules, adverbs of degree are an important component of Russian grammar and discourse worth learning.

How’s that for a new conclusion? I aimed to summarize the main points about the importance and usage of adverbs of degree in Russian, without repeating the example from the introduction. Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand the conclusion further.