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muy

/mwee/

AdverbA1

very?general intensifier

Also:really?informal intensifier,so?as in 'so tall'

📝 In Action

El café está muy caliente.

The coffee is very hot.

Ella corre muy rápido.

She runs very fast.

Estoy muy bien, gracias.

I'm very well, thank you.

Es una película muy interesante.

It's a very interesting movie.

Related Words

Synonyms

bastante (quite, rather)
sumamente (extremely)

Antonyms

poco (not very, a little)

Common Collocations

muy bien – very well
muy mal – very bad
muy grande – very big
muy lejos – very far

💡 Grammar Points

What does 'muy' do?

'Muy' is a 'booster' word. You put it before describing words (like 'grande' or 'rápido') to make them stronger. It works just like 'very' in English.

'Muy' vs. 'Mucho'

Use 'muy' before describing words (adjectives/adverbs). Use 'mucho' with action words (verbs) or things (nouns). Think: 'muy' for descriptions, 'mucho' for quantities or actions.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using 'muy' with things (nouns)

Mistake: "Tengo muy amigos."

Correction: Use 'muchos amigos' instead. 'Muy' describes qualities, while 'mucho/muchos' counts things.

Using 'mucho' with descriptions

Mistake: "Estoy mucho cansado."

Correction: Use 'muy cansado' instead. To describe *how* tired you are, you need the booster word 'muy'.

⭐ Usage Tips

A Word That Never Changes

'Muy' is super simple because it never changes. It's always 'muy', whether you're talking about one thing or many, or something masculine or feminine.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: muy

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly says 'The house is very big'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

mucho(a lot, much) - adverb/adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'muy' ever change its ending, like to 'muya' or 'muyos'?

Nope! 'Muy' is always just 'muy'. It never changes for gender or number, which makes it one of the easiest words to use correctly in Spanish.

Can I say 'muy mucho'?

Generally, no. Saying 'muy mucho' is incorrect in standard Spanish. If you want to say 'very much', you should use 'muchísimo'. For example, 'Te quiero muchísimo' (I love you very much).

What's the difference between 'muy' and 'tan'?

'Muy' simply means 'very' (e.g., 'es muy alto' - he is very tall). 'Tan' means 'so' or 'as' and is used for comparisons (e.g., 'es tan alto como su padre' - he is as tall as his father) or to show a result (e.g., 'estaba tan cansado que se durmió' - he was so tired that he fell asleep).