These are questions we frequently get from our learners and, the truth is, we get it, we understand that it can get a bit confusing. These two words have a lot in common: both are adverbs, have similar definitions, and we use them to emphasize, to intensify what we are saying.
So, if they have so much in common, can we always exchange them? Unfortunately, not really. In this article, you’ll learn the difference between really and very, get some tips on how to remember the rules, and some extra exercises that you can download to practice.
- Really And Very As Adverbs
- Really As An Exclamation
- Very As An Adjective
- In A Nutshell
- Practice The Difference Between Really and Very
- And Now That You Know Them, Why Not Get Rid Of Them?
- You should use «really»»very» is used to intensify adjectivesso in this case you should say»I really like swimming»
- @klimovichyana your welcome! I hope it wasn’t too difficult to understand >v<
Really And Very As Adverbs
Really: (adv.) is used to describe adjectives, verbs or other adverbs.
Very: (adv.) is used to describe adjectives and adverbs (but not verbs!)
TIP 1: If you’re talking about an action, avoid very!
TIP 2: After “I”, “we”, “they” and any other subject, we cannot use very, we needreally. (I really like it; They really want to finish early; Tony really enjoys his job.)
Really As An Exclamation
You can also use really to express interest, surprise, or doubt:
It can also mean ‘actually’, ‘truly’ or ‘indeed.’
Very As An Adjective
When very is combined with nouns, it means ‘actual,’ ‘precise’ or ‘exact.’
In A Nutshell
Basically, you have to remember four things:
Practice The Difference Between Really and Very
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And Now That You Know Them, Why Not Get Rid Of Them?
Well, we thought that now that you know the difference between really and very, we’d advise you not to use them.
This is not fully true, though. Our recommendation is that you use them in moderation. English is such a rich language, and it has hundreds of words that you can use to replace these adverbs. Use thrilling instead of very exciting or gifted, instead of very talented.
Take your professional English communication skills to the next level with Talaera.
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Вопрос про Английский (британский вариант)
When you «disagree» with an answer
«The film was really good» = «The film was very good» (They are the same here)
«I really like chocolate» is good. But you cannot say «I very like chocolate»
Very: (adv.) is used to describe adjectives and adverbs (but not verbs!)
TIP 2: After “I”, “we”, “they” and any other subject, we cannot use very, we need really. (I really like it; They really want to finish early; Tony really enjoys his job.
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Вопрос про Английский (американский вариант)
Very is used to intensify an adjective, while really is a way to give credibility to something
«The food tastes very nice»»The food tastes really nice» (tastes nice, for real)
Most of the time both can be used interchangeably, but bear in mind that «really» means the same as «for real»
«You’re very good at English»»You’re really good at English» «You’re good at English, for real»
You should use «really»»very» is used to intensify adjectivesso in this case you should say»I really like swimming»
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It’s not very different. You can say: “He was very happy” and “he was really happy”
But in another case, like asking if something is true, A person can say “Really? Is that true?”You don’t really say “very? Is that true?” Haha.
But both “very”and “really” can be used to describe different intensities of an emotion. Like: “He was very sad”/“he was really sad”
@klimovichyana your welcome! I hope it wasn’t too difficult to understand >v<
Hello English learners!
This post is going to be all about the difference between really vs. very.
At first glance, these two words seem like that they are the same thing and can be used interchangeably (meaning you could use either for every sentence).
Let’s take a closer look to see exactly what I mean.
The word really can be used as an adverb or an interjection.
Remember that an adverb describes or modifies a verb or an adjective or even another adverb and usually ends in –ly.
The word slowly is the adverb in this sentence because it describes the verb (how he drives).
The definition of really is actually, truly or indeed.
Here are some sentences where you can see the word really in action.
Now, I want to turn our attention to the word very.
Very can be used as both an adverb or as an adjective.
The word very means in a large manner or extremely.
Here are some examples of sentences with the word very.
When you use very as an adjective it means with precision.
When using very as an adverb we are able to use the word really and the sentence does not change in meaning.
Here are some examples of sentences with the word very changed with the word really.
In these sentences you can use either very or really because it is used before an adjective!
When does it NOT work?
We cannot say:
Very can only be used with adjectives and adverbs.
Really can be used right before adjectives, adverbs and VERBS.
The word like is a verb and very will not work here.
Another situation where one word will work and another one won’t is the use before much.
The word really won’t work here.
In fact, you can NEVER use really before much.
When using an interjection (to indicate surprise) you can ONLY use really.
A: I just won a million dollars!
Person B (and most people) would be surprised.
That is it for the difference between really and very.
Be sure to leave a comment below with your own sentences!
Check out our blog for new and interesting topics at www.myegnlishteacher.eu/blog !
I was just correcting an Italki student’s short article; Chinese speakers often use ‘very’ when we require ‘really’, and it was very/really difficult to explain why. It seems ‘really’ can also modify/intensify a verb, but ‘very’ cannot. The Chinese use zhen 真。 The student example was ‘very enjoyed’ — I cannot think of a case where very can modify a verb.
Here’s how I tried to explain:
‘very’ and ‘really’ are intensifiers corresponding to zhen 真。They are used in combination with adjectives or adverbs. Really can be used exactly like 真 in the sentences Really? Really! 真的吗？ 真的！Zhende ma? Zhende! but ‘very’ needs to have an associated adjective or adverb. Was it very hot that day? Very! (hot is understood). It seems ‘really’ can also be used to intensify a verb ‘really enjoyed’ but ‘very’ cannot.
Did I do enough, and was it near enough?
asked Jan 13, 2015 at 12:39
You’ve identified the grammatical difference (that really can modify a verb as well as an adjective or adverb): to modify a verb, the equivalent to very is very much.
There is a rather subtle semantic difference as well, at least in the case of adjectives/adverbs.
It seems to me that with an adjective, really implies that the degree is somehow unexpected or beyond the norm. So very big is neutral (it’s big, but it might or might not be within the expected range of sizes), whereas really big suggests that it’s bigger than such things usually are. (This is only an implication, not a definite meaning).
However, I don’t find this implication when really is used with a verb. I really enjoyed it is hardly different from I very much enjoyed it — a little less formal, but no difference in meaning.
answered Jan 13, 2015 at 14:23
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I believe «really» is appropriate with most verbs, adjectives, adverbs. I really like you. It’s a really hot day. He runs really fast.
«Very» is appropriate (and means pretty much the same thing as «really») with adjectives and adverbs, but doesn’t work with verbs. It’s a very hot day (OK). He runs very fast (OK). I very like you (NOT OK).
answered Feb 24, 2016 at 5:28
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I’m not an expert in English, however I do speak a little Mandarin.
This is a reverse example in order to explain to that student, the question of «Was it very hot that day?»
The replies that may have better put across your explanation could have been ‘很,’ ‘太’ or even ‘非常’ 热. This could also mean having to rephrase your question as ‘真的吗？’ has an incredulous connotation, hence the reply ‘真的!’ denoted an affirmative.
I hoped I had been able to explain clearly. Please pardon me if it is confusing.
p.s.Would it be too much to hijack this thread and ask for my written English to be corrected?
answered Jan 14, 2015 at 0:06
There is a semantic difference between «very» and «really».
«very» only used before adjectives and adverbs expresses a high degree. It is an adverb of degree.
«really» expresses the idea «truth». It can modify adjectives, adverbs, verbs, a whole sentence. Before an adjective and an adverb «really» has almost the same meaning as «very».
answered Jan 14, 2015 at 5:10
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