Ch 44 · Lesson 15Spanish · Chapter 44 · Lesson 15 · Grammar primer
Intensifiers: muy, -ísimo, super
The degree ladder, and the top half of it: carísimo (drop the vowel, add -ísimo), for an essay, super- and requete- for a chat.
The short version
-ísimo turns
carísimo.
Why?Hide
Drop the final vowel and add -ísimo: , carísimo. It agrees like any adjective (carísima, carísimos) and works in speech and writing. The spelling shifts to keep the sound: , riquísimo; , larguísimo. Never put in front: carísimo says very twice.
(very) sits in the middle of a ladder. Spanish has words to turn a quality up past it, and words to turn it down:
carísimo.- It's incredibly expensive..- It's a bit expensive.
The degree ladder at a glance
From softest to strongest:
- un poco caroa bit
- más bien carorather
- bastante carofairly
- muy carovery
- carísimoincredibly
| Rung | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| not very | . | It's unlikely. |
| a bit | . | It's a bit expensive. |
| rather | . | It's rather expensive. |
| fairly | . | It's fairly expensive. |
| very | . | It's very expensive. |
| really | . | It's really expensive. |
| extremely | . | It's extremely expensive. |
| to the top | carísimo. | It's incredibly expensive. |
Turning it up: muy, -ísimo, sumamente
-ísimo is very turned up to the top, and it fits in speech and in writing. Drop the final vowel and add the ending:
| Adjective | -ísimo form | What happens |
|---|---|---|
carísimo | drop the vowel | |
grandísimo | drop the vowel | |
facilísimo | add; accent moves | |
riquísimo | c becomes qu | |
larguísimo | g becomes gu | |
felicísimo | z becomes c |
It agrees like any adjective:
carísimo- an incredibly expensive flatcarísima- an incredibly expensive house
- grandísimo
Un perro pequeño: a small dog. Un perro normal: an ordinary dog. Un perro grandísimo: an enormous dog.
, enormemente and (extremely, enormously, really) go before the adjective and read well in an essay:
.- It's extremely important.
Colloquial boosters: super, requete-, un montón de
These are for speech and messages, not for an essay. The scale shows how far each one is from the exam hall:
- sumamenteextremely
- muyvery
- supercarodead expensive
- requetebiénreally, really well
| Booster | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| super- | supercaro. | It's dead expensive. |
| requete- | requetebién. | You did it really well. |
. | It's really expensive. | |
. | There were loads of people. |
Super is written joined to the adjective. On its own it is , with an accent:
.- We had a great time.
+ adjective is everyday speech across the Spanish-speaking world, and especially frequent in Mexico.
Going further: Turning it down: un poco, más bien, medio and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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