Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 44

CEFR B1-B2

3 min read

Test yourself (19 questions)

Spanish Intensifiers: muy, -ísimo, super, un poco, más bien

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

(very) sits in the middle of a ladder. Spanish has words to turn a quality up past it, and words to turn it down:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  • carísimo. - It's incredibly expensive.
  • . - It's a bit expensive.

The degree ladder at a glance

turns it downturns it upWhat do the colours mean?

From softest to strongest:

How expensive?
SoftestStrongest
  1. un poco caroa bit
  2. más bien carorather
  3. bastante carofairly
  4. muy carovery
  5. carísimoincredibly
RungSpanishEnglish
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

turns it upspelling changeWhat do the colours mean?

-ísimo is very turned up to the top, and it fits in speech and in writing. Drop the final vowel and add the ending:

caro (expensive) becomes carísimo (incredibly expensive)
Adjective-ísimo formWhat happens
carísimodrop the vowel
grandísimodrop the vowel
facilísimoadd; accent moves
riquísimoc becomes qu
larguísimog becomes gu
felicísimoz becomes c

It agrees like any adjective:

  • carísimo - an incredibly expensive flat
  • carísima - an incredibly expensive house
The same smiling golden dog drawn three times side by side on the grass: a tiny one, a normal-sized one and a huge one that fills half the picture.
  3. 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

turns it upWhat do the colours mean?

These are for speech and messages, not for an essay. The scale shows how far each one is from the exam hall:

How formal is your very?
EssayChat with friends
  1. sumamenteextremely
  2. muyvery
  3. supercarodead expensive
  4. requetebiénreally, really well
BoosterSpanishEnglish
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.

Turning it down: un poco, más bien, medio

turns it downWhat do the colours mean?

English speakers underuse these and sound blunter than they mean to:

DowntonerSpanishEnglish
.I'm a bit tired.
.The soup's slightly cold.
.He's rather shy.
.She's half asleep.
.He/she hardly speaks.
no .Not very far.

goes mostly with qualities you do not like. on its own ( ) turns the adjective negative:

a bitnot veryWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - He's a bit serious.
  • . - He's not very serious (unreliable).

before an adjective means half and does not change in standard Spanish: , not " ".

A word on bastante

turns it downWhat do the colours mean?

is fairly, not very. is a moderate compliment:

  • . - It's pretty good.
  • buenísimo. - It's brilliant.

It also means enough, and then it agrees with a plural noun:

  • . - I haven't got enough time.
  • . - There are enough chairs.

So... that: tan and tanto

never changesagrees with the nounWhat do the colours mean?

and + turn degree into a result. goes before an adjective or an adverb and never changes; goes before a noun and agrees with it:

BeforeSpanishEnglish
an adjective .It's so dear I won't buy it.
an adverb .He talks so fast I can't follow.
a noun .So many people we didn't get in.
a noun .I' so many books they won't fit.
after a verb .He works so much we never see him.

After a verb, does not change. Before , , and it is too: (all the better). Without , both work as exclamations:

  • ¡ ! - He's so good-looking!

Mistakes English speakers make

the right wordWhat do the colours mean?
WrongRightWhy
carísimocarísimo-ísimo already means very
before an adjective:
before a noun: , agreeing
before an adjective:
does not agree here

What to do next

  1. Swap one a day for carísimo, or .
  2. Do the word-build and the sort below.
  3. Then Spanish exclamations: ¡ !, ¡ !

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/3

Build the -ísimo form.

  1. caro (incredibly expensive)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. rico (really tasty)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. fácil (dead easy)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/6

Does each word turn the adjective up or down?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the word that fits each gap.

A night out

El restaurante era caro que pedimos solo un plato. Pero la comida estaba riquísima, y había gente que tuvimos que esperar. Al final volví a casa dormido.

Gap 1 of 3

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the word that matches the English.

  1. Es probable. (unlikely)

  2. Estoy cansado. (a bit tired)

  3. El hotel es bueno, nada especial. (fairly good)

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Frequently asked questions

What does -ísimo mean in Spanish?
Very, turned up to the top: (expensive) becomes carísimo (incredibly expensive). Drop the final vowel and add -ísimo, which agrees like any adjective: carísimo, carísima, carísimos, carísimas. Watch the spelling: becomes riquísimo, larguísimo, felicísimo. Never put in front: carísimo says very twice.
Is super correct in written Spanish?
As a prefix it is written joined to the adjective (supercaro, superbueno), and it is informal: fine in a message, out of place in an essay. On its own it is , with an accent: (we had a great time). In formal writing use , an -ísimo form or .
Does or very?
Fairly, not very. is it is pretty good, a moderate compliment. For real praise say or buenísimo. also means enough: (I have not got enough time).
What is the difference between and ?
softens: (it is a bit expensive). on its own turns the adjective negative: (it is unlikely), (he/she is not very nice). One little word changes a bit into not very.
When do I use and when ?
goes before an adjective or an adverb and never changes: (it is so expensive that I am not buying it). goes before a noun and agrees with it: (so many people), (so many cars). After a verb it is , unchanged: (he/she works so much).