muy
Lemma Details
Translation: very; quite; extremely; highly
Part of Speech: adverb
Etymology: Derived from Latin 'multum' meaning 'much' or 'greatly'. It underwent phonetic reduction over time from 'muito' to 'muy' in Spanish. This evolution parallels how Latin 'multus' gave us English words like 'multiple', 'multitude', and 'multiply', all conveying the idea of abundance or intensity.
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 30%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'muy' as the concentrated essence of 'mucho' (much) - it's so concentrated it lost some letters!
- Sounds like 'moo-ee' - imagine a cow saying 'moo' very enthusiastically to emphasize how 'very' happy it is.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
One of the most frequently used intensifiers in Spanish. Unlike English 'very', 'muy' cannot be used alone in response to a question - you would use 'mucho' instead.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Muy' is an adverb meaning 'very' that modifies adjectives and other adverbs, while 'mucho' means 'much/a lot' and can function as an adjective, adverb, or pronoun.
Confused word:
Ella tiene mucho dinero.
She has a lot of money.
Notes: You cannot say 'muy' by itself in response to a question, but you can use 'mucho'. For example, '¿Te gusta?' (Do you like it?) - 'Mucho' (A lot), not 'Muy'.
Mnemonic: 'Muy' is shorter and modifies qualities (adjectives), while 'mucho' is longer and often refers to quantities.
Explanation: Both 'muy' and 'tan' intensify adjectives, but 'tan' means 'so' or 'as' and is often used in comparisons or with 'que' to express consequence.
This word:
Es muy alto.
He is very tall.
Confused word:
Es tan alto como su padre.
He is as tall as his father.
Notes: 'Tan' is often followed by 'como' in comparisons or 'que' in expressions of consequence.
Mnemonic: Think of 'tan' as creating a 'tan-dem' or connection between things being compared.