muy de
Lemma Details
Translation: very much; quite; extremely
Part of Speech: adverbial phrase
Etymology: This phrase combines 'muy' (very), which comes from Latin 'multum' (much), and the preposition 'de' (of, from), derived from Latin 'de'. The combination creates an intensifier that emphasizes qualities or characteristics.
Commonality: 70%
Guessability: 50%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Llegó muy de mañana para terminar el trabajo.
He arrived very early in the morning to finish the work.
Le gusta vestir muy de negro.
He likes to dress in a lot of black.
Observó la situación muy de cerca.
He observed the situation very closely.
Es muy de su estilo hacer eso.
That's very much his style to do that.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'muy' as 'very' and 'de' as 'of' - together they create an intensifier meaning 'very much of' something.
- Remember that 'muy de' often precedes nouns to create adverbial expressions of time or manner.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Cultural Context
This adverbial construction is commonly used in Spanish to intensify expressions, especially with time references (muy de mañana) or spatial concepts (muy de cerca). It's a natural way to emphasize in everyday speech.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Muy de' is a more specific intensifier that often creates adverbial expressions when followed by nouns, while 'muy' alone is simply an adverb meaning 'very' that modifies adjectives or other adverbs.
Confused word:
La comida está muy rica.
The food is very delicious.
Notes: The construction 'muy de' is often followed by nouns to create adverbial expressions of time, manner, or degree.
Mnemonic: 'Muy de' adds a noun to create a specific type of expression, while 'muy' stands alone before adjectives.