Greek uses the same small set of words to measure actions, qualities, and whole amounts: πολύ “a lot/very,” λίγο “a little/slightly,” and αρκετά “enough/quite” are the core. These words are invariable when they are adverbs. The difficulty is not their position but recognizing when a look-alike is instead a quantifier that must agree with a noun.
Unless marked otherwise, the uses on this page are neutral and normal in both conversation and writing.
The central three: πολύ, λίγο, αρκετά
An adverb can measure a verb, grade an adjective, or grade another adverb. Its form does not change with the subject or with any nearby noun.
| Adverb | With a verb | With an adjective/adverb |
|---|---|---|
| πολύ | much, a lot | very |
| λίγο | a little, for a short while | a little, slightly |
| αρκετά | enough, quite a lot | quite, fairly, sufficiently |
Αυτή την εβδομάδα δουλεύω πολύ και κοιμάμαι λίγο.
aftí tin evdhomádha dhulévo polí ke kimáme lígho
This week I'm working a lot and sleeping little.
Το καινούριο στρώμα είναι αρκετά άνετο, αλλά λίγο σκληρό.
to kenúrio stróma íne arketá áneto, alá lígho skliró
The new mattress is quite comfortable, but a little firm.
Αρκετά has two readings that context must settle. Έφαγα αρκετά can mean “I ate enough” or “I ate quite a lot”; αρκετά καλό normally means “quite/fairly good.” English enough often follows an adjective, but Greek puts the adverb before it: αρκετά ζεστό “warm enough.”
Το νερό είναι αρκετά ζεστό για να κάνουμε μπάνιο.
to neró íne arketá zestó ya na kánume bánio
The water is warm enough for us to swim.
πολύ versus πολύς, πολλή, πολύ, πολλά
The adverb is always πολύ, with one λ: πολύ καλά, τρέχει πολύ, πολύ ωραία μέρα. The quantifier πολύς belongs to a noun and agrees: πολλή δουλειά, πολλοί φίλοι, πολλά βιβλία. Its neuter singular happens to be πολύ, identical to the adverb, so grammatical function—not appearance—decides.
Ακούσαμε πολύ καλή μουσική στο μαγαζί.
akúsame polí kalí musikí sto maghazí
We heard very good music at the venue.
Ακούσαμε πολλή καλή μουσική στο φεστιβάλ.
akúsame polí kalí musikí sto festivál
We heard a lot of good music at the festival.
The two πολύ / πολλή forms sound alike. In the first sentence, adverbial πολύ grades καλή; in the second, quantifier πολλή measures the feminine mass noun μουσική. See the irregular adjective πολύς and agreeing quantifiers for their full paradigms.
Do not automatically “correct” πολλά after a verb. Διαβάζει πολύ means “she reads a lot,” whereas διαβάζει πολλά can be fully grammatical: “she reads many things.” The second form is a neuter-plural pronoun with an understood noun, not the degree adverb.
Η Νίκη διαβάζει πολύ, αλλά δεν αγοράζει πολλά βιβλία.
i Níki dhiavázi polí, alá dhen aghorázi polá vivlía
Niki reads a lot, but she doesn't buy many books.
Higher, lower, and almost complete degree
Πάρα πολύ strengthens πολύ to “very much/extremely.” Πάρα does not normally grade an adjective by itself. Τόσο means “so/that much” and often points to a result or comparison. Σχεδόν stops just short of a boundary: “almost, nearly.”
Γύρισα πάρα πολύ κουρασμένη και κοιμήθηκα αμέσως.
yírisa pára polí kurazméni ke kimíthika amésos
I came back extremely tired and fell asleep immediately.
Δεν περίμενα να είναι τόσο δύσκολη η διαδρομή.
dhen perímena na íne tóso dhískoli i dhiadhromí
I didn't expect the route to be so difficult.
Είμαι σχεδόν έτοιμος· δώσε μου δύο λεπτά.
íme schedhón étimos; dhóse mu dhío leptá
I'm almost ready; give me two minutes.
μόνο and περίπου
Μόνο restricts the phrase beside it: “only/just.” Περίπου gives an approximation: “about/approximately.” Both are invariable, including before quantities and noun phrases.
Έχω μόνο πέντε ευρώ μέχρι αύριο.
écho móno pénde evró méchri ávrio
I have only five euros until tomorrow.
Θα αργήσω περίπου δέκα λεπτά λόγω κίνησης.
tha aryíso perípu dhéka leptá lógho kínisis
I'll be about ten minutes late because of traffic.
Placement matters with μόνο because its scope changes. Μόνο η Άννα τηλεφώνησε means nobody else called; Η Άννα μόνο τηλεφώνησε contrasts calling with doing something more. English only has the same ambiguity, but Greek normally places μόνο immediately before the intended focus when clarity matters.
καθόλου: zero in statements, “any at all” in questions
In a negative statement, καθόλου means “at all/not at all” and appears with δεν. It does not itself make the clause negative.
Δεν ξεκουράστηκα καθόλου το Σαββατοκύριακο.
dhen ksekurástika kathólu to Savatokíriako
I didn't rest at all over the weekend.
In a question, however, positive καθόλου is licensed and means “any at all.” It does not require δεν there.
Έχεις καθόλου μπαταρία στο κινητό σου;
échis kathólu bataría sto kinitó su;
Do you have any battery left on your phone at all?
Common Mistakes
❌ Η Ελένη είναι πολλή κουρασμένη σήμερα.
Incorrect—the degree adverb before an adjective is invariable πολύ, with one λ.
✅ Η Ελένη είναι πολύ κουρασμένη σήμερα.
i Eléni íne polí kurazméni símera
Eleni is very tired today.
❌ Έχω πολύ φίλους στην Πάτρα.
Incorrect—φίλους is a masculine plural noun, so its quantifier must be πολλούς.
✅ Έχω πολλούς φίλους στην Πάτρα.
écho polús fílus stin Pátra
I have many friends in Patras.
❌ Έχω καθόλου χρόνο σήμερα.
Incorrect as an affirmative statement—καθόλου needs negation here.
✅ Δεν έχω καθόλου χρόνο σήμερα.
dhen écho kathólu chróno símera
I don't have any time at all today.
Key Takeaways
- πολύ, λίγο, αρκετά stay unchanged when they measure a verb, adjective, or adverb.
- πολύ is an adverb; πολύς / πολλή / πολύ / πολλοί / πολλές / πολλά are agreeing quantifier forms.
- πάρα πολύ strengthens, τόσο points to a high/contextual degree, and σχεδόν stops short of completion.
- μόνο restricts a focus, περίπου approximates, and negative-statement καθόλου needs δεν—but question καθόλου means “any at all.”
Related Topics
- Intensifiers and DegreeB2 — Choose among Greek degree words from λίγο and αρκετά through πάρα πολύ, υπερβολικά, τελείως, and expressive colloquial intensifiers.
- The Irregular Adjective πολύςA2 — Greek's word for much/many — πολύς / πολλή / πολύ — the one adjective with a single-λ singular (πολύς, πολύ) and a double-λ everywhere else (πολλή, πολλοί, πολλά), plus the invariable adverb πολύ ('very').
- Quantifiers: πολύς, λίγος, αρκετόςA2 — Greek's graded quantifiers — πολύς (much/many), λίγος (little/few), αρκετός (enough and 'quite a lot'), plus informal κάμποσος — all of which agree with their noun, so that a single word covers both English 'much' and 'many': πολύ νερό but πολλά παιδιά, λίγη ζέστη but λίγες μέρες. Includes the question word πόσος and the zero-quantity καθόλου.