Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Adverbs of degree

To describe the intensity of a trait or the amount of an action, use the adverbs muito (very / a lot) and pouco (little).

When modifying an adjective or a verb, these adverbs are invariable. They never change their endings to match the subject's gender or number.

Modifying adjectives

To intensify a quality, place the adverb directly before the adjective. Notice how the adjectives in the examples below change to match the subject, but muito stays exactly the same.

That doctor is very hardworking.
Aquela médica é muito trabalhadora.
We are very calm, but they are very nervous.
Nós estamos muito calmos, mas eles estão muito nervosos.

Modifying verbs

To describe how much an action happens, place muito or pouco directly after the verb.

It rains a lot here in January.
Chove muito aqui em janeiro.
It rains little in my country.
No meu país chove pouco.

Combining traits and actions

You can easily combine these adverbs to describe traits and habits in the same sentence.

My brother is very lazy and works little.
O meu irmão é muito preguiçoso e trabalha pouco.
That cat is very lazy and sleeps a lot.
Aquele gato é muito preguiçoso e dorme muito.

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