Jens Olesen
Apr 27, 20212 min
Updated: Jan 21
Little words are often tricky to use in German, and it’s easy to see why students struggle to distinguish between “sehr” and “viel” since both have a similar meaning. This post will explain the difference and help you use them correctly moving forward.
The adverb "sehr," translating to "very," serves dual purposes—it describes an adjective and conveys the intensity of an action.
Die Verkäuferin war sehr nett. (The sales assistant was very nice)
Ich freue mich sehr auf meinen Urlaub. (I very much look forward to my holiday)
Das Essen hat mir sehr gut geschmeckt. (The food was very tasty to me)
On the other hand, "viel" translates as "a lot" or "much" when functioning as an adverb, and as "many" when employed as an adjective. Delve into the intricacies of "viel" and "viele" in my dedicated article, and explore why saying "vielen Dank" is correct, but not "viel Spaß" or "viel Erfolg."
Er arbeitet viel. (He works a lot)
Es macht viel Sport. (He exercises a lot)
Viele Leute denken, dass Deutsch eine schwierige Sprache ist. (Many people think that German is a difficult language)
Sehr and Viel Combined
To add a layer of complexity, we can amplify the intensity of "viel" by combining it with "sehr."
Er arbeitet sehr viel. (He works too much)
Er macht sehr viel Sport. (Same translation as above, with emphasis on a lot of sport)
The silver lining is that "sehr" merely intensifies the meaning of "viel," ensuring a consistent application. Dive deeper into the realm of adjectives in German, including their declensions, comparatives, and superlatives. Explore other perplexing pairs of adjectives and adverbs, such as "am meisten" vs. "meistens," and unravel the word order of adverbs in German sentences on our German language blog.