Vrlo and mnogo: two words for "very" and how not to mix them up
English leans on one "very"; Serbian splits the job between two words, and what decides is not the strength of the quality but WHAT you are intensifying. For example: “Врло добро, хвала” — Very well, thank you. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English leans on one "very"; Serbian splits the job between two words, and what decides is not the strength of the quality but WHAT you are intensifying.
Vrlo stands with an adjective or an adverb: vrlo dobro, vrlo skupo, vrlo brzo. The bookish synonym is veoma — the same thing, drier and more written.
Mnogo the course knows as "many, much", and after it comes the genitive: plural for countables — mnogo ljudi, singular for stuff — mnogo novca. But the same word works as "very" with a verb and in the set politeness formulas: mnogo volim, mnogo hvala, mnogo mi je drago. Say vrlo volim and a Serbian ear will stop you.
Table
| What you intensify | The word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| an adjective | vrlo / veoma | vrlo dobar |
| an adverb | vrlo | vrlo brzo |
| a verb | mnogo | mnogo volim |
| a quantity | mnogo + genitive | mnogo ljudi |
| a politeness formula | mnogo | mnogo hvala |
By example
- Врло добро, хвалаVrlo dobro, hvalaVery well, thank you
- Много хвала на помоћиMnogo hvala na pomoćiThank you so much for the help
- У граду има много људиU gradu ima mnogo ljudiThere are many people in the city
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Vrlo vs mnogo?
English leans on one "very"; Serbian splits the job between two words, and what decides is not the strength of the quality but WHAT you are intensifying.
How to say very in Serbian?
Vrlo stands with an adjective or an adverb: vrlo dobro, vrlo skupo, vrlo brzo. The bookish synonym is veoma — the same thing, drier and more written.
Why mnogo hvala and not vrlo hvala?
Mnogo the course knows as "many, much", and after it comes the genitive: plural for countables — mnogo ljudi, singular for stuff — mnogo novca. But the same word works as "very" with a verb and in the set politeness formulas: mnogo volim, mnogo hvala, mnogo mi je drago. Say vrlo volim and a Serbian…
How to say very good and love a lot in Serbian?
Mnogo the course knows as "many, much", and after it comes the genitive: plural for countables — mnogo ljudi, singular for stuff — mnogo novca. But the same word works as "very" with a verb and in the set politeness formulas: mnogo volim, mnogo hvala, mnogo mi je drago. Say vrlo volim and a Serbian…
What does it look like in an example sentence Serbian?
“Врло добро, хвала” (Vrlo dobro, hvala) — Very well, thank you. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.