mjög

Very (Mjög)

Level 1

mjög means very and goes before an adjective or adverb: mjög gott (very good), mjög vel (very well).

How It Works

Where mjög goes. Put mjög right before the adjective or adverb it makes stronger:

  • Það er mjög kalt úti. (It is very cold outside.)
  • Hún syngur mjög vel. (She sings very well.)
  • Það er ekki mjög langt. (It isn't very far.)

With verbs and nouns. mjög cannot go straight before a noun, and with most verbs people add a word after it:

  • a lot: Ég sakna þín mjög mikið (I miss you very much)
  • very many: Það eru mjög margir ferðamenn hér (There are very many tourists here)
  • would very much like: Ég vil mjög gjarnan koma (I would very much like to come)

A few verbs take mjög on its own, right after the verb: Ég hlakka mjög til (I am really looking forward to it).

Everyday alternatives. In speech, Icelanders often use rosalega, ótrúlega or ofsalega in the same place: Þetta er rosalega gott! (This is really good!). They sound more casual than mjög, which fits both speech and writing.

Too, not very. mjög means "very", not "too". For "too big" Icelandic uses of: of stórt. See of + adjective.

Examples (6)

  1. Maturinn er mjög góður.

    The food is very good.

    Word by Word: Food-the is very good.

  2. Það er mjög kalt úti.

    It is very cold outside.

    Word by Word: It is very cold outside.

  3. Hún syngur mjög vel.

    She sings very well.

    Word by Word: She sings very well.

  4. Þú talar mjög góða íslensku.

    You speak very good Icelandic.

    Word by Word: You speak very good Icelandic.

    góða íslensku is an object, so both words are in the accusative.

  5. Það er ekki mjög langt.

    It isn't very far.

    Word by Word: It is not very far.

  6. Þetta er rosalega gott!

    This is really good!

    Word by Word: This is terribly good!

    rosalega is a common, more casual word for "very".

Common Mistakes

  • Putting mjög straight before a verb.

    Ég mjög vil koma.
    Ég vil mjög gjarnan koma.

    In a statement the verb comes second, so mjög cannot stand between ég and vil. To say you would very much like to do something, use mjög gjarnan after the verb.

  • Putting mjög straight before a noun.

    Það eru mjög ferðamenn hér.
    Það eru mjög margir ferðamenn hér.

    mjög needs an adjective or adverb after it. For "very many", say mjög margir; for "very much", say mjög mikið.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

mjögLevel 1Very (Mjög)

Learn This First

mjög builds on adjectives.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

mjögrosalegaótrúlegamikiðmargir