cik vien

As Much as Possible: Cik Vien

Level 6

Cik vien means as much as possible. Add an adverb for as fast, as well and so on: Nāc, cik vien ātri vari. (Come as quickly as you can.)

How It Works

1. As ... as possible. Cik vien goes with a word of possibility:

  • Nāc, cik vien ātri vari. (Come as quickly as you can.)
  • Es tev palīdzēšu, cik vien varēšu. (I will help you as much as I can.)
  • Mēs to salabosim, cik vien ātri iespējams. (We will fix it as quickly as possible.)

2. Word order. An adverb can come after cik vien or between the two words: cik vien ātri and cik ātri vien both mean as quickly.

3. However much. With other verbs, cik vien means as much or as many as you like: Ņem, cik vien gribi. (Take as much as you want.)

4. Why vien? Vien strengthens the question word, just as in kur vien (wherever) and kad vien (whenever). Plain cik asks how much (cik).

5. The comma. The cik vien clause is set off with a comma.

Examples (5)

  1. Nāc, cik vien ātri vari.

    Come as quickly as you can.

    Word by Word: Come, how-much only fast you-can.

  2. Es tev palīdzēšu, cik vien varēšu.

    I will help you as much as I can.

    The future varēšu matches the future palīdzēšu.

  3. Mēs to salabosim, cik vien ātri iespējams.

    We will fix it as quickly as possible.

  4. Ņem, cik vien gribi.

    Take as much as you want.

  5. Viņš skrēja, cik vien spēja.

    He ran as fast as he could.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma.

    Nāc cik vien ātri vari.
    Nāc, cik vien ātri vari.

    Cik vien starts a new clause, so a comma separates it from the main clause.

  • Using tik instead of cik.

    Nāc, tik vien ātri vari.
    Nāc, cik vien ātri vari.

    Tik vien means only that much. The question word cik is what starts the as-much-as-possible clause.

How It Connects

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

cik vienLevel 6As Much as Possible: Cik Vien

Learn This First

Cik vien means as much as possible.

Words in This Pattern

cik