# Finnish:hyvin v kovin v erittäin



## Setwale_Charm

Hei!!
I am completely confused with the interchangeable use of these words. 
How would Finns normally say "very + Adj.", "very + Adv."?


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## Grumpy Old Man

I suppose it's just as difficult for a Finn to explain Finnish grammatically as it seems to be for native speakers of English to give grammatical explanations of English structures. We don't think about grammar that much when we speak Finnish  -  and I'm not a Finnish grammar expert.

Anyway, these are very common:
_On hyvin lämmin, on erittäin lämmin. Kovin lämmin_ isn't very common, but correct.
_Hän laulaa oikein/erittäin hyvin._

_Kovin_ sounds a little poetic or unusual to my ear but a speaker from another part of Finland might think differently, of course.


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## Setwale_Charm

Is "oikein" or "erittain" in any way more informal?


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## Hakro

I'd say that "oikein" is more informal that "erittäin".

I'd say that "kovin" often has a negative connection and "hyvin" has a positive one. For example: 
On ollut kovin kylmää (It has been very cold)
On ollut hyvin lämmintä (It has been very warm)
(In both cases you could use "oikein".)

How do we say normally? It depends on the speaker, the listener, the dialect etc. There is no rule, but you'll be understood whatever word you use.


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