# hirveesti



## Extra Virgin Olive Oil

What does the word "hirveesti" mean in "Mun äitini isä puhui ihan hirveesti kieliä"? I believe the word means something like "very good" but I couldn't find the word in the dictionary.


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## MaijaPoppanen

"Mun äitini isä puhui ihan hirveesti kieliä" in this case *hirveesti/hirveästi *means "quite a few". (So he spoke many languages.)

*Hirveä *(in spoken language)= *valtava* (huge), *suunnaton* (enormous)... or *ruma* (ugly), *vastenmielinen *(disgusting)...


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## sakvaka

Just to state it more clearly: as a word form, _hirveesti_ is anything but standard. _Hirveästi_ is to be preferred in writing, but since it also means 'terribly', there are way better word choices. Eg. puhui hyvin monta(a) kieltä, puhui useita eri kieliä.


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## Sofilius Tomera

And now when you know the word "hirveä -> hirveesti" I must tell you a funny wordplay in Finnish:

Myytävänä nahkatakki, 500 euroa. Hirveä.

Hehehe!  If you didn't get it, I'll explain. _Hirveä_ on partitiivi sanasta "hirvi", eli jos nahkatakki on hirveä, niin it's made of elk. But it means also that it's terrible, hirveä. 

Hah, suomi on mahtava kieli!


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## herut

Hah, naurahdin Sofiliuksen vitsille.

I just wanted to add that it's a remarkably versatile adjective, and there's still some juice in it left--i.e., you can still use it, without a(n overly) hyperbolic effect.


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