Core Grammar / Function Words

Слова́ сте́пени

Three ordered sets: how often, how much, and how sure. Each one is drawn as a scale so you can see where a word sits, and every word on the scale is playable.

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The three scales

Each word sits where it belongs on the scale. Labels alternate above and below the axis so they do not collide, and every word is playable.

How often Frequency, from never to always. A frequency adverb almost always signals the IMPERFECTIVE aspect.
  1. никогда́never
  2. иногда́sometimes
  3. неча́стоnot often
  4. обы́чноusually
  5. всегда́always
  1. ре́дкоrarely
  2. вре́мя от вре́мениfrom time to time
  3. ча́стоoften
  4. почти́ всегда́almost always
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How much Degree, from not at all to completely. Most of these modify an adjective or an adverb.
  1. совсе́м неnot at all
  2. немно́гоa little
  3. весьма́quite
  4. кра́йнеextremely
  1. чуть-чутьa tiny bit
  2. дово́льноfairly
  3. о́ченьvery
  4. совсе́мcompletely
nonetotal
How sure Certainty, from impossible to certain. These sit at the start of a clause and colour the whole of it.
  1. невозмо́жноimpossible
  2. мо́жет бытьmaybe
  3. наве́рноеprobably
  4. наверняка́almost certainly
  5. безусло́вноabsolutely
  1. вряд лиhardly likely
  2. возмо́жноpossibly
  3. скоре́е всего́most likely
  4. то́чноdefinitely
noyes

Frequency, with an example each

никогда́ never

Requires не on the verb. This is the double negative and it is compulsory.

Я никогда́ не курю́. I never smoke.
ре́дко rarely, seldom

No не needed; it is an ordinary adverb.

Мы ре́дко хо́дим в кино́. We rarely go to the cinema.
иногда́ sometimes

Freely placed, most often at the start of the clause.

Иногда́ он приходи́т ра́но. Sometimes he comes early.
ча́сто often

The plain high-frequency adverb.

Она́ ча́сто зво́нит роди́телям. She often calls her parents.
обы́чно usually

States what is normal, so it pairs naturally with the imperfective.

Обы́чно я встаю́ в семь. I usually get up at seven.
всегда́ always

The top of the scale. With не it means “not always”, not “never”.

Он всегда́ опа́здывает. He is always late.

Degree

чуть-чуть a tiny bit

A hyphenated reduplication, and each half carries its own stress.

Подви́нься чуть-чуть. Move over a tiny bit.
немно́го a little, a bit

With a noun it takes the genitive: немно́го вре́мени.

Я немно́го уста́л. I am a little tired.
дово́льно fairly, rather

Also means “enough” as a standalone exclamation.

Здесь дово́льно хо́лодно. It is fairly cold here.
о́чень very

The workhorse. It modifies adjectives and adverbs, and with verbs it means “very much”.

Э́то о́чень интере́сно. That is very interesting.
сли́шком too, excessively

Always negative in judgement: too much of something.

Э́то сли́шком до́рого. That is too expensive.
совсе́м completely, entirely

With не it flips to “not at all”: совсе́м не тру́дно.

Я совсе́м забы́л. I completely forgot.

Certainty

вряд ли hardly, unlikely

Two words, and ли is unstressed. It expresses doubt without a negative verb.

Вряд ли он придёт. He is unlikely to come.
мо́жет быть maybe, perhaps

Two words, often written with commas as a parenthetical.

Мо́жет быть, за́втра. Maybe tomorrow.
наве́рное probably

The most common word on this scale in ordinary speech.

Он, наве́рное, до́ма. He is probably at home.
коне́чно of course, certainly

Pronounced with a ш: “коне́шно”. One of the few words where чн is said that way.

Коне́чно, я помогу́. Of course I will help.
то́чно definitely, exactly

Also means “exactly” when confirming a detail.

Я то́чно зна́ю. I know for certain.
обяза́тельно without fail, definitely

About commitment rather than knowledge: it promises rather than predicts.

Я обяза́тельно приду́. I will come without fail.

Choosing between them

These comparisons are the reason this page exists. A function word is rarely hard to translate; it is hard to choose.

the ни- words need не, always

никогда́, нигде́ and ника́к cannot stand alone: the verb must also be negated. Я никогда́ не курю́ is the correct form, and dropping the не is one of the most audible learner errors in Russian. Where English forbids the double negative, Russian requires it, and extra ни- words simply stack: Никто́ никогда́ ничего́ не говори́т.

a frequency word chooses your aspect

Saying how often something happens describes a repeated or habitual action, and repeated actions are what the IMPERFECTIVE is for. So обы́чно, ча́сто, ре́дко and иногда́ almost always sit with an imperfective verb: Я ча́сто чита́ю, never Я ча́сто прочита́ю. The exception is a frequency word describing a single completed future event, which is rare enough to ignore while learning.

о́чень against сли́шком

о́чень is neutral intensity: Э́то о́чень до́рого simply reports a high price. сли́шком carries a judgement that the amount is more than it should be: Э́то сли́шком до́рого means you are not buying it. English “too” has the same edge, and using о́чень where you mean сли́шком loses the complaint entirely.

совсе́м and совсе́м не are opposite ends

On its own совсе́м is the top of the degree scale, “completely”: Я совсе́м забы́л. With не in front of the adjective it becomes the BOTTOM of the scale, “not at all”: Э́то совсе́м не тру́дно. One small word moves the phrase from one end of the cline to the other, which is why it is worth learning as a pair rather than as a single word.