とても details
very — the top end of a gradable quality + high
totemo takai
very — the top end of a gradable quality
meaning: is very high
山の上は風が強くて、とても寒い。
yama no ue wa kaze ga tsuyokute, totemo samui.
The wind is strong on the mountain and it is very cold. neutral
この店のパン、とてもおいしいよ。
kono mise no pan, totemo oishii yo.
The bread at this place is really good. casual
- i-adjective
- na-adjective
- colloquial
Examples
very — a quality at the high end of its scale
山の上は風が強くて、とても寒い。
yama no ue wa kaze ga tsuyokute, totemo samui.
The wind is strong on the mountain and it is very cold. neutral
この店のパン、とてもおいしいよ。
kono mise no pan, totemo oishii yo.
The bread at this place is really good. casual
図書館の中はとても静かでした。
toshokan no naka wa totemo shizuka deshita.
It was very quiet inside the library. neutral
昨日の試合、とても楽しかった。
kinou no shiai, totemo tanoshikatta.
Yesterday's match was a lot of fun. casual
Formation
とても{I}attaches to i-adjectiveとても{NA-stem}だattaches to na-adjective
Variant notes
- とっても — the emphatic spoken form, warmer and more childlike — とってもうれしい！
Notes
is "I could never believe it". Formal writing prefers 大変 or
非常に — とても in a business letter reads chatty.
Related patterns
Similar
とても rates a quality high and passes no judgement, while 〜すぎる says the quality has overshot what the situation can take — とても高い is a price tag being admired or complained about, 高すぎる is one being refused.
ほど pins the degree by naming a benchmark (死ぬほど暑い), so it always needs that second element; とても names no benchmark at all and is the plain intensifier a beginner reaches for first.
Opposite
- ちょっとdegree-scale
Two ends of one degree scale over the same adjectives — とても pushes the quality to its top and ちょっと keeps it just above zero; the asymmetry is pragmatic, since only ちょっと doubles as a hedge, so ×とても、今日は… cannot decline an invitation.