Let’s learn what the Italian words molto, poco and troppo mean and how to use them correctly.
Molto = many, very (much)
L’albergo ha molte camere.
Molto means many, a lot, very (much). When molto precedes a noun, it is an adjective and must be aligned with gender and number: L’albergo ha molte camere. The hotel has many rooms.
However, molto can also be an adverb, so it accompanies a verb or an adjective and is invariable: Le camere sono molto grandi. The rooms are very big.
| Adjective | Ci sono molte persone. | There are many people. |
| Mia figlia legge molti libri. | My daughter reads many books. | |
| Oggi non ho molto tempo. | Today I don’t have much time. | |
| Romeo ha molta fame. | Romeo is very hungry. | |
| Adverb | Mi piace molto. | I like it very much. |
| La piazza è molto famosa. | The square is very famous. |
Poco = little, few
L’albergo ha poche camere.
Poco means few, little. Just like molto, poco can be both an adjective (changeable) and an adverb (unchangeable).
| Adjective | Ci sono poche persone. | There are few people. |
| Mia figlia legge pochi libri. | My daughter reads few books. | |
| Oggi ho poco tempo. | Today I have little time. | |
| Romeo ha poca fame. | Romeo is not very hungry. | |
| Adverb | Mi piace poco. | I like it little. |
| La piazza è poco famosa. | The square is little famous. |
Troppo = too much
L’albergo ha troppe camere.
Troppo means too much. Just like molto and poco, troppo can be both an adjective (changeable) and an adverb (unchangeable).
| Adjective | Ci sono troppe persone. | There are too many people. |
| Mia figlia legge troppi libri. | My daughter reads too many books. | |
| Oggi ho troppo tempo. | Today I have too much time. | |
| Romeo ha troppa fame. | Romeo is too hungry. | |
| Adverb | Mi piace troppo. | I like it too much. |
| La piazza è troppo famosa. | The square is too much famous. |
