viel
/fiːl/
The German word for much is viel.
viel is used as a determiner to indicate a large amount of something. For example, viel Zeit means much time.
Meaning: a large amount of (det)
Which one should you use?
Use viel for uncountable quantities, such as water or time and use viele for countable items, such as people or books.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria, people often say ganz vui or echt vui to mean a whole lot.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to countable nouns, use the form viele instead of viel. Additionally, viel can function as an adverb to intensify comparative adjectives, such as in the phrase viel mehr, which means much more.
How do you pronounce it?
/fiːl/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using viel with plural countable nouns. Instead, use the correct form viele.
Did you know?
- The word viel shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'full', both tracing back to a root meaning to be many or abundant.
- If you want to say 'a lot of' in a more colloquial way, you can use eine Menge, which literally translates to 'a heap' or 'a pile'.
- In casual German, instead of using viel, people often use the word massig to describe a huge, almost overwhelming amount of something.
Examples in context
- Ist es zu viel?Is it too much?This sentence uses viel to ask if something is too much.Tatoeba #10046436 by Melang, translation #3333945 by CK
- Das ist zu viel.That's too much.This sentence uses viel to state that something is too much.Tatoeba #553776 by Espi, translation #31571 by CK
- Das ist zu viel!That's too much!Tatoeba #620761 by virgil, translation #52024 by CK
- Ich habe viel Arbeit zu erledigen.I have much work to do.
- Es gibt viele Bücher im Regal.There are many books on the shelf.
- Wir hatten viel zu viel Kuchen auf der Party.We had way too much cake at the party.
- Gibt es hier echt viel zu sehen in dieser Stadt?Is there really much to see in this city?
- 3177 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Hannah are talking about their workload.
- LukasHast du heute viel Arbeit?Do you have much work today?
- HannahJa, ich habe leider viel zu tun.Yes, unfortunately I have much to do.
- LukasSoll ich dir ein bisschen helfen?Should I help you a bit?
- HannahDas wäre wirklich nett von dir, Lukas.That would be really nice of you, Lukas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “much” translations and entries viel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries viel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
