טוב מאוד
tov me'od/tˤoːb me.(ʔ)ud/word by word
The Hebrew phrase for "very good" is טוב מאוד (tov me'od).
טוב מאוד is used to describe something of high quality or a performance that is satisfactory. It is specifically suited for quality and performance rather than aesthetic beauty.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective טוב (good) followed by the adverb מאוד (very).
Which one should you use?
Use טוב מאוד when discussing the quality of a thing or a person's performance. If you want to say something looks very good in an aesthetic or beautiful sense, יפה מאוד is more common.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective within the phrase must agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes. While the adverb מאוד remains the same, the form of טוב changes: use טובה מאוד for feminine singular nouns, טובים מאוד for masculine plural nouns and טובות מאוד for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
tov me'od
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, the phrase טוב מאוד is the exact terminology used in the Book of Genesis when God looks at his creation and declares it 'very good'.
- While טוב מאוד is a literal translation, Israelis often use the slang word סבבה ('sababa') to mean 'very good' or 'cool' in casual conversation.
- The word טוב is a distant relative of the Arabic word طَيِّب ('tayyib'), which also means 'good' or 'kind'.
Examples in context
- אתה תופר טוב מאוד.You are very good at sewing.This sentence demonstrates using טוב מאוד to describe a person's skill in sewing.Tatoeba #4565628 by Ramiav, translation #354289 by Hautis
- אני שחקן שח טוב מאוד.I am a very good chess player.This sentence shows how to describe a person's ability in chess using טוב מאוד.Tatoeba #1540738 by Eldad, translation #1539598 by madhatter5
- זה נראה טוב מאוד עליך.It looks very good on you.This sentence uses טוב מאוד to describe how an item looks on someone.Tatoeba #663408 by Eldad, translation #71149 by CM
- עבודתך היא מצוינת!Your work is excellent!
- לקחתי צילום ואני חושב שיצא מגניב!I took a photo, and I think it came out very good!
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rotem and Itay are discussing a movie they just watched.
- רוטם Rotemאיך היה הסרט?Eich haya hasert?How was the movie?
- איתי Itayהסרט היה טוב מאוד.Hasert haya tov me'od.The movie was very good.
- רוטם Rotemגם אני חשבתי שהוא טוב מאוד.Gam ani chashavti shehu tov me'od.I also thought it was very good.
- איתי Itayבדיוק, רוטם.Bediuk, Rotem.Exactly, Rotem.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (טוב, מאוד) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries טוב, מאוד, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
