very

B1 · Intermediate

adj. used to emphasize that you are talking about a specific person, thing, or place.

adj. used as an emphatic determiner to specify a particular person or thing; often indicates the exactness of a location or identity.

“That is the very house where my grandfather was born eighty years ago.”

“At that very moment, the sirens began to wail, confirming our suspicions that the drill had finally commenced.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. used to emphasize the extreme end or limit of something.

adj. used to emphasize the extreme nature or the furthest point of a physical or temporal limit.

“We walked to the very end of the pier to watch the boats.”

“The hikers reached the very edge of the cliff before realizing the trail had been washed away by the previous night's storm.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

adj. used to show that even a small or simple thing is enough to cause a reaction.

adj. used to emphasize that the mere mention or existence of something is sufficient to produce an effect.

“The very thought of public speaking makes him feel nervous.”

“The very existence of such a document was enough to spark a diplomatic crisis between the two neighboring nations.”