Meaning & use
very basic
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
extremely simple or at the most elementary level; not advanced or complicated.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: very basic skills. It can also follow a linking verb: The instructions were very basic.
Patterns
- very basic + noun
- be very basic
- seem very basic
The course starts with very basic grammar and moves on to longer texts.
My knowledge of Spanish is very basic, so I only understand simple questions.
The hotel room was very basic: just a bed, a chair, and a small bathroom.
Common combinations
- very basic skills
- The job only requires very basic computer skills.
- very basic understanding
- She has a very basic understanding of how the engine works.
- very basic level
- The class is aimed at students at a very basic level.
- very basic needs
- The shelter provides food and other very basic needs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elementary
- More formal and often used for the first stage of a subject or course; 'very basic' is plainer and more everyday.
- simple
- Focuses on being easy to understand or do; 'very basic' stresses being at the lowest level, not just easy.
- rudimentary
- Formal and often suggests something not fully developed; 'very basic' is neutral and common in speech.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: very basic or very basics?
very basic vs very basics
The noun 'basics' means the simplest and most important facts or skills, as in 'the basics of cooking'. 'Very basic' is an adjective phrase describing something simple.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'very basic' correctly.
Choose one answer.
In option 0, 'very basic' correctly follows the linking verb 'were' and describes the instructions. Option 1 wrongly uses it as an adverb before a verb; option 2 uses 'very basic' with 'than', which is not correct for this adjective; option 3 is not grammatical word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “very basic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.