very / bad
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very / badly
Used as an adverb to intensify something, and often has a negative meaning. It means something like 'very', 'badly', or 'strongly'.
Ich habe mich heute arg über den Verkehr aufgeregt.
I got really annoyed about the traffic today.
nothing bad
A fixed expression meaning that someone does not suspect or intend anything evil or bad.
Er hat bei der Sache nichts Arges gedacht und die E-Mail geöffnet.
He thought nothing bad of it and opened the email.
bad / wicked
An outdated meaning of 'böse' (evil), 'schlecht' (bad), or 'schlimm' (terrible). Today, it is found almost only in old literature or fairy tales.
Der Wolf hatte eine arge List, um die Geißlein zu täuschen.
The wolf had a wicked trick to deceive the little goats.
You can recognize the modern adverbial meaning by the fact that 'arg' remains unchanged before a verb or adjective. The fixed expression is 'nichts Arges' (nothing bad). The outdated adjectival form is declined before a noun in literary contexts.
Ich habe ihn arg vermisst.
I missed him terribly.
In this meaning, 'arg' (very/badly) is used like an adverb to intensify a verb or adjective. It is not declined and often has a negative connotation, similar to 'sehr' (very) or 'schlimm' (badly/terribly).
Er hat sich bei dem Sturz arg wehgetan.
He hurt himself badly in the fall.
The use of 'arg' (very/badly) as an intensifier is typical of spoken language and colloquial speech. It is used less often in formal or written texts.
Das hat mich heute aber arg geärgert.
That really annoyed me today.
The expression 'nichts Arges denken' (to think nothing bad) or 'nichts Arges vermuten' (to suspect nothing bad) is very common. Here, 'Arges' is a nominalized adjective and means 'nothing bad'.
Ich habe mir wirklich nichts Arges dabei gedacht.
I really thought nothing bad of it.
The meaning 'böse' (evil) or 'schlimm' (terrible) is outdated. Today, it is found almost only in fairy tales, poems, or historical texts. It is not actively used in modern German.
Der Ritter kämpfte gegen den argen Drachen.
The knight fought against the wicked dragon.
very
Sehr and arg can express a high degree. Sehr is a neutral intensifier that can be used generally; arg often has a negative meaning and sounds more evaluative. Both are possible for an unpleasant condition, but arg emphasizes its severity more clearly.
Nach der Reise war er arg krank.
After the trip, he was terribly sick.
Nach der Reise war er sehr krank.
After the trip, he was very sick.
