(something) is a real (something)

You use "very" and "really" with adjectives like this:

That's very dangerous. You shouldn't be doing that.

He's a really nice guy.

But you can't use "very" to modify nouns. Instead, you can use "a real ___":

You're a real pain in the neck, you know?

Angelo is a real pleasure to work with.

This phrase appears in these lessons: