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to some extent; fairly 颇;相当 The game was pretty good. 这个游戏相当不错。 I'm pretty sure I'll be going. 我相当肯定会去的。 It's pretty hard to explain. 这事很难解释清楚。 I'm going to have to find a new apartment pretty soon. 我很快就得找个新住处了。
Which Word? quite / fairly / rather / prettyquite / fairly / rather / prettyLook at these examples: 看下列例句: The exam was fairly difficult. 这场考试颇难。
The exam was quite difficult. 这场考试相当难。
The exam was rather difficult. 这场考试十分难。
- Quite is a little stronger than fairly, and rather is a little stronger than quite. Rather is not very common in North American English; pretty has the same meaning and this is used in informal British English too:
The exam was pretty difficult. 这场考试十分难。
- In British English quite has two meanings:
I feel quite tired today 今天我感到相当累。
与表示极端状态的形容词(即非级差形容词)连用,意为完全地、绝对地: I feel quite exhausted. 我感到筋疲力尽。
与某些形容词连用,两种含义均有可能,究竟属于哪一种由说话者的重音和语调决定: Your essay is quite good 你的文章还不错(挺好,不过可以更好);
Your essay is quite good 你的文章还不错(挺好,不过可以更好);
- In North American English quite usually means something like ‘very’, not ‘fairly’ or ‘rather’. Pretty is used instead for this sense.
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very 十分;非常;极;很 That performance was pretty impressive. 那场表演很出色。 Things are looking pretty good! 形势看来很不错! The idea sounds pretty cool. 这个想法听起来很酷。 We were pretty disappointed with the quality of the food. 我们对食物的质量非常失望。
Extra ExamplesIt came at the end of a pretty miserable week. 这是在一个相当悲惨的周末到来的。 Flying those planes was pretty hard work. 驾驶那些飞机是相当艰苦的工作。
Word OriginOld English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich ‘brisk, clever’, obsolete Dutch prettig ‘humorous, sporty’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘trick’. The sense development ‘deceitful, cunning, clever, skilful, admirable, pleasing, nice’ has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc.
Idioms
be sitting pretty
- (informal)
to be in a good situation, especially when others are not (尤指在他人处境不好时)处境好 With profits at record levels, the company’s certainly sitting pretty this year. 随着利润达到创纪录水平,该公司今年肯定会表现不错。
pretty much/well
(British English also pretty nearly)
(North American English also pretty near)