quite, pretty, rather and fairly
Degree adverbs · quite = completely · rather for negatives · fairly (weakest) — Complete Guide
quite, pretty, rather et fairly
Adverbes de degré · quite = complètement · rather pour le négatif · fairly (le plus faible) — Guide Complet
Learn the differences between quite, pretty, rather and fairly — four adverbs all meaning ‘less than very but more than a little’ — plus the special meaning of quite = ‘completely’.
Apprenez les différences entre quite, pretty, rather et fairly — et le sens spécial de quite = ‘complètement’.
All four — quite, pretty, rather and fairly — mean roughly ‘less than very, but more than a little’. They differ in strength, register and nuance. Quite also has a second, stronger meaning: ‘completely’.
Les quatre — quite, pretty, rather et fairly — signifient tous ‘moins que very, mais plus que a little’. Ils diffèrent en force et nuance. Quite a aussi un second sens plus fort : ‘complètement’.
quite and pretty — similar meaning
quite et pretty — sens similaire
Anna lives quite near me, so we see each other pretty often.
quite BEFORE a/an: We live in quite an old house. (NOT a quite old house)
pretty AFTER a/an: Sarah has a pretty good job.
quite a/an + noun (no adj): It was quite a surprise!
quite a lot: There were quite a lot of guests.
quite + verb: I quite like tennis. She’s quite famous. / She’s pretty famous. (= moins que ‘very famous’)
Anna lives quite near me, so we see each other pretty often.
quite AVANT a/an : We live in quite an old house. (PAS a quite old house)
pretty APRÈS a/an : Sarah has a pretty good job.
quite a/an + nom (sans adj) : It was quite a surprise!
quite a lot : There were quite a lot of guests.
quite + verbe : I quite like tennis.
rather — often used for negative ideas
rather — souvent utilisé pour les idées négatives
The weather isn’t so good. It’s rather cloudy.
Paul is rather shy. He doesn’t talk very much.
Positive (= surprisingly / unusually good):
These oranges are rather good. Where did you get them? Négatif/indésirable (emploi le plus courant) :
The weather isn’t so good. It’s rather cloudy.
Paul is rather shy. He doesn’t talk very much.
Positif (= étonnamment / inhabituellement bien) :
These oranges are rather good. Where did you get them?
fairly — the weakest of the four
fairly — le plus faible des quatre
We see each other fairly often, but not as often as we used to. My room is fairly big, but I’d prefer a bigger one. (= pas mal mais pas génial)
We see each other fairly often, but not as often as we used to.
quite = ‘completely’ (special meaning)
quite = ‘complètement’ (sens spécial)
sure · right · wrong · true · false · certain · safe · clear · different
obvious · impossible · incredible · amazing · extraordinary · unnecessary
‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes, quite sure.’ (= completely sure)
She was quite different from what I expected. (= completely different)
I quite agree with you. (= I completely agree)
not quite = not completely:
I don’t quite understand. / ‘Are you ready?’ ‘Not quite.’
Compare: The story is quite interesting (= less than very) vs The story is quite true (= completely true) quite = complètement avec les adjectifs absolus :
sure · right · wrong · true · false · certain · safe · clear · different
obvious · impossible · incredible · amazing · extraordinary · unnecessary
‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes, quite sure.’ (= complètement sûr)
She was quite different from what I expected. (= complètement différent)
I quite agree with you. (= je suis tout à fait d’accord)
not quite = pas complètement :
I don’t quite understand. / ‘Are you ready?’ ‘Not quite.’
Comparez : quite interesting (= moins que very) vs quite true (= complètement vrai)
Complete with quite + a word from the box.
Complétez avec quite + un mot de la liste.
famous · hungry · late · noisy · often · old · surprised
Put the words in the right order.
Remettez les mots dans le bon ordre.
Complete with rather + adjective (your own ideas).
Complétez avec rather + adjectif (librement).
Suggested answers given — any appropriate adjective is correct.
Does “quite” mean “less than very” or “completely”?
“quite” signifie-t-il “less than very” ou “completely” ?
Write: less than very / completely
Écrivez : less than very / completely
Frequently Asked Questions — quite, pretty, rather and fairly
Questions fréquentes — quite, pretty, rather et fairly
Fairly is the weakest (implies slight disappointment). Quite and pretty are moderate (pretty is informal/spoken). Rather is moderate-strong and often used for negative or surprising things.
Fairly est le plus faible (légèrement décevant). Quite et pretty sont modérés (pretty est familier). Rather est modéré-fort et souvent utilisé pour les choses négatives ou surprenantes.
Quite precedes the article: quite a good job / quite an old house. Pretty follows: a pretty good job. This is a rule to memorise.
Quite précède l’article : quite a good job. Pretty le suit : a pretty good job. C’est une règle à mémoriser.
With absolute adjectives: sure, right, wrong, true, certain, safe, clear, different, obvious, impossible, incredible, amazing, extraordinary, unnecessary. With gradable adjectives like good, big, hot, it means ‘less than very’.
Avec les adjectifs absolus : sure, right, wrong, true, certain, safe, clear, different, obvious, impossible, incredible, amazing, extraordinary, unnecessary. Avec les adjectifs graduables comme good, big, hot, il signifie ‘moins que very’.
Yes! With positive adjectives, rather means ‘unusually’ or ‘surprisingly’: These oranges are rather good! = I didn’t expect them to be this good.
Oui ! Avec des adjectifs positifs, rather = ‘inhabituellement’ ou ‘étonnamment’ : These oranges are rather good! = je ne m’attendais pas à ce qu’ils soient aussi bons.
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