2 · Adverbs: also, again, already, only
A bit: yǒudiǎnr or yìdiǎnr
two ways of saying a little
Yǒudiǎnr before an adjective says “a bit too”, usually as a complaint; yìdiǎnr after it says “a bit more”, in comparisons and requests.
At a glance
- Remember
- Yǒudiǎnr before the adjective: a bit too. Yìdiǎnr after it: a bit more.
- Form
- 有点儿贵a bit too (complaint)
- Signal words
- 有点儿
- 一点儿
- 一点儿也不
- 比…一点儿
- Trap
- Wrong:这件衣服一点儿贵。Right:这件衣服有点儿贵。
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Chinese.
| a bit too (complaint) | 有点儿贵 |
| not very well | 有点儿不舒服 |
| a bit more (request) | 便宜一点儿 |
| a bit more (comparison) | 比昨天冷一点儿 |
| a little of something | 喝一点儿水 |
| not at all | 一点儿也不贵 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Yǒudiǎnr stands before the adjective and says it is a little more than the speaker would like.
这个房间有点儿小。This room is a bit small.
Yìdiǎnr stands after the adjective and asks for, or reports, a little more of it.
能不能便宜一点儿？Could you make it a bit cheaper?
Between a verb and a noun, yìdiǎnr is a small amount.
我会说一点儿中文。I can speak a little Chinese.
Yìdiǎnr yě bù / yìdiǎnr dōu bù before an adjective means “not at all”.
这个菜一点儿也不辣。This dish isn’t spicy at all.
Example sentences
我今天有点儿累，想早点儿睡。I’m a bit tired today and want to get to bed early.
请您说慢一点儿。Could you speak a bit more slowly, please?
这双鞋有点儿小，有大一点儿的吗？These shoes are a bit small — do you have a slightly bigger pair?
他有点儿不高兴。He’s a bit put out.
你要不要吃一点儿东西？Would you like something to eat?
这次考试一点儿都不难。The exam wasn’t difficult at all this time.
7 more example sentences
外面有点儿冷，多穿点儿衣服。It’s a bit cold out — put something warmer on.
你能不能早一点儿来？Could you come a little earlier?
我有点儿想我妈妈。I miss my mum a bit.
哥哥比我高一点儿。My brother is a little taller than me.
这个问题有点儿复杂。This question is a bit complicated.
他一点儿也不紧张。He isn’t nervous at all.
咖啡里再放一点儿糖。Put a little more sugar in the coffee.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English puts “a bit” before the adjective, and 一点儿 looks like the word for “a bit”. Before an adjective, though, the word is 有点儿. 一点儿 comes after the adjective, and then it means “a bit more”: 贵一点儿 is “a bit dearer”.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
English “a bit” covers two ideas that Chinese keeps apart, and the place of the word tells them apart. 有点儿 goes before an adjective and describes how something is: 这件衣服有点儿贵, “this jacket is a bit expensive”. 一点儿 goes after an adjective and compares, or asks for a change: 便宜一点儿, “a bit cheaper”.
有点儿 nearly always carries a note of complaint: the thing is a little more than the speaker would like. 有点儿累, 有点儿冷, 有点儿难 are natural; 有点儿漂亮 sounds odd, as if beauty were a problem. It also stands before a few verbs of feeling: 我有点儿想家, “I’m a bit homesick”, and before a negative: 有点儿不舒服, “not feeling too well”.
一点儿 after an adjective means “a bit more so than now, or than something else”: 请说慢一点儿, “please speak a bit more slowly”; 今天比昨天冷一点儿, “today is a bit colder than yesterday”. After a verb, before a noun, it is a small amount: 喝一点儿水, “drink a little water”.
Both words are often shortened in speech, to 有点 and 一点, and in northern speech the final r is heard clearly. The mistake to avoid is the English order: “a bit expensive” is never 一点儿贵.
A closer look
Description against comparison
The two words answer different questions. 有点儿贵 answers “what is it like?” — it describes the price as it is. 贵一点儿 answers “compared with what?” — it measures a difference, between two things or between now and how it should be. That is why 一点儿 appears in 比 sentences and in requests, and 有点儿 never does.
It is also why a shopkeeper hears them so differently. 有点儿贵 is an opening to bargain; 便宜一点儿吧 is the bargaining itself.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the adjective is pleasant but the situation still feels slightly wrong
有点儿 can stand before it, and the complaint comes with it.
今天的菜有点儿太多了。There’s rather too much food today.
The word does not judge the adjective; it judges the amount. Too much of a good thing is still too much.
Worth knowing (1)
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Yǒu yìdiǎnr: the long form
有点儿 is short for 有一点儿, and the long form is still heard, a little more emphatic: “there is a touch of …”. It keeps the place and the meaning of the short one.
这汤有一点儿咸。This soup is a touch salty.
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