01
ziemlich
pretty / fairly
Expresses a considerable but not extreme degree; quite, relatively, pretty.
example
Der Film war ziemlich gut, aber nicht der beste, den ich je gesehen habe.
The film was pretty good, but not the best I've ever seen.
ziemlich
pretty / fairly
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word order
'Ziemlich' (pretty/fairly) stands as an adverb directly before the adjective or adverb that it modifies. It describes the degree or intensity of this quality.
EXAMPLE
Das Wasser im See ist schon ziemlich kalt.
The water in the lake is already pretty cold.
Register and style
'Ziemlich' (pretty/fairly) is very typical of spoken language and informal texts. It expresses a considerable degree without sounding exaggerated.
EXAMPLE
Ich musste heute ziemlich lange auf den Bus warten.
I had to wait for the bus for quite a long time today.
Context clue
Most of the time, 'ziemlich' means 'recht' (quite) or 'relativ' (relatively). In combination with words like 'genau' (exactly) or 'gleich' (the same), the meaning changes to 'almost' or 'approximately'.
EXAMPLE
Das neue Restaurant ist ziemlich teuer.
The new restaurant is pretty expensive.
Compare with
ziemlich vs etwas
something / somewhat
'etwas' and 'ziemlich' can both change the degree of a quality. 'etwas' means 'a little' and makes the statement weak. 'ziemlich' means 'quite' or 'relatively' and makes the statement stronger, but not extreme. They can be confused because both can come before adjectives. The difference is intensity: 'etwas kalt' is only slightly cold, while 'ziemlich kalt' is noticeably cold.
ziemlich
In der Pause war es im Büro ziemlich laut.
During the break, it was quite loud in the office.
etwas
Die Lehrerin hat die Aufgabe etwas anders erklärt als im Buch.
The teacher explained the assignment somewhat differently than in the book.
In real life
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