HSK grammarHSK 1

有点儿 / 一点儿有点儿 vs 一点儿: Two Ways to Say "a Bit"

有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr) and 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr) both translate as "a bit" or "a little", but they are not interchangeable. 有点儿 goes before an adjective and describes how things are, usually in a slightly negative way. 一点儿 goes after an adjective or verb and talks about a small change or a small amount.

有点儿 + adjective: "a bit..."

Put 有点儿 in front of an adjective to say that something is a bit too much of something: a bit cold, a bit expensive, a bit busy. It usually describes something you are not very happy about, so it is common for complaints and polite refusals. It sounds odd with clearly positive words; for "quite nice" Chinese speakers use 挺 or 很 instead.

有点儿 can also go before a feeling verb such as 想, or before 不 + adjective. It is a short form of 有一点儿, which means the same thing.

  1. 今天有点儿冷。Jīntiān yǒudiǎnr lěng.It's a bit cold today.
  2. 这件衣服有点儿贵。Zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎnr guì.This top is a bit expensive.
  3. 我有点儿忙,明天再说吧。Wǒ yǒudiǎnr máng, míngtiān zài shuō ba.I'm a bit busy. Let's talk about it tomorrow.
  4. 他今天有点儿不高兴。Tā jīntiān yǒudiǎnr bù gāoxìng.He's a bit unhappy today.
  5. 我有点儿想家。Wǒ yǒudiǎnr xiǎng jiā.I'm a bit homesick.

Adjective + 一点儿: "a bit more"

Put 一点儿 after an adjective to compare or to ask for a change: a bit cheaper, a bit earlier, a bit better than before. This is very useful when shopping and when making requests.

  1. 能便宜一点儿吗?Néng piányi yìdiǎnr ma?Could you make it a bit cheaper?
  2. 明天你早一点儿来吧。Míngtiān nǐ zǎo yìdiǎnr lái ba.Come a bit earlier tomorrow.
  3. 你今天好一点儿了吗?Nǐ jīntiān hǎo yìdiǎnr le ma?Are you feeling a bit better today?
  4. 你多吃一点儿。Nǐ duō chī yìdiǎnr.Have a bit more to eat.

Verb + 一点儿 + noun: "a little, some"

After a verb, 一点儿 means a small amount of something. The noun comes after 一点儿. In everyday speech the 一 is often dropped, so you will also hear 喝点儿水 or 买点儿东西.

  1. 我想喝一点儿水。Wǒ xiǎng hē yìdiǎnr shuǐ.I'd like a little water.
  2. 我会说一点儿汉语。Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Hànyǔ.I can speak a little Chinese.
  3. 我们去超市买一点儿水果吧。Wǒmen qù chāoshì mǎi yìdiǎnr shuǐguǒ ba.Let's go to the supermarket and buy some fruit.

一点儿也不: "not at all"

To say "not at all", use 一点儿 + 也 or 都 + 不 + adjective or verb. This is the main way to use 一点儿 in a negative sentence. Do not use 有点儿 here.

  1. 今天一点儿也不冷。Jīntiān yìdiǎnr yě bù lěng.It's not cold at all today.
  2. 这个菜一点儿也不好吃。Zhège cài yìdiǎnr yě bù hǎochī.This dish isn't nice at all.
  3. 我一点儿都不想去。Wǒ yìdiǎnr dōu bù xiǎng qù.I don't want to go at all.

The most common mistake

Learners often say 今天一点儿冷 for "It's a bit cold today". This is wrong: 一点儿 cannot go before an adjective in a positive sentence. Use 有点儿 instead: 今天有点儿冷.

A simple rule: 有点儿 comes before the adjective and describes the way things are; 一点儿 comes after the adjective and asks for or compares a small difference. In a shop you might use both, one after the other.

  1. 这件衣服有点儿大。Zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎnr dà.This top is a bit big.
  2. 有小一点儿的吗?Yǒu xiǎo yìdiǎnr de ma?Do you have a slightly smaller one?

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