Thursday, February 12, 2015

一点儿 (yīdiǎnr) and 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr)

一点 (yīdiǎn) and 有点 (yǒudiǎn) are usually pronounced 一点儿 (yīdiǎnr) and 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr) in northern China. Both of them mean "a little" or "a bit", but they have different uses in sentences.

有点 (also 有点儿) is placed after a subject but before an adjective, and it usually expresses something that you don't want. Some examples of adjectives that can be coupled with 有点 are 生气, 伤心, 难过,讨厌, etc.: 有点儿 + Adj. For example:

  • 今天的汤有点儿咸。The soup today is a little salty. 
  • 有点儿累,想休息一下儿。I am a little bit tired and I want to have a rest. 
  • 今天有点儿冷,你得多穿点儿衣服。It is a little bit cold today. You'd better put on more clothes. 

一点 (also 一点儿) cannot be placed before an adjective. Instead, it is placed after adjectives. The adjectives that can be used are particularly limited. They often express some kind of comparisons or requests: Adjective + 一点儿. For example: 
  • 请您说慢一点儿。Please say it a little slower. 
  • 一点儿,火车要开了。A little bit faster, the training is leaving. 
  • 您感冒了,喝点儿橙汁,希望你感觉好一点儿。You caught a cold. Please drink some orange juice. I hope you feel a little bit better. 

Adjective +了 + 一点儿
  • 她才四岁,写汉字难了一点儿。She is still a four-year-old child. Writing characters is kind of challenging. 
  • 睡了一觉,他感觉好了一点儿。After a sleep, he felt a little better. 

有点儿+ 不/没 + Adjective/Verb
  • 刚下飞机,他有点儿不舒服。He just got off the plan, so he felt kind of sick. 
  • 有点儿不高兴。He is kind of upset. 
  • 她还有点儿没睡醒。She has not fully waken up. 
  • 他吃饱了,有点儿不想吃了。He's very full, so he kind of does not want to eat any more. 
  • 你说的话我有点儿没听明白。I kind of don't understand what you said. 

一点儿+ 也/都+ 不/没 + Adjective/Verb
  • 这个四川人觉得这个四川菜一点儿也不辣。This Sichuanese fellow thinks this Sichuan dish is not spicy at all. 
  • 他忙了一天,可是看起来一点儿也不累。He was busy whole day, but he doesn't look tired at all.
  • 你说得太快了,我一点儿都没听懂。You talked too fast, so I did not get it at all. 


Please fill in the blanks by using 有点儿 and 一点儿:
1.  这件裙子样子还不错,可是颜色深了_______。
2. 下午三点多时,他肚子_______饿了。
3.  快到中午了,可是他肚子_______都不饿。
4.  她已经六十多岁了,可是看起来_______也不老。
5.  今天晚上我_______不太方便,我们明天再见,可以吗?
6.  今天晚上UB会有橄榄球比赛,所以会热闹_______。
7.  她觉得屋子里_______热,所以打开了窗户。
8. Dialogue:
A: 这条裙子_______贵。
This dress is a bit expensive.
B: 是 贵 了 _______,但是 真 的 很 好看,我 好 喜欢。
It's a bit expensive, but it looks really good, I like it.
A: 服务员,这 条裙子 能 不 能 便宜 _______
Attendant, could we get it a little cheaper?
C: 不好意思,这 是 新 的,_______ 也 不 能 便宜。
I'm sorry.  This is a new item, so it can't even be a little bit cheaper.

Reference:
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22youdian%22_and_%22yidian%22
http://www.italki.com/article/19/whats-the-difference-between-you-dian-er-and-yi-dian-er#.VNziPPnF9qM
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Yidian_and_you_yidian

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