B1 Intermediate Comparisons

How to Say “Quite” with 挺 (tǐng)

挺 (tǐng) is the warm, conversational way to say something is “quite,” “rather,” or “pretty” good: 这家餐厅挺好的 (“this restaurant is quite good”). The frame is 挺 + Adjective + 的, and that closing 的 is its signature. 挺 also fronts feeling verbs like 喜欢 and 想 (挺喜欢…的, “quite like”).

Why this trips learners up

When you want to say something is quite good, pretty nice, or rather expensive in a relaxed, spoken way, Chinese reaches for 挺 (tǐng). The structure is 挺 + Adjective + 的: 这家餐厅挺好的 (“this restaurant is quite good”), 今天挺冷的 (“it's pretty cold today”), 他挺聪明的 (“he's quite smart”).

The thing to lock in is that closing 的. It's the signature of this pattern, and most of the time 挺 feels unfinished without it: you say 挺好的, not just 挺好 (though a few set phrases like 挺好 and 挺不错 do drop it comfortably in casual speech). Picture 挺 and 的 as a pair that wraps around the adjective.

挺 isn't only for adjectives. It also sits in front of a small group of feeling verbs like 喜欢 (“like”), 想 (“miss”), 怕 (“fear”) and 后悔 (“regret”), still inside the 挺 … 的 frame: 我挺喜欢这个城市的 (“I quite like this city”), 我挺想念老朋友的 (“I quite miss my old friends”). What it can't do is take a plain action verb, so “quite game” has to lean on a feeling verb: 挺爱打游戏的, never 挺打游戏的.

In feel, 挺 is lighter and friendlier than 很 (“very”) or 非常 (“extremely”). It's the “pretty / quite” you'd actually say out loud, a soft compliment that doesn't oversell. You'll also meet it in the rhetorical 不是挺…的吗? (“isn't it quite…?”), as in 这部电影不是挺有意思的吗? (“isn't this movie quite interesting?”).

The structure

挺 tǐng Adjective 的 de

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Time Place Negation Function word Adjective Question Other

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

zhè jiā cāntīng 这家餐厅 Subject tǐng 挺 Pattern hǎo 好 Adjective de 的 Function word

This restaurant is quite good (basic 挺 + adjective + 的).

jīntiān 今天 Time tiānqì 天气 Subject tǐng 挺 Pattern nuǎnhuo 暖和 Adjective de 的 Function word

The weather is pretty warm today (挺 + adjective + 的).

tā 他 Subject shuōhuà 说话 Verb tǐng 挺 Pattern kèqi 客气 Adjective de 的 Function word

He speaks quite politely (挺 describing how he talks).

wǒ 我 Subject tǐng 挺 Pattern xǐhuan 喜欢 Verb zhège chéngshì 这个城市 Object de 的 Function word

I quite like this city (挺 + the feeling verb 喜欢 + 的).

zhège wèntí 这个问题 Subject tǐng 挺 Pattern nán 难 Adjective huídá 回答 Verb de 的 Function word

This question is quite hard to answer (挺难 + verb + 的).

tā de zhōngwén 他的中文 Subject tǐng 挺 Pattern bùcuò 不错 Adjective

His Chinese is pretty good (the set phrase 挺不错 drops the 的).

nǐ 你 Subject bù 不 Negation shì 是 Verb tǐng 挺 Pattern huì 会 Function word zuòfàn 做饭 Verb de 的 Function word ma 吗 Question

Aren't you quite good at cooking? (rhetorical 不是 … 挺 … 的吗).

yí gè rén 一个人 Other zài guówài 在国外 Place wǒ 我 Subject tǐng 挺 Pattern xiǎng jiā 想家 Verb de 的 Function word

Living abroad on my own, I'm quite homesick (挺 + the feeling verb 想家 + 的).

Common mistakes

Avoid: 这个公园挺大。 zhège gōngyuán tǐng dà.

Say this: 这个公园挺大的。 zhège gōngyuán tǐng dà de.

Why it happens: With most adjectives, 挺 wants its closing 的. Bare 挺大 sounds unfinished; say 这个公园挺大的 (“this park is quite big”). Only a few set phrases like 挺好 and 挺不错 drop the 的 comfortably.

Avoid: 他挺的高。 tā tǐng de gāo.

Say this: 他挺高的。 tā tǐng gāo de.

Why it happens: The 的 closes the whole phrase at the very end, not right after 挺. It's 他挺高的 (“he's quite tall”), not 他挺的高. 挺 leads the adjective; 的 wraps it up.

Avoid: 我弟弟挺打游戏的。 wǒ dìdi tǐng dǎ yóuxì de.

Say this: 我弟弟挺爱打游戏的。 wǒ dìdi tǐng ài dǎ yóuxì de.

Why it happens: 挺 works with adjectives and feeling verbs (喜欢, 想, 爱), not plain action verbs. To say someone “quite loves to game,” add a feeling verb: 挺爱打游戏的, not 挺打游戏的.

Compare & contrast

挺 + Adj + 的 (quite / pretty, spoken, keeps 的)	很 + Adj (very, plain, no 的)	The difference
这家店挺便宜的。zhè jiā diàn tǐng piányi de.	这家店很便宜。zhè jiā diàn hěn piányi.	这家店挺便宜的 is “this shop is pretty cheap,” warm and conversational with its closing 的. 这家店很便宜 is the plain “this shop is very cheap.” Same shop, lighter tone on the left.
我挺累的。wǒ tǐng lèi de.	我很累。wǒ hěn lèi.	我挺累的 is a relaxed “I'm quite tired.” 我很累 is the flat, neutral “I'm very tired.” 挺 softens it and leans on 的; 很 just states the degree.

Rule of thumb挺 stays light and conversational, the “pretty / quite” you'd say out loud, and it almost always closes with 的 (挺累的). 很 is the plain, neutral “very” that needs no 的 (很累). Reach for 挺 … 的 when you're chatting; 很 when you just want to state the degree.

Try it yourself

Say “This house is quite big.” Use 挺 + Adjective + 的.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

How to Say “Quite” with 挺 (tǐng) grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

挺 + Adjective + 的

Example

这家餐厅挺好的

This restaurant is quite good (basic 挺 + adjective + 的).

Watch out

✗ 这个公园挺大。 → ✓ 这个公园挺大的。