Quite的解釋

Quite一時解"頗"(不完全), 一時解"完全", 點先分到？
唔會純靠感覺啩？:
(Definition of "Quite" in Cambridge dictionary:
1) a little or a lot but not completely
I'm quite tired but I can certainly walk a little further.
There was quite a lot of traffic today but yesterday was even busier.
2) completely
Are you quite sure you want to go?
The colours almost match but not quite.The two situations are quite different.)

Let us see 'quite' as having a meaning within a continuum between 'completely' and 'completely not' exclusively. i.e. It is more than 'completely not' and less than 'completely'.
e.g.
completely not tired(not tired)<----------quite tired------------< completely tired

(1) In the first sample sentence "I'm quite tired but I can certainly walk a little further.", 'quite tired' does not mean completely tired because 'I can certainly walk a little further.' Here 'quite' means 'to a considerable extent but not completely' so that I can still walk.---- 'quite' is closer to the 'not' end of the continuum of meaning.

In the other sentence "There was quite a lot of traffic today but yesterday was even busier." 'quite' also means considerably.

(2) In the sample question "Are you quite sure you want to go?", the meaning of 'quite' inclines toward completely. Within the continuum of meaning, it means 'to the greatest extent' in contrast to the meaning 'to a considerable extent but not completely' as in (1). 'Quite sure' or 'to the greatest extent sure' justifies your intention to go. ---- 'quite' is nearly the same as 'completely'.

Similarly 'quite' means 'to the greatest extent' in the other two examples. So
"The two situations are quite different." means "the two situations are greatly different" and "The colours almost match but not quite." means " the colours almost but not completely match."

真係要話比你知係純靠「內容」，因為要看這個adv對所講述的東西的作用和所講的東西對全句的用意。

試下把例句作分析

1. quite tired是描述tired，所以正如中文說「有點兒」累才會用「有點兒」，假如是「非常的累」是不會用「有點兒」這個副詞，所以其實係累(這種狀態)的各種描述慣性用詞控制了quite的解釋。

2. quite a lot of...a lot of已經是很多的意思，前面再加一個副詞加強這描述，便不可係「完全」的意思，因為如此便表達「完全的很多」沒有在意義上產生幫助，唯有解作「甚...多」才能發揮它的作用。

3. quite different中different不同已經定立主因，副詞是作為增加語氣，其實還有其他對different的副詞作比較，totally, entirely, somewhat, etc.quite實際上是最少比對的一個，可譯作「相當」不同的意思。

4. quite sure亦是由增加sure的語氣角度來了解這副詞的用意，你是想問人是否「肯定」，所以必然是問是否「非常」或「完全」而不會問人你是否「甚為」或「有點」肯定。

5. almost...but not quite係一個通用的諺語，quite要對比的是almost，almost是差不多，即係唔係(not)完全(quite)一樣(the same)。

希望你可以看出唔係靠quite個字本身決定點解，係個quite所幫助(副)的內容(adj/noun)決定作樣看它的意思，是對比相對的東西，還是對比增強東西的絕對意思。

Quite 字的字義可說是 "百搭", 你不必着重 Quite 字本身的解釋, 你要看 Quite 字在句子中的角式而去決定它是作何解!
若首先決定一個英文字的解釋, 才去理解整句的意義, 這或許是學中文的方法, 用此法學英文便行不通了!

唔會純靠感覺啩？
不是感覺不感覺, 是看 context 去決定!

e.g. Pretty 作何解? 是美麗嗎?

What about....
You are pretty ugly!
那麼你到底是靚定唔靚?

用廣東話，quite 是「都幾」。

例如你說 I'm quite tired but I... （我都幾疲倦，但我...）

另外一句：Are you quite sure you want to go?（你都幾肯定你想去？）

至於是 a little 或 completely，純粹是睇整句的意思而定。就如上面這兩句，你用廣東話講時你會是甚麼意思呢？

It is not common for QUITE to mean COMPLETELY.
NOT QUITE means NOT COMPLETELY.
Usually QUITE means VERY.

Are you quite sure you want to go?好似英國嘅英文。美國人唔會講。我認為意思係completely但係如果只係very嘅話，意思其實唔係好唔同

The two situations are quite different. 呢度我唔同意，我話意思係very different唔係completely different。