Softening descriptions with tamelijk and vrij
When evaluating a neighborhood or a building, you might not want to say it is extremely something, but rather somewhere in the middle. You can use the adverbs tamelijk and vrij to mean "fairly" or "quite." They are generally neutral and interchangeable.
(Note: You might already know vrij as the adjective for "free," but when placed right before another adjective, it functions as a degree adverb).
| The neighborhood is fairly lively. | De buurt is tamelijk levendig. |
| Our student room is quite poorly soundproofed. | Onze studentenkamer is vrij gehorig. |
A pleasant surprise with best
The word best literally translates to "best," but in everyday Dutch, it is very commonly used to mean "pretty" or "quite." It often carries a positive tone or implies a pleasant surprise.
| The station is quite accessible for everyone. | Het station is best toegankelijk voor iedereen. |
| The new community center is quite pleasant. | Het nieuwe buurthuis is best gezellig. |
Expressing "rather" with nogal
The word nogal also translates to "quite" or "rather." It tends to be slightly stronger than tamelijk or vrij and is often used when making critical, slightly negative, or more emphatic observations.
| I find that building quite old-fashioned. | Ik vind dat gebouw nogal ouderwets. |
| The playground here is rather dangerous. | De speelplaats hier is nogal gevaarlijk. |
Before an adjective and a noun
Just like in English, you can place these adverbs directly before an adjective that describes a noun in a sentence. The adjective still takes its normal ending (such as the added -e on ruime and nieuwe below).
| There is a fairly spacious parking lot behind the center. | Er is een vrij ruime parkeerplaats achter het centrum. |
| There is a primary school in this fairly new neighborhood. | Er is een basisschool in deze tamelijk nieuwe buurt. |