Sam
Pretty is a pretty useful word. As an adjective, it means ‘attractive, especially when talking about girls or women’.
Example
Margo always tells her daughter that she’s pretty.
We can also use pretty to talk about things that are ‘pleasant to look at in a delicate or charming way’. Again, this is often connected to females, but it doesn’t have to be. It can describe something like ‘a view’.
Example
There’s a very pretty view at the top of that hill.
As an adverb, pretty can be an informal way of saying ‘quite’ or ‘rather’.
Example
The house was built recently, it’s pretty new.
And it can be used to give emphasis.
Example
We went to bed at 2am, so we were pretty tired.
Finally, if you see pretty with the words ‘much’ or ‘well’, it means ‘almost’.
Example
I think we’ve mentioned pretty well everything, so I guess we’re pretty much finished.
Common uses of ‘pretty’
Pretty as an adjective means ‘attractive, especially when talking about girls or women’.
- Margo always tells her daughter that she’s pretty.
- Jacob’s mum is really pretty.
Pretty is also used to talk about things that are ‘pleasant to look at in a delicate or charming way’. While this is often connected to females, it can also be used to describe something like ‘a view’.
- There’s a very pretty view at the top of that hill.
- My friend moved out of the city and bought a pretty cottage in the countryside.
As an adverb, pretty can be an informal way of saying ‘quite’ or ‘rather’.
- The house was built recently, it’s pretty new.
- I enjoyed that film, it was pretty good.
We can also use pretty to give emphasis.
- We went to bed at 2am, so we were pretty tired.
- I’m pretty angry right now, so don’t talk to me.
We can use pretty with the words ‘much’ or ‘well’. In this case, it means ‘almost’.
- I think we’ve mentioned pretty well everything.
- I guess we’re pretty much finished.