"De har helt olika personligheter."

Translation: They have completely different personalities.

[JANBOEVINK]

I like: -they have quite different personalities-, but I did not tempt fate.

[invisibleisabel]

i think 'ganska' instead of 'helt' would be more appropriate if you want to use quite.

[JANBOEVINK]

Thanks Isabel. My dictionary gives for -ganska-: fairly, rather and quite. I believe that the English usage of -quite- is closer to -helt-. -Quite different- is -really different-, since the English tend to understate relative to the Germanics.

[invisibleisabel]

I guess in that context it sounds kind of sarcastic (ex: 'Are grapes and grapefruits the same thing?' 'No they're quite different' or 'I wouldn't quite call it true love'). Normally, however, I think 'quite' is pretty subtle (ex 'Its quite warm in here' or 'It tastes quite like strawberries.'

[JANBOEVINK]

Thanks again, Isabel. I had not noticed the note of sarcasm in the use of -quite- as I proposed. Perhaps I am just not very sensitive. Perhaps it is also present in the Swedish -helt- in the above phrase. -Quite warm- would clearly be: -ganska varmt-.

[judth3]

So what is wrong with 'very' different personalities?

[Lundgren8]

That would be mycket or väldigt or similar, but not helt.

[fyrkrans]

Could you elaborate? According to SO hel means mycket, alldeles in adverbial usage. So very seems to be a fitting translation IMHO.

edit: I guess they are trying to get the point across that the literal meaning of hel is whole, entire etc.

[IndrekKaro]

Can't one use "are different personalities"?

[Egbert-NL]

I used the synonym 'characters', but it was not accepted