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Level Foundations · HSK 1

Adjectives: 很, 太…了, 最 and Other Degree Words

In Chinese, adjectives act like verbs: 忙 means "to be busy" all by itself, so there's no 是. But a bare adjective sounds like a comparison ("this one is big, that one is small"), so in a plain statement Chinese adds 很 (hěn). Here 很 works as a link, not a real "very".

Once you know that, the rest is a short list of degree words, each with its own slot and flavour.

Subject + 很 + adjective

For a plain description, put 很 before the adjective. In the negative, 很 drops out and 不 takes its place. A bare adjective is fine in questions (忙吗？) and in contrasts.

  • 我很忙。

    Wǒ hěn máng.

    I'm busy.

  • 今天很冷。

    Jīntiān hěn lěng.

    It's cold today.

  • 我不忙。

    Wǒ bù máng.

    I'm not busy.

  • 这个大，那个小。

    Zhège dà, nàge xiǎo.

    This one is big, that one is small.

Very, really, too, the most

These words all go in 很's slot, right before the adjective. 太…了 frames the adjective: it means "too" in complaints and "so" in praise (太好了, great!). 真 is for exclaiming about what's in front of you. 不太 softens a negative.

WordMeaningExample
很 hěn(link); very when stressed很好 good
非常 fēichángvery, extremely非常好 excellent
真 zhēnreally, so! (exclaiming)真好 so good!
太…了 tài…letoo; so太贵了 too expensive
不太 bú tàinot very不太好 not very good
最 zuìthe most最好 the best

  • 他非常高兴。

    Tā fēicháng gāoxìng.

    He's very happy.

  • 这儿的菜真好吃！

    Zhèr de cài zhēn hǎochī!

    The food here is so good!

  • 太贵了！

    Tài guì le!

    That's too expensive!

  • 我不太饿。

    Wǒ bú tài è.

    I'm not very hungry.

  • 她最高。

    Tā zuì gāo.

    She's the tallest.

一点儿: a little

一点儿 (yìdiǎnr) goes after an adjective to mean "a bit more so", often in requests: 便宜一点儿 (a bit cheaper). After a verb it means "a little" of something: 说一点儿中文. With 也 and a negative it means "not at all".

  • 便宜一点儿吧。

    Piányi yìdiǎnr ba.

    Make it a bit cheaper.

  • 我会说一点儿中文。

    Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén.

    I can speak a little Chinese.

  • 我一点儿也不累。

    Wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bú lèi.

    I'm not tired at all.

Common mistakes

  • ✗我是很忙。

    ✓我很忙。

    Wǒ hěn máng.

    Adjectives don't take 是. The adjective is the verb of the sentence.

  • ✗我不很忙。

    ✓我不太忙。

    Wǒ bú tài máng.

    不很 sounds stilted. The everyday way to say "not very" is 不太.

  • ✗我一点儿累。

    ✓我有点儿累。

    Wǒ yǒudiǎnr lèi.

    一点儿 goes after an adjective, not before. For "a bit (too) tired" Chinese uses 有点儿 before the adjective, covered at A2.

Questions learners ask

Does 很 always mean "very"?

No. In 我很好 it's mostly a link and "I'm fine" is the right translation. If you really mean very, stress 很 when you speak, or use 非常 or 真.

Why does 太好了 mean "great" when 太 means "too"?

太…了 is about going past a normal level. With a negative quality (贵, expensive) that's a complaint; with a positive one it's enthusiasm. 太好了 and 太棒了 are everyday ways to cheer.

Practice this in lessons

The Foundations lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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