Adjectives: 很 + adjective, no 是
我很忙: adjectives work like verbs, so they need no 是. Plus 不, 太…了 and 非常.
Part of the free A1 Chinese course (about HSK 1–2). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Adjectives work like verbs
An adjective is a describing word: busy, tall, cold, expensive. In English you link it to the subject with "to be": I am busy. Chinese doesn't. A Chinese adjective already contains the "be", so it sits straight after the subject, just like a verb.
That is why 是 (shì), the "to be" of 是: to be (with nouns), is not used with adjectives. 是 links two nouns (I am a student); an adjective needs no link.
很 (hěn): the little word in front
In a plain statement, Chinese puts 很 (hěn) before the adjective. 很 means "very", but here it is so weak that it usually isn't translated: 我很忙 is simply "I'm busy".
- 我很忙。(Wǒ hěn máng.)I'm busy.
- 今天很冷。(Jīntiān hěn lěng.)It's cold today.
- 这个菜很好吃。(Zhè gè cài hěn hǎochī.)This dish is delicious.
Why is it needed? An adjective on its own sounds like a comparison: 这个大 (zhè gè dà) suggests "this one is the big one (and that one isn't)". 很 makes it a neutral statement.
| Subject | 很 | Adjective | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 (wǒ) | 很 (hěn) | 累 (lèi) | I'm tired. |
| 她 (tā) | 很 (hěn) | 高 (gāo) | She's tall. |
| 咖啡 (kāfēi) | 很 (hěn) | 贵 (guì) | Coffee is expensive. |
Not: 不 + adjective
To say "not", put 不 (bù) before the adjective, and drop 很. Remember the tone change from Tone changes: 你好, 不 and 一: 不 becomes bú before a fourth tone (不累 bú lèi).
- 他不高。(Tā bù gāo.)He isn't tall.
- 我不太忙。(Wǒ bú tài máng.)I'm not very busy.
不太 (bú tài) means "not very": a soft, polite way to say no.
Questions
Add 吗 (ma) at the end, as in Yes/no questions with 吗. 很 is usually left out of the question; the answer brings it back.
- 你累吗？(Nǐ lèi ma?)Are you tired?
Stronger: 非常 and 太…了
- 非常 (fēicháng) = really, extremely. It replaces 很: 非常好 (fēicháng hǎo) = excellent.
- 太…了 (tài … le) = too …, or (with good things) so …! The adjective goes in the middle.
- 这个城市非常漂亮。(Zhè gè chéngshì fēicháng piàoliang.)This city is really beautiful.
- 咖啡太贵了！(Kāfēi tài guì le!)The coffee is too expensive!
- 天气太好了！(Tiānqì tài hǎo le!)The weather is great!
太好了！(Tài hǎo le!) on its own is an everyday "Great!". With a bad thing, 太…了 means "too": 太贵了 = too expensive.
Common mistakes
我是很忙。→ 我很忙。In a plain statement, adjectives take no 是. (You may hear 我是很忙 with a stressed 是, "I really am busy": that is emphasis, not the basic sentence.)我是忙。→ 我很忙。Same mistake, without 很.我没忙。→ 我不忙。For "not" + a describing word, use 不. (没 is for the past and for 有: see 不 or 没: two ways to say 'not'.)我非常是累。→ 我非常累。非常 goes straight before the adjective, with no 是.- Forgetting 很 is not exactly wrong, but 我忙 on its own sounds like a contrast ("I'm the busy one"). In a plain statement, say 我很忙.
Practice
- 我_____忙。(Wǒ ___ máng.)Options: 很 (hěn) · 是 (shì) · 有 (yǒu)
Show the answer
很 (hěn) — An adjective needs no 是. In a plain statement 很 goes before it.
- Which sentence means 'She is tall'?Options: 她很高。(Tā hěn gāo.) · 她是高。(Tā shì gāo.) · 她是很高。(Tā shì hěn gāo.)
Show the answer
她很高。(Tā hěn gāo.) — Adjectives work like verbs: no 是.
- Rewrite in the negative: 我很累。(Wǒ hěn lèi.)
Show the answer
我不累 — 不 replaces 很. 不 is said bú before the fourth tone of 累 lèi.
- 这个手机太贵_____！(Zhè gè shǒujī tài guì ___!)
Show the answer
了 — 太 … 了: the adjective goes in the middle.