Expressing "not very" with "bu tai"

You may be familiar with using 太 (tài) to express "too" in the sense of "too expensive." There's a similar pattern in the negative, which just means "not very" or "not so" (literally "not too"). Note that this pattern does not normally use 了 (le).

Structure

Subject + 不太 + Adjective

Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for more info.

Examples

不太 sentences

Subject	不 太	Adj		Translation
他	不 太	高兴	。	He is not too happy.
她	不 太	漂亮	。	She is not too pretty.
老师	不 太	友好	。	The teacher is not too friendly.

Structure with Modal Verbs

This pattern can be used with modal verbs (e.g. 会, 能) as well as psychological verbs (e.g. 喜欢, 崇拜), as in the next two examples.

Subject + 不太 + Verb

Examples

不太 sentences

Subject	不 太	V		Translation
我	不 太	喜欢	。	I don't really like (it).
他	不 太	想去	。	He doesn't really want to go.

See also

• Expressing "excessively" with tai

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 200) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 180-1)　→buy