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
他	不 太	高兴	。
她	不 太	漂亮	。
老师	不 太	友好	。
我	不 太	喜欢	。
他	不 太	想	去 。

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 last two examples.

Subject + 不 + 太 + Verb

Examples

不太 sentences

Subject	不 太	V
我	不 太	喜欢	。
他	不 太	想	去 。

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