Difference between revisions of "Expressing "not very" with "bu tai""
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| − | * 他 <em>不 太</em> 高兴。<span class=" | + | * 他 <em>不 太</em> 高兴。<span class="trans">He is not too happy.</span> |
| − | * 她 <em>不 太</em> 漂亮。<span class=" | + | * 她 <em>不 太</em> 漂亮。<span class="trans">She is not too pretty.</span> |
| − | * 老师 <em>不 太</em> 友好。<span class=" | + | * 老师 <em>不 太</em> 友好。<span class="trans">The teacher is not too friendly.</span> |
| − | * 北京 <em>不 太</em> 舒服。<span class=" | + | * 北京 <em>不 太</em> 舒服。<span class="trans">Beijing is not too comfortable.</span> |
| − | * 这 个 店 的 衣服 <em>不 太</em> 贵。<span class=" | + | * 这 个 店 的 衣服 <em>不 太</em> 贵。<span class="trans">The clothes in this shop is not too expensive.</span> |
| − | * 我 觉得 他 <em>不 太</em> 聪明。<span class=" | + | * 我 觉得 他 <em>不 太</em> 聪明。<span class="trans">I think he is not too clever.</span> |
| − | * 这 个 房间 <em>不 太</em> 大。<span class=" | + | * 这 个 房间 <em>不 太</em> 大。<span class="trans">This apartment is not too big.</span> |
| − | * 那 个 地方 <em>不 太</em> 远。<span class=" | + | * 那 个 地方 <em>不 太</em> 远。<span class="trans">That place is not very far away.</span> |
| − | * 这 个 苹果 <em>不 太</em> 好吃。<span class=" | + | * 这 个 苹果 <em>不 太</em> 好吃。<span class="trans">This apple is not very tasty.</span> |
| − | * 现在 <em>不 太</em> 热。<span class=" | + | * 现在 <em>不 太</em> 热。<span class="trans">Today it is not too hot.</span> |
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Revision as of 07:40, 1 November 2013
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Keywords
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).
Contents
“不太”后跟形容词
Structure with Adjective
Subject + 不太 + Adjective
Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for more info.
Examples with Adjective
- 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.
- 北京 不 太 舒服。Beijing is not too comfortable.
- 这 个 店 的 衣服 不 太 贵。The clothes in this shop is not too expensive.
- 我 觉得 他 不 太 聪明。I think he is not too clever.
- 这 个 房间 不 太 大。This apartment is not too big.
- 那 个 地方 不 太 远。That place is not very far away.
- 这 个 苹果 不 太 好吃。This apple is not very tasty.
- 现在 不 太 热。Today it is not too hot.
“不太”后跟动词
Structure with Verbs
This pattern can be used with some psychological verbs (e.g. 喜欢, 想，明白), as in the next two examples.这些动词比较有限，例句中列出的都是常用的。当然“不太”也可以跟能愿动词一起用，但是这个用法是用于对某事发生的可能性的推测。
Subject + 不太 + Verb
Examples with Verbs
- 我 不 太 喜欢 我 的 工作。I don't really like my job.
- 他 不 太 想 去 。He doesn't really want to go.
- 我 不 太 想 我 的 家人。I don't really like my family.
- 我 不 太 理解 你 的 做法。I don't really understand your method.
- 女人 不 太 关心 政治。Girls doesn't really like politics.
- 我觉得你 不 太 了解 我们 公司。I don't really think you understand my company.
- 我 不 太 相信 他 已经 结婚 了。I am not too convinced that he is already married.
- 我 不 太 明白 你 的 意思。I don't really understand your meaning.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 200) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 180-1) →buy
