Difference between revisions of "Expressing "not very" with "bu tai""
(Created page with "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" (l...") |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | 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). | + | You may be familiar with using [[Expressing "excessively" with tai|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== | ==Structure== | ||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | Note: | + | Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for more info. |
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| − | |+ | + | |+不太 sentences |
|- | |- | ||
! Subject !! <em>不</em> !! 太 !! Adjective !! | ! Subject !! <em>不</em> !! 太 !! Adjective !! | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
| 她 || <em>不</em> || 太 || 想 || 去 。 | | 她 || <em>不</em> || 太 || 想 || 去 。 | ||
|} | |} | ||
| + | |||
| + | </div> | ||
'''Note:''' 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. | '''Note:''' 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. | ||
| − | + | ==See also== | |
| + | |||
| + | * [[Expressing "excessively" with tai]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Sources and further reading == | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Books === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * [[Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition]] (pp. 200) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615 →buy] | ||
| + | * [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1]] (pp. 180-1) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category:A2 grammar points]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Adverbs]] | ||
Revision as of 08:53, 16 March 2012
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
Some examples:
| Subject | 不 | 太 | Adjective | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 我 | 不 | 太 | 高兴 | 。 |
| 他 | 不 | 太 | 好看 | 。 |
| 老师 | 不 | 太 | 友好 | 。 |
| 我 | 不 | 太 | 喜欢 | 。 |
| 她 | 不 | 太 | 想 | 去 。 |
Note: 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.
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
