Difference between revisions of "Expressing "not very" with "bu tai""
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| − | {{Basic Grammar| | + | {{Basic Grammar|太|A2|不太 + Adj|他 <em>不太</em> 高 。你 <em>不太</em> 喜欢 ， 是 吗 ？|grammar point|ASGUNMHU}} |
{{Similar|Expressing "excessively" with tai}} | {{Similar|Expressing "excessively" with tai}} | ||
Revision as of 06:59, 13 June 2012
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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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).
Structure
Subject + 不 + 太 + Adjective
Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for more info.
Examples
| Subject | 不 太 | Adj / V | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你 | 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 。 |
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
