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).

“不太” with adjectives

Structure

Subject + 不太 + Adjective

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

Examples with adjectives

• 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 are 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” with verbs

Structure

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 miss 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。Women are not too concerned about politics.
• 我觉得你 不 太 了解 我们 公司。I think that you don't really understand our 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

• 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