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 。 Tā bù tài gāoxìng. He is not too happy.
• 她 不 太 漂亮 。 Tā bù tài piàoliang. She is not too pretty.
• 老师 不 太 友好 。 Lǎoshī bù tài yǒuhǎo. The teacher is not too friendly.
• 北京 不 太 舒服 。 Běijīng bù tài shūfu. Beijing is not too comfortable.
• 这 个 店 的 衣服 不 太 贵 。 Zhè gè diàn de yīfu bù tài gùi. The clothes in this shop are not too expensive.
• 我 觉得 他 不 太 聪明 。 Wǒ juéde tā bù tài cōngming. I think he is not too clever.
• 这 个 房间 不 太 大 。 Zhè gè fángjiān bù tài dà. This apartment is not too big.
• 那 个 地方 不 太 远 。 Nà gè dìfang bù tài yuǎn. That place is not very far away.
• 这 个 苹果 不 太 好吃 。 Zhè gè píngguǒ bù tài hǎochī. This apple is not very tasty.
• 现在 不 太 热 。 Xiànzài bù tài rè. 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. These verbs are relatively limited. The examples below have some frequently used verbs. Of course “不太” can also be used with optative verbs (verbs that express a desire or wish in the subjunctive tense, e.g. 愿意，希望，会), however, this usage is used for the speculation of the possibility that something will happen.

Subject + 不太 + Verb

Examples with verbs

• 我 不 太 懂 。 Wǒ bù tài dǒng. I don't really understand.
• 她 不 太希望 我们 走 。 Tā bù tàixīwàng wǒmen zǒu. She doesn't really want us to go.
• 我 不 太 相信 他 知道 。 Wǒ bù tài xiāngxìn tā zhīdao. I'm not really convinced he knows.
• 我 不 太 喜欢 我 的 工作 。 Wǒ bù tài xǐhuān wǒ de gōngzùo. I don't really like my job.
• 他 不 太 想 去 。 Tā bù tài xiǎng qù. He doesn't really want to go.
• 我 不 太 想 我 的 家人 。 Wǒ bù tài xiǎng wǒ de jiārén. I don't really miss my family.
• 她 不 太 认识 我 。 Tā bù tài rènshi wǒ. She doesn't really know me.
• 女人 不 太 关心 政治 。 Nǚrén bù tài guānxīn zhèng zhì. Women are not too concerned about politics.
• 我 觉得 你 不 太 了解 我们 公司 。 Wǒ juéde nǐ bù tài liǎojiě wǒmen gōngsī. I think that you don't really understand our company.
• 我 不 太 明白 你 的 意思 。 Wǒ bù tài míngbai nǐ de yìsi. I don't really understand what you mean.

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
• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 109) →buy