Expressing "really" with "zhen"

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As an adverb, the word 真 (zhēn) means "really" or "truly."

真 (zhēn) Before an Adjective

Structure

真 (zhēn) is used only in exclamatory sentences and comes before an adjective.

真 + Adj.

Example

  • 好!zhēn hǎo!You are so nice!
  • 你 女朋友 漂亮!Nǐ nǚpéngyou zhēn piàoliang! Your girlfriend is really pretty!
  • 他 家 有钱!Tā jiā zhēn yǒuqián! His family is really rich!
  • 小狗 可爱!Xiǎogǒu zhēn kě'ài! This puppy is really cute!
  • 今天 热!Jīntiān zhēn rè! It's truly hot today!

真 (zhēn) Before Certain Verbs or 能 (néng) / 会 (huì)

We don't want to get too technical on you, but there are certain other words that can be jazzed up with 真 (zhēn). One type of word is auxiliary verbs, like 能 (néng) and 会 (huì). The other type is psychological verbs like 喜欢 (xǐhuan).

Structure

真 + Verb

Example

  • 你 妈妈 爱 你!Nǐ māma zhēn ài nǐ! Your mother really loves you!
  • 喜欢 住 在 中国!zhēn xǐhuan zhù zài Zhōngguó!I really like living in China!
  • 讨厌 这 种 男人!zhēn tǎoyàn zhè zhǒng nánrén!I really hate this kind of guy!
  • 会 说话!zhēn huì shuōhuà! You are so good with words!
  • 能 吃!zhēn néng chī! You ate so much!

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites