Difference between revisions of "Simple "noun + adjective" sentences"

Line 25: Line 25:
 
* 猫 <em>很</em> 小。<span class="trans">The cat is small.</span>
 
* 猫 <em>很</em> 小。<span class="trans">The cat is small.</span>
 
* 他 <em>很</em> 坏。<span class="trans">He's bad.</span>
 
* 他 <em>很</em> 坏。<span class="trans">He's bad.</span>
* 我 家 的 狗 <em>很</em> 聪明。<span class="trans">The dog in my family is clever.</span>
+
* 我 家 的 狗 <em>很</em> 聪明。<span class="trans">My family's dog is clever.</span>
 
* 你 <em>很</em> 漂亮。<span class="trans">You are beautiful.</span>
 
* 你 <em>很</em> 漂亮。<span class="trans">You are beautiful.</span>
 
* 中文 <em>很</em> 难。<span class="trans">Chinese is difficult.</span>
 
* 中文 <em>很</em> 难。<span class="trans">Chinese is difficult.</span>

Revision as of 09:10, 25 February 2014

In English, nouns can be linked to adjectives and other nouns with the verb to be. In Chinese, nouns are linked in different ways to adjectives and other nouns. Nouns are linked to nouns with 是. Nouns are linked to adjectives with 很(hěn).

Structure

Noun + 很 + Adjective

The noun in this structure is the subject of the sentence. Sometimes the 很 in this structure is translated as "very", but often it is just a way to link a noun to an adjective.

Examples

In the following examples, 很 is just a link, and the sentences could be translated as "(Noun) is (adjective)".

  • 好。I'm good.
  • 高。She's tall.
  • 高兴。He is happy.
  • 好看。You are good-looking.
  • 大象 大。The elephant is big.
  • 小。The cat is small.
  • 坏。He's bad.
  • 我 家 的 狗 聪明。My family's dog is clever.
  • 漂亮。You are beautiful.
  • 中文 难。Chinese is difficult.

Remember that 是 is not used to link adjectives to nouns. This is a classic mistake that almost everyone makes when learning Chinese. Make sure you use 很 and not 是 to link adjectives to nouns, as shown below:

  • 高。
  • 高。He is tall.

See also

Sources and further reading

Videos

Books