| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| Do you remember how the character said, |
| "That one is too expensive." |
| 那个太贵了。 (Nàgè tài guìle.) |
| 那个太贵了。 (Nàgè tài guìle.) |
| This sentence follows the affirmative pattern: |
| [Demonstrative] + [Measure Word] + [Noun] + Intensifier + Adjective |
| In this case: |
| 那个太贵了。(Nàgè tài guìle. ) |
| "That one is too expensive." |
| 那个 (nàge) is the demonstrative + measure word: "that one" |
| The noun is implied or omitted, like 电脑, "computer" |
| 太 (tài) is an intensifier meaning "too" or "very" |
| 贵 (guì) is the adjective "expensive" |
| 了 (le) adds emphasis or change of state |
| So, 那个太贵了 means "That one is too expensive." |
| In Chinese, there are a few common words you can use to show how strong or weak a quality is. |
| You'll often hear |
| 很 (hěn) – "very" |
| This is the most basic intensifier. It's often used just to link a subject to an adjective (even if there's no real emphasis). For beginners, think of it as the default way to say "X is [adjective]." |
| 非常 (fēicháng) – "extremely" or "very much" |
| A stronger intensifier than 很. It adds emphasis and is typically used when you want to highlight a strong opinion or feeling. Often used for both spoken and written Chinese. |
| 太 (tài) – "too" or "overly" |
| Used to express an excessive degree, often with 了 (le) at the end of the sentence. It can show positive excitement or a negative complaint, depending on tone and context. |
| These intensifiers help you express your opinion clearly, and they're super common in everyday speech. Once you get used to them, you'll start noticing them all the time! |
| Now you can use this structure to talk about what's good or bad when you're describing things in Chinese! |
| Now let's look at the negative form: |
| [Demonstrative] + [Measure Word] + [Noun] + 不 + (Intensifier) + Adjective |
| Here's how that works: |
| 不 (bù) is a common word in Chinese that means "not." |
| It's used to negate verbs and adjectives—basically to say something isn't or doesn't do something. |
| The intensifier is optional. You can use it to make your meaning softer or more polite. |
| For example, |
| 这个电脑不太快。 |
| Zhège diànnǎo bù tài kuài. |
| "This computer is not very fast." |
| 不太 (bù tài) means "not very." It softens your opinion and sounds more polite. |
| You can say 不快 — "not fast" — without 太, but it sounds a bit direct or blunt. |
| 不太快 "not very fast" — is more polite and much more common in everyday conversation. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| 这本书很有趣。(Zhè běn shū hěn yǒuqù.) |
| "This book is very interesting." |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| Let's break it down: |
| 这 (zhè) – "this" (demonstrative) |
| 本 (běn) – measure word for books |
| 书 (shū) – "book" |
| 很 (hěn) – intensifier meaning "very" |
| 有趣 (yǒuqù) – adjective meaning "interesting" |
| This sentence follows the structure: |
| [Demonstrative] + [Measure Word] + [Noun] + Intensifier + Adjective |
| Here's another example |
| 我的自行车不新。(Wǒ de zìxíngchē bù xīn.) |
| "My bicycle is not new." |
| 我的自行车不新。(Wǒ de zìxíngchē bù xīn.) |
| "My bicycle is not new." |
| Let's try one more, |
| 这个包太重了。(Zhège bāo tài zhòng le.) |
| "This bag is too heavy." |
| 这个包太重了。(Zhège bāo tài zhòng le.) |
| "This bag is too heavy." |
| Another one. |
| 那个菜不辣。(Nàgè cài bú là.) |
| "That dish is not spicy." |
| 那个菜不辣。(Nàgè cài bú là.) |
| "That dish is not spicy." |
| One last example. |
| 那辆车非常快。(Nà liàng chē fēicháng kuài.) |
| "That car is extremely fast." |
| 那辆车非常快。(Nà liàng chē fēicháng kuài.) |
| "That car is extremely fast." |
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