Dialogue

Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to describe something as good or bad in Chinese?
Welcome to Three Step Chinese Practice by ChineseClass101.com. In this lesson, you will practice affirmative and negative sentences with adjectives.
Let's look at the main dialogue.
Two people are having a conversation.
我喜欢便宜一点的。你推荐哪个电脑?(Wǒ xǐhuān piányí yìdiǎn de. Nǐ tuījiàn nǎge diànnǎo?)
"I like the cheaper one. Which computer do you recommend?"
那个怎么样?(Nàgè zěnme yàng?)
"How about that one?"
那个太贵了。那个电脑快吗?(Nàgè tài guìle. Nàgè diànnǎo kuài ma?)
"That one is too expensive. Is that computer fast?"
In the sentence 那个太贵了 (Nàgè tài guì le) — "That one is too expensive" —
we see the pattern: [Intensifier] + [Adjective]
太 (tài) means "too"
贵 (guì) means "expensive"
And 了 (le) adds emphasis or shows a change of state.
This structure is used to express strong opinions or reactions, both positive and negative.
Now, just a quick reminder about intensifiers in Chinese.
很 means "very." It's the default way to connect a subject and an adjective — even if you're not stressing the meaning.
非常 means "extremely." It's stronger than 很 and adds more emphasis.
And 太 means "too," as in "too expensive" or "too big." It often comes with 了 to show a strong feeling.
You'll hear these often, so just listen for them when people describe things.
You can also make this kind of sentence negative using 不 (bù):
For example:
这个电脑不太快。 (Zhège diànnǎo bù tài kuài.)
"This computer is not very fast."
不太 (bù tài) softens the sentence and makes it more polite.
Instead of saying something is simply "not good," you're saying it's "not very good" — a gentler way to express your opinion.
Let's keep going and practice describing things using intensifiers and adjectives.

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