A stative verb expresses quality or
conditions, as 好 hăo to be good
and 忙
máng to be
busy . In Chinese a stative verb is
used where in English one would use the verb ‘to be’ with an
adjective. For instance, 他很
忙 tā hěn máng
he is very busy .
|
Subject |
Predicate |
|
他 (pronoun) |
← 忙 (stative verb) |
|
↑ |
|
|
很 (adverbial intensifier) |
The word 忙 máng to be busy is a stative verb in the above sentence. A monosyllabic stative verb is often preceded by the adverbial intensifier 很 hĕn very. As you may have noticed, the adverbial intensifier 很 hĕn veryis placed before the stative verb 好 hăo to be good .
As with any Chinese verb, the negation 不 bù notshould be placed before the verb, as in 不 忙 bù máng not to be busy. 不 bù notis the only negation used for stative verbs. The negation 没 méi not for is not used for stative verbs.
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The book is good. The magazine is not good. The fish is good. The vegetable is no good.
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How do you say the following sentence? Place the mouse on the following phrases to view the answers.
H e is very good ? (He is 他 tā , very is 很 hĕn and you should know how to say good.)