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

你真好！Nǐ zhēn hǎo!You are so nice!
你女朋友真漂亮！Nǐ nǚpéngyou zhēn piàoliang! Your girlfriend is really pretty!
他家真有钱！Tā jiā zhēn yǒuqián! His family is really rich!
小狗真可爱！Xiǎogǒu zhēn kě'ài! This puppy is really cute!
今天真热！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

你妈妈真爱你！Nǐ māma zhēn ài nǐ! Your mother really loves you!
我真喜欢住在中国！Wǒ zhēn xǐhuan zhù zài Zhōngguó!I really like living in China!
我真讨厌这种男人！Wǒ zhēn tǎoyàn zhè zhǒng nánrén!I really hate this kind of guy!
你真会说话！Nǐ zhēn huì shuōhuà! You are so good with words!
你真能吃！Nǐ zhēn néng chī! You ate so much!

Category:A2 grammar points Category: Adverbs