{{Grammar Box}} In English, nouns can be "linked" to adjectives and other nouns with the verb "to be." In Chinese, [[noun]]s are linked to other nouns in one way, but linked to [[adjective]]s in a completely different way. Nouns are linked to other [[Connecting nouns with "shi"|nouns with 是 (shì)]]. Nouns are linked to adjectives with 很 (hěn). == Structure ==
Noun + 很 + Adj.
The noun in this structure is the subject of the sentence. Sometimes the 很 (hěn) 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 (hěn) is just a link (you could think of it as a substitute for the verb "to be"), and the sentences could be translated as "(Noun) is (adjective)."
* 我 很 好。 Wǒ hěn hǎo.I'm good. * 你 很 漂亮。 Nǐ hěn piàoliang.You are pretty. * 他 很 高兴。 Tā hěn gāoxìng.He is happy. * 中文 很 难。 Zhōngwén hěn nán.Chinese is difficult. * 老板 很 生气。 Lǎobǎn hěn shēngqì.The boss is angry. * 我们 很 累。 Wǒmen hěn lèi.We're tired. * 我 哥哥 也 很 高。 Wǒ gēge yě hěn gāo.My older brother is also tall. * 你 家 也 很 远 吗？ Nǐ jiā yě hěn yuǎn ma?Is your house also far away? * 爸爸 很 忙，妈妈 也 很 忙。 Bàba hěn máng, māma yě hěn máng.Dad is busy, and mom is also busy. * 他 和 他 弟弟 都 很 帅。 Tā hé tā dìdi dōu hěn shuài.He and his younger brother are both handsome.
Remember that '''是 (shì) 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 (hěn) and not 是 (shì) to link adjectives to nouns, as shown below:
== What 很 (hěn) Really Means == If you're like most learners, when you first learn this pattern, you're thinking, ''"How can 很 (hěn) mean "very" one minute, but then nothing but a "link" the next? How do I know if anything means anything in this language?"'' That's a reasonable response. But in the case of these "Noun + Adj." sentences, you just have to think of this usage of 很 (hěn) as an exception. It's just part of the structure. If you actually want to add the meaning of "very" into the sentence, you could use another adverb instead of 很 (hěn). One good choice is 非常 (fēicháng).
==See also== * [[Connecting nouns with "shi"]] == Sources and further reading == ===Videos=== * Yoyo Chinese: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDoyhfSUpII&list=PL94A5E422FB99CDDD "To be" + Adjectives] === Books === * [[Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar]] (pp. 56-8) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933330899 →buy] * [[Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition]] (pp. 44-5) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615 →buy] * [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (pp. 126-8)　[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy] * [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)]] (pp. 20-1, 143) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401 →buy] * [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)]] (pp. 23, 166, 249) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235 →buy] *[[40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）]] (p. 86)[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20 →buy] [[Category:A1 grammar points]] {{Basic Grammar|很|A1|Noun + 很 + Adj.|我 很 好。|grammar point|ASG17BLH}} {{Structure|Basics}} {{Similar|Basic sentence order}} {{Similar|"Both A and B" with "you"}} {{Similar|The "zui" superlative}} {{Similar|Connecting nouns with "shi"}} {{Similar|Special verbs with "hen"}} {{Similar|Expressing "a little too" with "you dian"}} {{Similar|Adjectives with "name" and "zheme"}} {{Similar|Reduplication of adjectives}} {{Similar|The "also" adverb}} {{Used for|Expressing quality}} {{Used for|Describing things}} {{Translation|very}} {{Translation|be}} {{Translation|is}}