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You may be familiar with using 太 (tài) to express "too," such as when something is "too expensive" or "too hot." 不太 (bù tài) is a similar pattern for the negative, which just means "not very" or "not so" (literally "not too"). Note that this pattern does not normally use 了 (le).
不太 (bù tài) with Adjectives
Structure
Subj. + 不太 + Adj.
Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for
more info.
Examples
- 我 家 不 太 大。Wǒ jiā bù tài dà.My house is not too big.
- 那 个 地方 不 太 远。Nàge dìfang bù tài yuǎn.That place is not very far away.
- 老板 今天 不 太 高兴。 Lǎobǎn jīntiān bù tài gāoxìng.The boss is not very happy today.
- 这 个 店 的 衣服 不 太 贵。Zhège diàn de yīfu bù tài guì. The clothes in this shop are not too expensive.
- 我 觉得 他 不 太 聪明。Wǒ juéde tā bù tài cōngming.I think he is not too smart.
不太 (bù tài) with Verbs
Structure
This pattern can be used with some psychological verbs (e.g. 喜欢 (xǐhuan), 想 (xiǎng), 明白 (míngbai)), as is the case with the next examples. These verbs are relatively limited.
Subj. + 不太 + Verb
Examples
- 我 不 太 懂 。Wǒ bù tài dǒng.I don't really understand.
- 我 不 太 会 说 英语 。Wǒ bù tài huì shuō Yīngyǔ.I can't really speak English.
- 他们 不 太 想 去 。 Tāmen bù tài xiǎng qù.They don't really want to go.
- 我 哥哥 不 太 喜欢 他 的 工作 。Wǒ gēge bù tài xǐhuan tā de gōngzuò.My older brother doesn't really like his job.
- 他 不 太 明白 老板 的 意思 。Tā bù tài míngbai lǎobǎn de yìsi. He didn't really understand what the boss meant.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 200) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 180-181) →buy
- A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 109) →buy
Category:A2 grammar points Category:Adverbs