Adjectival predicates with 很
A Chinese adjective can be the whole predicate — no verb needed. It normally takes 很 in front, which here is just a linker, not “very”.
Structure
主语 + 很 + 形容词
Explanation
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
To say “X is big / tired / expensive”, Chinese puts the adjective straight after the subject and adds no verb: “It’s hot today.” The in front is not really “very” — when it is unstressed it simply holds the sentence together, and means “I’m fine”, not “I’m very well”. If you drop entirely, the bare adjective sounds like an unfinished comparison: hints at “today is hot (but yesterday wasn’t)”. Real emphasis comes from a stressed in speech or from a stronger word such as or …: . In the negative, disappears and takes its place directly before the adjective: “I’m not busy.” You can also chain adjectives with or , each keeping its own : ，.
Correct
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
今天很热。今天很熱。
Jīntiān (first tone, high and level) hěn (third tone, dipping) rè. (fourth tone, falling)···
It’s hot today.
我的房间不大。我的房間不大。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) fángjiān (second tone, rising) bú (second tone, rising) dà. (fourth tone, falling)···
My room isn’t big.
她很漂亮，也很聪明。她很漂亮，也很聰明。
Tā (first tone, high and level) hěn (third tone, dipping) piàoliang, (fourth tone, falling) yě (third tone, dipping) hěn (third tone, dipping) cōngming. (first tone, high and level)···
She’s beautiful, and smart too.
Incorrect — Common mistakes
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 我是高兴。
Correct
Correct sentence: 我很高兴。
Why: No 是 with adjectives. The adjective is already the predicate; 很 is what stands in front of it.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 今天热。
Correct
Correct sentence: 今天很热。
Why: A bare adjective sounds like half of a comparison. Adding unstressed 很 makes it a plain statement, not “hotter than something else”.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 他很不忙。
Correct
Correct sentence: 他不忙。
Why: In the negative, 很 drops out: 不 attaches straight to the adjective.
Compared with
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
是 and 很 are never interchangeable, yet beginners swap them constantly. Ask what follows: a noun (老师, 学生, 中国人) takes 是; a quality word (忙, 累, 高兴, 贵) takes 很. Neither sentence ever contains both — 他是很忙 is always wrong.
是 sentences: saying what something is →Mini quiz
Question 1 / 3Total score: 0
Choose the word that correctly fills the gap.
我今天 ___ 累。