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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 13

你的书包真好看 Your backpack looks really nice

Nǐ de shūbāo zhēn hǎokàn

Adjective predicate sentences (no 是 before an adjective; use 很). Degree adverbs 真 / 太 / 最. Adjectives 高 / 老 / 新 / 多 / 少 / 好看 / 好听 / 好玩儿.

Dialogue

真好看 — Really nice

谢小文马mǎ小xiǎo明míng, 你nǐ的de书shū包bāo真zhēn好hǎo看kàn! Ma Xiaoming, your backpack is really nice!
马小明谢xiè谢xiè. 是shì新xīn的de. Thanks. It's new.
谢小文我wǒ的de太tài老lǎo了le. 不bú太tài好hǎo看kàn. Mine's too old. Not very nice.
马小明哪nǎ儿ér老lǎo? 我wǒ看kàn, 你nǐ的de也yě好hǎo看kàn. Where old? I think yours is nice too.
谢小文真zhēn的de吗ma? Really?
马小明真zhēn的de! 老lǎo的de也yě好hǎo看kàn. Really! Old can be nice too.

Dialogue

太好听 — So nice to listen to

大山马mǎ小xiǎo明míng, 中zhōng国guó话huà太tài好hǎo听tīng了le! Ma Xiaoming, Chinese sounds so beautiful!
马小明是shì吗ma? 我wǒ觉jué得de也yě好hǎo听tīng. Yeah? I think so too.
大山高gāo老lǎo师shī说shuō话huà最zuì好hǎo听tīng! Teacher Gao speaks the most beautifully!
马小明你nǐ也yě很hěn好hǎo听tīng. Yours is also nice.
大山我wǒ? 我wǒ说shuō不bú太tài好hǎo. Me? I don't speak so well.
马小明不bù! 你nǐ说shuō真zhēn的de很hěn好hǎo. No! You really do speak well.

Dialogue

中国菜真好吃 — Chinese food is really good

大山中zhōng国guó菜cài真zhēn好hǎo吃chī! Chinese food is really tasty!
马小明是shì的de, 中zhōng国guó菜cài最zuì好hǎo. Yes, Chinese food is the best.
大山我wǒ妈mā妈ma的de菜cài也yě好hǎo吃chī. 没méi有yǒu中zhōng国guó菜cài好hǎo. My mom's cooking is good too — not as good as Chinese though.
马小明你nǐ妈mā妈ma的de菜cài也yě是shì中zhōng国guó菜cài? Your mom cooks Chinese?
大山不bú是shì. 是shì外wài国guó菜cài. No. Foreign food.
马小明那nà, 我wǒ们men都dōu喜xǐ欢huan中zhōng国guó菜cài! Well, we both love Chinese food!

Vocabulary

真zhēn: adverb really
太tài: adverb too (excessively)
最zuì: adverb most
高gāo: adjective tall; high
老lǎo: adjective old (people, things)
新xīn: adjective new
多duō: adjective many; much
少shǎo: adjective few; little
好hǎo看kàn: adjective good-looking
好hǎo听tīng: adjective nice to listen to
好hǎo玩wán儿ér: adjective fun to play with

New characters

新xīn: new
新年 xīnnián — new year新闻 xīnwén — news重新 chóngxīn — anew (二16)
话: (in 电话 = phone)
电话 diànhuà — phone打电话 dǎ diànhuà — make a call的话 de huà — "if X were the case…" (二35)
最zuì: most
最后 zuìhòu — finally; last (recall Bk1)最好 zuìhǎo — best to; preferably
玩wán: (in 好玩儿)
好玩儿 hǎowánr — fun to play with

Hanzi — writing & recognition

太

tài too (excessively) Writing

4 strokes standalone

很

hěn very (required degree adverb) Writing

9 strokes left-right

Required degree-adverb filler before adjectives. 我很好 ≠ "I am VERY good"; just "I am good." Without 很, sounds incomplete.

高

gāo tall Writing

10 strokes top-bottom

老

lǎo old (revisit ch9) Writing

6 strokes standalone

真

zhēn really Recognition

10 strokes top-bottom

最

zuì most Recognition

12 strokes top-bottom

新

xīn new Recognition

13 strokes left-right

少

shǎo few; little (revisit ch7) Recognition

4 strokes top-bottom

听

tīng listen (revisit ch11) Recognition

7 strokes left-right radical 口

Grammar

Adjective predicate — no 是, but 很

Explanation

Adjectives directly serve as predicates — NO 是 needed. BUT: a bare adjective requires a degree adverb (typically 很, even when "very" isn't meant). 我很好 (I am well — 很 is REQUIRED, doesn't literally mean "very"!). Without 很, the sentence sounds incomplete or contrastive. DEGREE adverbs: 真 (really), 太 (too / excessively), 最 (most). 真好 (really good), 太好 (too good / wonderful), 最好 (the best). NEGATION: 不 + adj. 不好 / 不太好 (not too good). KEY: NEVER say *是好 or *是高 — adjectives don't take 是.

Examples

你的书包真好看. Your backpack looks really nice.
中国菜太好吃了! Chinese food is so good!
我妹妹最高. My sister is the tallest.
我很好, 谢谢. I'm fine, thanks.

Pronunciation

声母 b, p, m, f Initials b, p, m, f

声母 b, p, m, f — Initials b, p, m, f

This chapter teaches four initials: b, p, m, f. All four are pronounced using the lips (bilabials and labiodental).

b — like "p" in "spy" (English unaspirated) bā · bà · bǐ · bù
p — like "p" in "pie" (English aspirated) pǎ · pó · pī · pù
m — like "m" in English "me" mā · mó · mǐ · mù
f — like "f" in English "find" fā · fó · fǔ · fù

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