1. Dì十kè 你juéde zuótiān 的 kǎoshì 怎麼 yàng？

2. fēicháng (intensifier) extremely
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fēicháng + adjectival verb
這|这bēi chá …
• 這個|这个nǚ(女)老師|师 …
他的qián…
 fēicháng 少
 Tài少了！

3. Describing how an action is performed
S + (V-O) + V + de + intensifier + adjectival verb
他 (jiāo中文) jiāo de 很/fēicháng 好。
Negation occurs before the adjectival verb.
他 (jiāo中文) jiāo de 不好。
Asking how an action is performed:
他 (jiāo中文) jiāo de zěn麼yàng？
他 (jiāo中文) jiāo de zěn么yàng？

4. Describing how an action is performed
S + (V-O) + V + de + intensifier + adjectival verb
How well do you speak Chinese…
• 你說中文說 de 怎麼yàng？
你说中文说 de 怎么yàng？
• 我(說中文)說 de很/fēicháng/不好。
我(说中文)说 de很/fēicháng/不好。
你學中文的 yǔfǎ學de 怎麼yàng？
你学中文的 yǔfǎ学de 怎么yàng？

5. Describing how an action is performed
S + (V-O) + V + de + intensifier + adjectival verb
Comment on how they perform:
他 tiàowǔ tiào de 怎麼yàng？
他 tiàowǔ tiào de 怎么yàng？
他 (tiàowǔ) tiào de fēicháng好。
她 chànggē chàng de怎麼yàng？
她 chànggē chàng de怎么yàng？
她 (chànggē) chàng de fēicháng不好 。

6. Describing how an action is performed
S + V-O + V + de + intensifier + adjectival verb
多 vs. 少
• 我 吃飯|饭 吃 de 很/fēicháng 多/少。
我 mǎi dōngxi mǎi de 很/fēicháng 多/少。
我 hējiǔ hē de 很/fēicháng 多/少。
我 tīng yīnyuè tīng de 很/fēicháng 多/少。

7. Describing how an action is performed
S + V-O + V + de + intensifier + adjectival verb
kuài ‘fast’ vs.
màn ‘slow(ly)’
我 吃飯|饭 吃 de 很/fēicháng kuài/màn。
我 xǐzǎo xǐ de 很/fēicháng kuài/màn。
我 kànshū kàn de 很/fēicháng kuài/màn。
我 zuò gōngkè zuò de 很/fēicháng kuài/màn。

8. Describing how an action is performed
S + (V-O) + V + de + intensifier + adjectival verb
He woke up very early/late this morning.
他 jīntiān 早shang 起chuáng起de 很早/晚。
Do you write (Chinese) characters fast?
你 xiě (hàn)zì xiě de kuài不kuài？
How did you do for yesterday’s test?
你 zuótiān 的 kǎoshì kǎo de 怎麼|么yàng？

9. Describing nouns with adjective verbs
When an adjective verb describes a noun, the adjectival verb, followed by the particle 的, occurs before the noun that is being described.
AdjV 的(main) Noun
That new café
那個|个xīn的 kāfēiguǎn

10. Describing nouns with adjective verbs
Adjectival verbs usually do not occur alone, but
are either preceded by an intensifier or 不.
When no special emphasis is intended, the intensifier 很 is used before the adjectival verb.
很nán的 kǎoshì
‘difficult test’
fēicháng nán的 kǎoshì
‘extremely difficult test’
不nán的 kǎoshì
‘not-difficult test’ 10

11. Describing nouns with adjective verbs
的 is generally present if the adjectival verb is more than one syllable long, or if the adjectival verb is preceded by an intensifier.
很piányi 的 shǒujī
Exception: 多 and 少
• 很多的zì

12. Describing nouns with adjective verbs
的 is often omitted if the adjectival verb + noun together form a commonly used expression.
好xuésheng
好háizi
boy-/girlfriend vs. male/female friends
nán/nǚ péngyou vs. nán/nǚ的péngyou

13. Adjectival verbs as main verbs
Adjectival verbs may serve as the main verb in the Mandarin sentence. When they do, the order of information in the sentence is S + V.
The teacher’s computer is expensive.
老師|师的diànnǎo 是很guì。

14. Adjectival verbs as main verbs
When the adjectival verb is 多duō and 少shǎo, English and Mandarin presents the information in the sentence in very different ways.
There are many/few people.
• 人是很多/少。
I have a lot of/little money.
我有很多/少qián。  Subject-Verb
我的qián很多/少。  Topic-Comment

15. 去 + location 去 + ActV [go do an action] Go take a shower Go study
去xǐzǎo
• 去學|学xí
去 + Location [go to a location]
Go to the library
Go to his dorm
去túshūguǎn
去他的sùshè

16. gēn NP (一起) together with NP
NP1 gēn NP2 一起 + V-O
• 我的tóngwū gēn 我一起學|学中文。
Shéi gēn 小 Lǐ 一起去túshūguǎn kàn shū?
小Gāo
小Gāo 的
nǚ péngyou
小Lǐ 16

17. gēn NP (一起) (prep.) together with NP
I would like to … with you.
我 xiǎng gēn 你 一 起 …
Go sing karaoke
Go to China to learn Chinese
• 我 xiǎng gēn 你 一起去中guó 學|学中文。
Whom do you want to …with?
你 xiǎng gēn shéi 一 起 …？

18. gēn NP (一起) (prep.) together with NP
Ask your roommate: Whom did you go
dancing with last night?
你zuótiān 晚shang gēn shéi 一 起去tiàowǔ？
Do you want to go with us?
• 你 yào不yào gēn我們|们一起去？

19. gāng (adv.): just now gāng + Verb My roommate just woke up.
我的tóngwū gāng 起chuáng。
My mom just gave me a call.
我māma gāng gěi 我 dǎ diàn話。
我māma gāng gěi 我 dǎ diàn话。
The class is just over!
Gāng xiàkè！

20. gāng (adv.): just now Little Wang just sang the “Happy Birthday”
song with his friends.
小Wáng gāng gēn 他的 péngyou 一起chàng
生rì kuàilè gē 。
Little Zhang just practiced speaking Chinese
with her classmates.
小張gāng gēn 她的 tóng 學一起 liànxí 說中文。
小张gāng gēn 她的 tóng 学一起 liànxí 说中文。

21. dǒng (v.) to understand Excuse me, I don’t understand what you said.
• 對不起，我不dǒng你說什麼。 对不起，我不dǒng你说什么。
The teacher speaks extremely fast. Do you understand?
老師|师說|说de fēicháng kuài，
你dǒng不dǒng？
我dǒng了！

22. 有的…有的… “有的 NP” always occurs before the verb of the sentence.
some of the
“有的 NP” always occurs before the verb of the
sentence.
Some (of the people) like drinking coffee; some like drinking tea.
有的人xǐhuan hē kāfēi，有的(人)xǐhuan hē chá。
Some of the students are dancing; some are
singing.
• 有的學|学生zài tiàowǔ，有的(學|学生)
zài chànggē 。

23. 有的…有的… Topic comment structure
some of the
Topic comment structure
I know some of the teachers; some I don’t.
• 有的老師|师我rènshi，有的(老師|师)我不
rènshi。
I don’t understand some of the grammar; I forgot and couldn’t write some of the characters.
有的yǔfǎ 我不dǒng，有的zì 我wàng了，
不會|会xiě。

24. 有的…有的… 有的 NP also implies a comparison with other
some of the
有的 NP also implies a comparison with other
nouns or noun phrases.
Some of the books are cheap; some are expensive.
有的shū很piányi，有的(shū)很guì。