Introducing Adjectival Predicate Sentences

In this video we learn a basic sentence structure“sentences with an adjectival predicate”. In Chinese it is called “形容词谓语句xíngróngcí wèiyǔ jù”.

This kind of sentence does not need a verb, as the adjective follows the subject directly. You have to notice that the adverb “很hěn” is usually placed before the adjective.

S + 很 hěn +Adj.

Here the meaning of “很hěn” is not so obvious. “Tiānqi hěn hǎo” and “tiānqi hǎo” are not so much different in degree.

天气很好。Tiānqi hěn hǎo. The weather is fine.

We usually use this kind of sentence to describe something or somebody. For example：

熊猫很胖。Xióngmāo hěn pàng. Pandas are fat.

它很可爱。Tā hěn kěài. It’s cute.

它的眼睛很黑。Tā de yǎnjīng hěn hēi. Its eyes are black.

它的身体很圆。Tā de shēntǐ hěn yuán. It has a round body.

玛丽很漂亮。 Mǎ lì hěn piàoliang 。 Mary is beautiful.

王小宝很聪明。Wáng xiǎobǎo hěn cōngming. Wang Xiaobao is clever.

You can try to use this sentence structure to describe something or somebody.

The following is Chinese and English Version of Situational Dialogue in the Video：

西西：我很高兴，看到了很多动物！

王小宝：是啊，今天很开心，但是我也很累。

西西：我很饿，我们去吃饭吧。

王小宝：好啊，我们去哪儿？

西西：我们去那家饭店吧，那里的汉堡很好吃。

王小宝：好的。

Xixi: I’m glad that we have seen so many animals today.

Wang Xiaobao: Me too. But I’m also tired.

Xixi: I’m hungry. Shall we go to eat something now?

Wang Xiaobao: Sure. Where are we going to eat?

Xi Xi: The restaurant over there. The hamburgers they serve taste good.

Wang Xiaobao: OK.

© Shanghai International Studies University