Chinese Grammar Bank

HOW TO USE 太?

太 (tài) is an adverb of degree that indicates “too” or “too much of something”.

太 (tài) is used a lot to indicate something being excessive, but it can also be used to say how good something is.

太 WITH ADJECTIVES

太 (tài) is often used with 了 (le) to emphasise the adjective of the sentence and indicate “too”, “so” or “very”.

There are a few instances where 了 isn’t added to the sentence.

However, because of the emotion that comes with saying a phrase with 太 and the fact that this structure shows that the description (adjective) has already exists, 了 is rarely omitted.

PATTERN

Subject + 太 + Adjective + 了

CHINESEPINYINENGLISH
他们的票太贵了。tāmen de piào tài guìle.Their tickets are too expensive.
他说了我太胖了。tā shuōle wǒ tài pàngle.He said I’m very fat.
我们觉得他太帅了。wǒmen juédé tā tài shuàile.We think he is very handsome.
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chinesepinyinenglish
那位小姐太可爱了。nà wèi xiǎojiě tài kě’àileThat lady is very cute.
别太害羞。bié tài hàixiū.Don’t be so shy.
她不想买太贵的东西。tā bùxiǎng mǎi tài guì de dōngxī.She doesn’t want to buy things that are too expensive.

BONUS || Check out our free lesson about how to use 了 here!

太 WITH VERB

When used with verbs, 太 (tài) shows that the action is occurring in a great degree.

PATTERN

Subject + 太 + Verb + Object

CHINESEPINYINENGLISH
我太喜欢你的声音。wǒ tài xǐhuān nǐ de shēngyīn.I like your voice a lot.
我太想我的故乡。wǒ tài xiǎng wǒ de gùxiāng.I miss my homeland so much.
我太希望你安全地回家。wǒ tài xīwàng nǐ ānquán de huí jiāI really hope you get home safely.

不太 WITH VERBS & ADJECTIVES

不太 (bútài) is used to express “not too” or “not very”, showing that something is not very excessive.

了 (le) isn’t used with 不太 (bútài).

不太(bútài) is used with some verbs that indicate the emotional or mental state of the subject.

PATTERN

Subject + 不太 + Adjective/Verb

CHINESEPINYINENGLISH
今天我不太累。jīntiān wǒ bú tài lèi.I’m not very tired today.
明天不太可能。míngtiān bú tài kěnéng.Tomorrow may not be possible.
这个问题不太难。zhège wèntí bú tài nán.This question isn’t too hard.
我不太想看他。wǒ bú tài xiǎng kàn tā.I don’t really want to see him.
我不太了解他说的话。wǒ bú tài liǎojiě tā shuō dehuà.I don’t really understand what he said.

BONUS || Check out our free lesson on Chinese Negation here.

SET PHRASES WITH 太

太过分了 (tài guòfènle)

Definition: To have gone too far or overboard.

太过分了can be used to describe a person and a situation as having gone too far with something.

你太过分了。
nǐ tài guòfènle
You’ve gone too far.
这个玩笑太过分了。
zhège wánxiào tài guòfènle
This joke has gone too far.

太不像话 (tài bú xiànghuà)

Definition: Too improper, too ridiculous or too outrageous.

不像话 (bú xiànghuà) means “unreasonable”, “outrageous” or “shocking”.

他太不像话,我受不了他的态度
tā tài bú xiànghuà, wǒ shòu bùliǎo tā de tàidù
He is so outrageous, I can’t stand his attitude.
他来晚的理由太不像话
tā lái wǎn de lǐyóu tài bú xiànghuà
His reason for being late is so shocking.

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FAQs

What does 太 mean?

太 (tài) means “too”, “very” or “extremely”.

What is the sentence structure for 太?

The basic Chinese sentence structure is Subject + Verb + Object. OR Subject + Adverb of degree + Adjective

太 (tài) can be used with both verbs and adjectives.

The basic structure of 太 sentence with adjectives is:

Subject + 太 + Adjective + 了 

他太帅了。tā tài shuài le. He is very handsome.

The basic structure of 太 sentence with verbs is:

Subject + 太 + Verb + Object 

他太喜欢你。 tā tài xǐhuān nǐ. He likes you a lot.

How do you use 太 in a negative sentence?

不 (bù) is added to 太 (tài) to form negative sentences.

The structure is:

Subject + 不太 + Adjective/Verb 

我不太喜欢这首歌。wǒ bú tài xǐhuān zhè shǒu gē. I don’t really like this singer.

今天我不太累。jīntiān wǒ bú tài lèi. I’m not very tired today.

How to make proper sentences in Chinese?

Our first advice would be to start taking classes with a professional teacher to help you with this.

That way, you get a structured course and can monitor your progress.

If you cannot take classes at the moment, you can learn some basic Chinese grammar to make sentences here and sentence structures here.

Don’t forget to also check our Grammar Bank that we are frequently updating with new grammar points.

How to improve my Chinese listening skills?

Podcasts can be a great way to work on your Chinese while you’re busy working on something else.

Whether you’re commuting, doing the dishes, or walking the dog, these Chinese podcasts can help you take your Chinese to the next level without much effort!

How can improve my reading in Chinese?

If you have learnt at least 100 characters, then you can start reading in Chinese!

Yes, even without an extensive vocabulary under your belt, you can start reading Chinese to improve your skills. Graded readers are novels written specifically for language learners of all different levels. Here are our recommendations of the best graded readers for Chinese.

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