很 (hěn) means “very” or “quite”. However, in a basic sentence, it functions as a linking word for nouns and adjectives, the same way 是 links nouns to nouns.

Here are the 3 sentence structures for 很.

With adjectives: Noun + 很 + Adjective (+ 吗)

With verbs: Subject + 很 + Verbs showing emotional state

As a complement: Subject + Adjective + 得很

You can use 非常 (fēicháng) to indicate “very”.

Since 很 is used a linking word for nouns and adjectives, it shows the basic relationship between a noun and adjective. 非常 (fēicháng) is an adverb of degree.

I am tired. 我很累。wǒ hěn lèi.

I am very tired. 我非常累。wǒ fēicháng lèi

I am busy. 我很忙。wǒ hěn máng.

I am very busy. 我非常忙。wǒ fēicháng máng.

Use 很 when you want to say that a noun is an adjective. This is when you’re describing a noun: Noun + 很 + Adjective

中国很大。zhōngguó hěn dà. China is big.

她很好。tā hěn hǎo. She is good.

老虎很大。lǎohǔ hěn dà. Tigers are big.

Use 是 when you want to say that a noun is another noun. This is when you want to define a noun: Noun + 是 + Noun

他是中国人。tā shì zhōngguó rén. He is Chinese.

她是个好人。tā shì ge hǎo rén. She is a good person.

老虎是一只大猫。lǎohǔ shì yī zhǐ dà māo. A tiger is a big cat.

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.

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.