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
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
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
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 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 jiā | I 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
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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