Q: How to use 好几 as “quite a few”?

The usage of the phrase “ 好几 ” is quite similar to “ 几 .” They have the same structures: “好几” + Measure Word + Noun The only difference is that “ 好 ” is put in front, to modify “ 几 .” This structure emphasized the number of things. Example: 苹果公司发布了好几款新产品。| píng guǒ gōng sī fā bù le hǎo jǐ kuǎn xīn chǎn pǐn | Apple has released several new products.

Question 1

What does 几 mean in English and how to pronounce it?

Accepted Answer

In English 几 means: “several,” “a couple,” or “a few”, and it’s pronounced: jǐ.

Question 2

How to use 几 as “a few tens”?

Accepted Answer

We use 几 as “a few tens”, to express numbers bigger than 10.

It is similar to “a few dozen” or “a couple dozen” in English.

But, in Chinese instead of “twelves of something,” we are saying “tens of something (multiples of ten).”

The sentence structure: 几 + 十 + Measure Word + Noun

Example:

一个班级里有几十个学生。| yī gè bān jí lǐ yǒu jǐ shí gè xué shēng | There are dozens of students in a class.

Question 3

How to use 好几 as “quite a few”?

Accepted Answer

The usage of the phrase “好几” is quite similar to “几.”

They have the same structures: “好几” + Measure Word + Noun

The only difference is that “好” is put in front, to modify “几.”

This structure emphasized the number of things.

Example:

苹果公司发布了好几款新产品。| píng guǒ gōng sī fā bù le hǎo jǐ kuǎn xīn chǎn pǐn | Apple has released several new products.

Question 4

How to use 几 as “a few”?

Accepted Answer

The most common way to use 几 is when you want to express the amount of something.

The sentence structure is: 几 + Measure Word

Example:

她收到了几支玫瑰。| tā shōu dào le jǐ zhī méi guī | She received several roses.

Question 5

How to use 几 as “a few hundred/thousand/ten thousand?

Accepted Answer

We can also use 几 to describe “tens of something”, or we can put it together with 百 (bǎi), 千 (qiān), or 万 (wàn).

Just like how, in English, we might say, “a few hundred” or “a few thousand.”

This often applies in situations with larger numbers.

And it’s more commonly used when you’re unsure, and you just need a casual and general estimation.

So note that this is an informal expression.

The sentence structure is: 几 + 百/千/万 + Measure Word + Noun

Example:

这个月我们卖了几百件衣服。| zhè gè yuè wǒ men mài le jǐ bǎi jiàn yī fú | We sold hundreds of clothes this month.

Question 6

Where can I find other Chinese grammar lessons?

Accepted Answer

You can find other Chinese grammar lessons in our Chinese Grammar Bank.

Grammar Point	Pattern	Example
How to use 几	几 + Measure Word	她几岁？
How to use 就	…, 就 + Verb Phrase	看完电影我就睡觉了。
How to use 正在	Subject + 正在 + Verb + Object	老板正在开会。
How to use 更	更 + Adjective	我喜欢网购，因为更方便。
How to use 一边	Subj. + 一边 + Verb (，) + 一边 + Verb	我一边吃饭，一边写作业。
How to use 又	Subj.+ 又 + Adj. 1 + 又 + Adj. 2	他又高又壮
Expressing "Everything" with 什么 + 都/也	Topic (+ Subj.) + 什么都 / 也 + Verb / Adj.	她什么都相信。
Differences between 可是 and 但是	Statement + 可是 / 但是 + Contrary Statement	虽然我很想参加，可是我太忙了。
"A little bit" with 有点儿 and 一点儿	Subj. + 有点儿 + Adj.	我有点儿累。
Lack of understanding with 不懂	Subject + 不懂 (+ noun)	我不懂
Expressing difficulty with 难	Subject + (很)难 + Verb	日语很难学。
Before and after with 以前 and 以后	以前 + Subject + Verb + Object	以前我很喜欢游泳。

HSK 2