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Chinese Grammar (Beginner)
The Most Common Mistake: Misuse of the Adjectival Predicate
The misuse of the adjectival predicate is the most common mistake foreigners make while learning Chinese. Many students tend to say things like this: 我是很高兴。(Wŏ shì hĕn gāoxìng.) I am very happy.
Wŏ hĕn gāoxìng.
- 我 很 高 兴。
I'm very happy.
Tā hĕn piàoliang.
- 她 很 漂 亮。
She is very beautiful.
Zhè zhī xiăo gŏu hĕn kĕ’ài.
- 这 只 小 狗 很 可爱。
The little puppy is very lovely.
Many foreign learners tend to add a predicate before the adjectival predicate because that is how they form sentences like these in their native languages. However, it is not necessary to add the predicate since the adjectival predicate is the predicate. The structure of this kind of sentence is "S+很+adj." But here "很" doesn't indicate degree in the same way as it does elsewhere.
