很 + 形容词

describing someone or something: no 是 before an adjective

What it means

To describe someone or something, put an adjective straight after the subject, with no 是. 很 usually goes in front of it.

How it is built

Subject + 很 + adjective: 你妹妹很漂亮！ (Your younger sister is beautiful!) Negative: subject + 不 + adjective: 这个手机不好看。 (This phone doesn't look nice.)

When to use it

Here 很 is mostly glue and only means “very” when you stress it. Leave 很 out and it sounds like a comparison: 她漂亮 = she's the pretty one. With 不 there is usually no 很.

Watch out

✗ 她是漂亮 ✓ 她很漂亮. English “is” before an adjective is not 是, as in lesson h1-1 (我很忙).

Examples

Also in this lesson

• 的
• 和 · 跟