Adjective Predicate Sentences
An adjective predicate sentence uses an adjective as the predicate directly, with no verb for 'is' or 'are'. It takes the form Subject + (degree adverb) + adjective, as in 她很高.
Pattern: Subject + (Degree Adverb) + Adjective
✅ 他很高。(He is tall.)
✅ 天气非常冷。(The weather is extremely cold.)
Important: Without a degree adverb, the sentence implies comparison:
- 他高。= He is tall. (implying: compared to someone else)
- 他很高。= He is tall. (neutral statement)
Never use 是 between subject and adjective:
❌ 他是高。(ungrammatical)
✅ 他很高。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这个苹果很甜。 | Zhè gè píng guǒ hěn tián. | This apple is sweet. | Subject + 很 + Adjective — basic adj predicate pattern |
| 今天天气不太好。 | Jīn tiān tiān qì bú tài hǎo. | Today's weather is not very good. | Negated degree: 不太 = not very/not too |
| 你的房间非常干净。 | Nǐ de fáng jiān fēi cháng gān jìng. | Your room is extremely clean. | 非常 as degree adverb; no 是 needed |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Adjective Predicate Sentences among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Questions about Adjective Predicate Sentences
What does 形容词谓语句 (Adjective Predicate Sentences) mean in Chinese?
An adjective predicate sentence uses an adjective as the predicate directly, with no verb for 'is' or 'are'. It takes the form Subject + (degree adverb) + adjective, as in 她很高. It is an HSK 1 grammar point.
How do you use 形容词谓语句 (Adjective Predicate Sentences) in a sentence?
这个苹果很甜。 — Zhè gè píng guǒ hěn tián. — This apple is sweet. Subject + 很 + Adjective — basic adj predicate pattern.
What do you need to know before 形容词谓语句 (Adjective Predicate Sentences)?
Degree Adverbs (HSK 1). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 形容词谓语句 (Adjective Predicate Sentences) lead to?
Adjective Reduplication (HSK 2), Structural Particle 得 (HSK 2). Each of them names 形容词谓语句 (Adjective Predicate Sentences) among its own prerequisites.
Do I need the verb 'to be' before an adjective in Chinese?
No. The adjective is the predicate by itself, so you say 她很高 and never 她是高. Put 很 or another degree word before it.
Why does 我忙 sound incomplete in Chinese?
A bare adjective suggests a comparison, so 我忙 sounds like 'I am busy (but you are not)'. For a neutral statement say 我很忙, or 我不忙 in the negative.
Adjective Predicate Sentences is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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