Basic evaluation, size, and difficulty | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 这个很好。

   This is very good.

   这个

   this

   很好

   very good

   More detail

   这个 means “this” here. It is the demonstrative expression 这 + 个: 这 identifies something as relatively near the speaker or as the item currently being indicated, while 个 is a common classifier. The expression can stand on its own as “this one” or come before a noun, as in 这个问题 (“this question”). The supplied sentence does not identify exactly what “this” refers to, so its grammatical role is clear even though the concrete referent is not. 很好 means “very good.” 好 is the adjective meaning “good”; 很 is the degree word “very” here. In Mandarin, 很 commonly occurs before an adjective used as the predicate of a simple descriptive sentence, so 很好 can naturally mean “is very good.” A useful comparison is 不好, “not good,” as in the contextual sentence 那个不好 (“That is not good”). Together, 这个 supplies the topic or subject, and 很好 describes it: “This is very good.” The sentence is a short, reusable pattern: 这个 + adjective = “This is [adjective].”

2. 那个不好。

   That is not good.

   那个

   that one

   不好

   not good

   More detail

   那个 means “that one” here. 那 points to something away from the speaker or already identified in context, contrasting with 这 in 这个 (“this one”). 个 is a common classifier used in this demonstrative pattern; 那个 can stand on its own when the thing being indicated is understood. 不好 means “not good.” Its base adjective is 好 (“good”); placing 不 before it forms a present-state negation: 不 + 好 → 不好. This is different from 太大了 in the next example, where 太 means “too” and 了 marks a change or newly recognized state; neither of those meanings is present in 不好. Together, 那个 identifies the thing as “that one,” and 不好 evaluates it negatively, giving the complete meaning “That is not good.”

3. 这个太大了。

   This is too big.

   这个

   this; this one

   太大

   too big

   了

   marks a new or resulting situation

   More detail

   这个 means “this” or “this one.” In Mandarin, 这 “this” combines with 个, a common measure word, to form a demonstrative expression. It can identify something near the speaker or currently selected; the supplied sentence does not specify what the referent is. A reusable pattern is 这个 + adjective, as in 这个不好 — “This is not good.” 太大 means “too big.” 大 is the base adjective “big,” and 太 + adjective expresses that the degree is excessive: 太小 means “too small,” while 很大 means “very big,” without necessarily implying that the size is excessive. Here, 太 modifies 大, so the excess concerns size. Example: 这个太贵。 — “This is too expensive.” 了 is sentence-final here. It presents the situation as newly recognized, newly relevant, or now holding; it does not by itself mean past time. The pattern 太 + adjective + 了 commonly gives an exclamatory or evaluative sense of “too …,” as in 太冷了 — “It’s too cold.” Together, 这个 identifies the item, 太大 evaluates its size as exceeding what is suitable or expected, and final 了 presents that evaluation as the current or newly relevant situation: “This is too big.”

4. 这个太小了。

   This is too small.

   这个

   this

   太

   too; excessively

   小

   small

   了

   marks a new or current state

   More detail

   这个 means “this” and is a demonstrative pronoun here: it identifies a particular item without naming it. In Mandarin, 这 is the “this” element and 个 is a common measure word used with many ordinary nouns; together, 这个 can stand on its own as “this one.” The form does not by itself tell us what the item is. 太 placed before a descriptive word means “too” or “excessively,” expressing that the degree goes beyond what is suitable or wanted. It is different from 很, which commonly means “very” or simply marks a descriptive statement without the same excess meaning. Pattern: 太 + adjective + 了, as in 太贵了 — “It is too expensive.” 小 means “small.” It is a descriptive word rather than an inflected adjective: it does not change for number, gender, or person. Its opposite is 大, “big.” For example, 这个房间很小 means “This room is very small.” 了 is sentence-final here. With an assessment such as 太小, it presents the situation as current or newly relevant to the speaker. It does not necessarily say that the item has changed size; the sentence can simply be a present judgment. This use differs from the 了 that can mark completion after a verb, as in 我吃了饭 — “I ate/have eaten.” Together, 这个 identifies the item, 太小 assesses its size as excessive in the undesirable direction, and final 了 presents that assessment as current or newly relevant: “This is too small.”

5. 这个很容易。

   It is very easy.

   这个

   this; it

   很

   very

   容易

   easy

   More detail

   这个 means “this” or “this one.” Here it is the subject, understood in the fixed translation as “it.” Chinese demonstratives do not change for grammatical gender or number in this form. In another context, 这个 can point to a specific person or thing, but the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what it refers to. 很 means “very” here and comes before the adjective. With a descriptive adjective used as the predicate, 很 also helps form a natural affirmative description; it need not always express a strong, measurable degree of “very.” The pattern is 很 + adjective. 容易 means “easy.” It is an adjective and does not change for person or number. Its useful opposite is 难, “difficult,” as in the supplied next sentence 这个很难 (“It is very difficult”). Example: 这道题很容易。 — “This question is very easy.” Together, 这个 + 很容易 gives “This/It is very easy.” The demonstrative is the subject, and 很容易 describes it. The same pattern can be reused with another adjective, such as 这个很难 — “This/It is very difficult.”

6. 这个很难。

   It is very difficult.

   这个

   this one

   难

   difficult

   More detail

   这个 means “this one” or “this,” referring to a specific thing that is understood from the situation. It can stand on its own as the subject. In Mandarin, 这 is “this,” and 个 is a common classifier used in this demonstrative expression; the expression does not by itself specify what the thing is. Example: 这个很好。 — “This one is very good.” Here, 这个 is again the subject, while the adjective describes it. 难 means “difficult” or “hard.” It is an adjective and does not change form for person or number. Its opposite in the supplied context is 容易, “easy”: 这个很容易。 — “This one is very easy.” The word 很 comes before 难 and marks a high degree here, giving “very difficult.” The pattern 主语 + 很 + adjective is reusable: 这个很贵。 — “This one is very expensive.” Together, 这个 identifies the subject, and 很难 describes it as highly difficult. Thus 这个很难。 means “It is very difficult” or, more literally, “This one is very difficult.”