Expressing “Not Very” with “不太” (bù tài)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Level: A2 / HSK1

Similar to: Expressing “excessively” with “太” (tài) (A1)

Used for: Adding more explanation

Keywords: 不 (bù), 太 (tài)

You may be familiar with using 太 (tài) to express “too,” such as when something is “too expensive” or “too hot.” 不太 (bù tài) is a similar pattern for the negative, which means “not very” or “not so” (literally “not too”). Note that this pattern does not normally use 了 (le).

Contents

1. 不太 (bù tài) with Adjectives
   • Structure
   • Examples
2. 不太 (bù tài) with Verbs
   • Structure
   • Examples
     

不太 (bù tài) with Adjectives

Structure

Subj. + 不太 + Adj.

Note: This pattern can also be used with non-adjectives. See below for more info.

Examples

1. 我家不太大。
   
   Wǒ jiā bù tài dà.
   
   My house is not too big.
2. 那个地方不太远。
   
   Nàge dìfang bù tài yuǎn.
   
   That place is not very far away.
3. 老板今天不太高兴。
   
   Lǎobǎn jīntiān bù tài gāoxìng.
   
   The boss is not very happy today.
4. 这个店的衣服不太贵。
   
   Zhège diàn de yīfu bù tài guì.
   
   The clothes in this shop are not too expensive.
5. 我觉得他不太聪明。
   
   Wǒ juéde tā bù tài cōngming.
   
   I think he is not too smart.

不太 (bù tài) with Verbs

Structure

This pattern can be used with some psychological verbs (e.g., 喜欢 (xǐhuan), 想 (xiǎng), 明白 (míngbai)), as is the case with the next examples. These verbs are relatively limited.

Copy codeSubj. + 不太 + Verb

Examples

1. 我不太懂。
   
   Wǒ bù tài dǒng.
   
   I don’t really understand.
2. 我不太会说英语。
   
   Wǒ bù tài huì shuō Yīngyǔ.
   
   I can’t really speak English.
3. 他们不太想去。
   
   Tāmen bù tài xiǎng qù.
   
   They don’t really want to go.
4. 我哥哥不太喜欢他的工作。
   
   Wǒ gēge bù tài xǐhuan tā de gōngzuò.
   
   My older brother doesn’t really like his job.
5. 他不太明白老板的意思。
   
   Tā bù tài míngbai lǎobǎn de yìsi.
   
   He didn’t really understand what the boss meant.