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怎么样 in Chinese: Ask How Is... & How About... | 非常 vs. 很 in Chinese

In this video lesson we'll learn a very important sentence structure: 连动句 Liándòngjù - a Chinese Sentence with Verb Phrases in Series. And we'll also learn and compare the verbs 去 vs. 回 in Chinese.

  • 怎么样 in Chinese
  • Ask how is something in Chinese with 怎么样
  • Ask how about something in Chinese with 怎么样
  • Adverb 非常 in Chinese
  • Compare Adverbs 非常 vs 很 in Chinese

VOCABULARY


GRAMMAR


Grammar 1: Ask How Is Something in Chinese with 怎么样 · HSK 1

In the last lesson we learned the Question Pronounce 怎么 zěnme, and today we'll learn the Question Phrase  zěnmeyàng 怎么样 in Chinese.

怎么样 in Chinese as two usages:

(1) to ask how is something in Chinese or how is someone in Chinese

(1.a) ask people's opinion on someone/something

(1.b) ask how someone has been lately

(2) to ask how about something in Chinese

 

Firstly, when we want to ask how is something in Chinese or how is someone in Chinese, we can follow this structure:

Subject + 怎么样 ?

For example,

(1.a) ask for someone's opinion on something/someone,

  • zhèjiā fànguǎnde jiǎozi zěnmeyàng
    这家饭馆的饺子怎么样?
    how are this "jia" (of) restaurant's dumplings (are they good or not)
  • zhèsuǒ xuéxiàode lǎoshī zěnmeyàng
    这所学校的老师怎么样?
    how are this "suo" (of) school's teachers (are they good or not)

(1.b) ask how someone has been recently,

  • nǐde nǚpéngyou zěnmeyàng
    你的女朋友怎么样?
    how is your girlfriend
  • nǐ zài Zhōngguó zěnmeyàng
    你在中国怎么样?
    how have you been in China

 

Grammar 2: Ask How About Something in Chinese with 怎么样 · HSK 1

And secondly, we can ask how about something in Chinese with 怎么样 as well. We can follow this structure:

a suggestion,  怎么样?

For example,

  • nǐmen jīntiān wǎnshàng lái wǒjiā kàn diànyǐng chī pīsà, zěnmeyàng
    你们今天晚上来我家看电影吃披萨,怎么样?
    you guys this evening come to my house to watch (a) movie (and) eat pizza, how about that
  • wǒmen mǎitiáo gǒu, zěnmeyàng
    我们买条狗,怎么样?
    we buy a dog, how about that

 

Grammar 3: Adverb 非常 in Chinese · HSK 1

We learned the Adverb 很 hěn before, which suggests degree. Today we'll learn another Adverb that also suggests degree - féicháng 非常.

 

非常 can be directly translated as "very; unusually; extraordinarily". It is usually used before an Adjective like this:

非常 + adj.

For example:

  • zhège Hànzì fēicháng hǎoxiě
    这个汉字非常好写。
    this "ge" (of) Chinese character (is) unusually easy to write
  • Shànghǎi jīntiānde tiānqì fēicháng rè
    上海今天的天气非常热!
    Shanghai today's weather (is) unusually hot

 

非常 can also be used before some Stative Verbs such as 喜欢, 爱, 想 like this:

非常 + Stative v.

  • wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan māo
    我非常喜欢猫。
    I like cats very much
  • tā fēicháng 'ài tāde nǚpéngyou 
    他非常爱他的女朋友。
    he loves his girlfriend very much
  • wǒmen fēicháng xiǎng xué zěnme xiě Hànzì
    我们非常想学怎么写汉字。
    we want to learn how to write Chinese characters very much

 

Grammar 4: Compare Adverbs 非常 vs. 很 in Chinese · HSK 1

Literally, hěn 很 can be translated as "very; quite; pretty", while fēicháng 非常 can be translated as "unusually; extraordinarily".

LITERAL TRANSLATION
hěn
fēicháng
非常
very
quite
pretty
unusually
extraordinarily

 

However, when we compare the degree of emphasis among 很, 非常 and their English literal translation, the chart below is more realistic.

DEGREE OF EMPHASIS
hěn
< fēicháng
非常
< unusually
extraordinarily
pretty very
quite
6 Comments
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TranLamNgocPremium Student October 11, 2021 at 11:10 am

Further, if 不 goes before 怎么样 would be ‘ 不怎么样’ means ‘bad’ or ‘not good’. E.g.
。这家饭馆的饺子怎么样?
。这里饭馆的饺子不怎么样

psychicattackPremium Student August 11, 2020 at 1:16 am

力力老师,我有问题。
About the second usage of 怎么样 on asking people’s opinion, you first showed it by separating the 怎么样 with a full-width comma, but in some proceeding examples you don’t use any more commas. Does that affect the meaning? Is it significant, textually?
Thank you.

ChineseFor.UsAcademic Team August 16, 2020 at 8:19 pm

It’s the same. The comma means there is a pause in the sentence, it doesn’t affect the meaning.

Hi! I have some questions. If I would like to say ” I don’t have money” – should I say “wo mei qian” or ” wo mei you qian” ?
What is the difference between these two sentences?

Meaning wise, I would say it’s interchangeable in most situations. But 没 is more colloquial than 没有. So if it’s news broadcasting, or giving a formal public speech, or writing an essay, etc. it is more acceptable to use 没有, but in daily conversations, it’s usually okay to use both 没 or 没有.

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