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Saying “really” with 很 (hěn) before verbs

很 (hěn) + Verb

很 (hěn) — very with verbs

HSK 3Verb phrases

Rule structure

With stative verbs such as 喜欢 (xǐhuan), 爱 (ài), and 怕 (pà), 很 (hěn) can be a real intensifier meaning “very” or “really.” This differs from adjectival predicate cases, where 很 (hěn) is often weakened and serves a grammatical function.

Examples

我很喜欢中国菜。

Wǒ hěn xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.

I really like Chinese food.

她很爱吃水果。

Tā hěn ài chīshuǐguǒ.

She really loves eating fruits.

我很喜欢看书。

Wǒ hěn xǐhuān kànshū.

I really like reading books.

Practice

Build the sentence

Drag the characters to put them in the correct order

Characters

Words from this rule

很

hěn

Very

我

wǒ

I, me

喜欢

xǐhuan

To like, to enjoy

中国

Zhōngguó

China

菜

cài

Dish, vegetables, cuisine

她

tā

She

爱

ài

Love, to love

吃

chī

To eat

水果

shuǐguǒ

Fruit

看

kàn

To look, to watch, to read

书

shū

Book

电影

diàn yǐng

Movie, film

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “very with verbs” in Chinese with 很?

Use the structure: 很 (hěn) + Verb. For example: 我很喜欢中国菜。 — “I really like Chinese food”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我很喜欢中国菜。 — “I really like Chinese food”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.

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More HSK 3 grammar rules

了 — ongoing duration

Verb + 了 (le) + Duration + 了 (le)

了 — ongoing duration with double 了

Verb + 了 (le) + Duration + 了 (le)

难 — hard to do

难 (nán) + Verb

没办法 — can't help, no way

没办法 (méi bànfǎ) + Verb

一边 — doing two things at once

一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2

如果…就 — if… then…

如果 (rúguǒ)……，就 (jiù)……

万 — big numbers

Number + 万 (wàn) / 亿 (yì)

地 — turning adjectives into adverbs

Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb