Adverbs Study Guide
Discover the role of adverbs in Chinese language. Learn their categories, formation, position in sentences, and comparison.
宁可 (nìng kě)
rather
'Rather' in Chinese is '宁可'. It presents a choice, like the English translation 'would rather' - the speaker prefers to do this thing, or prefers that one thing happens instead of another. It is often used in scenarios to make comparative judgment.
完全 (wán quán)
completely
The Chinese word '完全' is often used just like 'completely' in English. It can be used in various contexts and sentences and commonly used to emphasize the totality or fullness of a situation or condition. For instance, '我完全同意' translates to 'I completely agree'.
完全地 (wán quán de)
fully
The Chinese word '完全地' can be used in many of the same contexts as the English word 'fully'. It can be used to describe a state of completion or thoroughness, often as an adverb modifying a verb, such as 'completely understand' (完全地理解).
Example sentences with 完全地 →完美地 (wán měi de)
perfectly
The Chinese word '完美地' is an adverb, used to describe doing something in a perfect manner. It can be used in various contexts, but is often used to describe performing an action or behavior without any mistakes or flaws.
Example sentences with 完美地 →实际上 (shíjì shàng)
actually
In Chinese, '实际上' (shíjì shàng) is used to indicate the reality of a situation despite what was previously believed or said, it works similarly to 'actually' in English. It's mostly used to correct or contradict what was said before or to add emphasis to a point.
家 (jiā)
home
The Chinese word for home is '家'. It is used in the context of indicating one's dwelling or a place where one lives, similar to how it is interpreted in English. This could refer to an actual physical house, an apartment, a town or city, or even a country. Furthermore, '家' also conveys a sense of warmness and charm because home is a place of comfort for many people. It can be used in various phrases and expressions to depict family, household, or a sense of belonging.
容易地 (róngyì de)
easily
In Chinese, '容易地' is used similarly to 'easily' in English. It's used to describe the ease with which an action is executed. It can be used before a verb to modify or explain the manner in which the action is done. It is often used in sentences when describing activities conducted with ease.
宽的 (kuān de)
wide
In Chinese, '宽的' is used to describe something that has a large distance or extent from side to side. Similar to English, it can be used to describe physical objects like streets or rivers, as well as more abstract concepts like a wide range of knowledge.
小 (xiǎo)
small
The Chinese word '小' is used to describe the size of an object or a thing, implying it is not large or it is less than average in size. It can be used for physical dimensions as well as metaphorical extension in aspects of age, quantity, degree, etc. It is used similar to how the word 'small' is used in the English language.
尖锐 (jiān ruì)
sharp
In Chinese, '尖锐' connotes both physical sharpness, such as the sharpness of a knife, as well as abstract sharpness, like a sharp mind or sharp criticism. It can be used in various contexts just like in English.
Example sentences with 尖锐 →左 (zuǒ)
left
The Chinese word for 'left' is '左', which is often used in everyday conversation and text. It can be used to describe direction, specifically the one to the left side. In addition, it's often used in combination with other words to describe objects or locations on the left side.
差不多 (chà bù duō)
nearly
In Chinese, '差不多' is used to mean 'nearly' or 'almost', often used to describe a circumstance or an action that is close to completion or a particular state. It can be used in various contexts, referring either to the quantity or the quality of something.
Example sentences with 差不多 →已经 (yǐ jīng)
already
The Chinese word '已经' is used to indicate that something has happened or changed state, similar to how 'already' is used in English. For example, '我已经吃过了' translates to 'I have already eaten'. It is usually placed before the verb it is modifying.
市中心 (shì zhōng xīn)
downtown
The Chinese word '市中心' (shì zhōng xīn) literally translates to 'city center'. It is used to refer to an urban district, often the commercial, historical, or geographic heart of a city. It has a similar connotation to the English 'downtown', and is used in similar contexts.
干净 (gān jìng)
clean
The Chinese word for 'clean' is '干净'. It can be used in situations where you'd use 'clean' in English. For example, you can use it to describe someone's appearance, a tidy room, or even to order food without certain ingredients i.e. '干净' of something.
Example sentences with 干净 →平的 (píng de)
flat
The word '平的' in Chinese is commonly used to describe an surface without raised areas or depressions. It can be used to refer to a physical flat surface or also metaphorically to describe a lack of variety or change in a situation or plot in a story, comparable to the usage in English.
Example sentences with 平的 →广泛地 (guǎngfàndì)
widely
广泛地 is used similar to how 'widely' is used in English. It can denote something that happens to a large scale, degree, or area. For instance, it can be used to describe a person who is '广泛地' respected, which means they are respected by many people or in many places. It is often used to talk about broad areas or widespread events.
开 (kāi)
on
In the Chinese language, '开' is a translation of the English word 'on' and it is primarily used to state that something is turned on or in operation. Its usage can be similar to the English use of 'on' as in examples like 'the light is on' or 'the computer is on', where in Chinese we may say '灯开了' or '电脑开了'.
Example sentences with 开 →强烈地 (qiáng liè de)
strongly
The Chinese word '强烈地' is often used to describe something that is intense or powerful, in a similar manner to how 'strongly' is used in English. For example, it may be used to describe strong emotions, opinions, or sensations.
当 (dāng)
when
The word '当' in Chinese is used in a similar context as 'when' in English. However, it is more often used when linking two related actions or events, such as indicating the cause and effect, condition and result, or time and event.
当然 (dāng rán)
certainly
The Chinese word '当然' is used in contexts referring to things that are certain or unquestionable. It can be used in both questions and statements. It often expresses consent or agreement in casual conversation.
很多 (hěn duō)
much
The word '很多' in Chinese is an adjective used to describe a large amount or number of something. It can be used in various contexts similar to the English word 'much'. For example, '我有很多书' translates to 'I have many books'.
很少 (hěn shǎo)
rarely
The Chinese word '很少' is similar to the use of 'rarely' in English. It is an adverb that describes an event or action that does not occur often. The placement of '很少' is usually before the verb in a sentence to denote the infrequency of the action. For example, '我很少看电视' means 'I rarely watch TV'.
很快 (hěn kuài)
soon
In Chinese, '很快' is used quite similarly to 'soon' in English. It can be used in sentences to represent something that will happen in the near future. Moreover, it can also describe the rapidity of an action being performed.
必要地 (bì yào de)
necessarily
In Chinese, '必要地' is an adverb and translates to 'necessarily'. It is often used when indicating something that is unavoidably true, essential, or a must due to certain circumstances or rules. 下雨的时候，必要地要带伞 (When it's raining, it's necessary to bring an umbrella).
Example sentences with 必要地 →快 (kuài)
fast
The word '快' in Chinese directly translates to 'fast' in English. It can be used to describe speed, like how quick someone is running or the speed of a car. However, it can also be used to express urgency, as in to hurry. For example, '你快走' - 'You go fast'.
快速 (kuài sù)
quick
The Chinese word '快速' is the translation for 'quick'. It is used to describe something happening with speed or being done in a short amount of time. It can also be used to describe someone or something that moves fast.
快速地 (kuài sù de)
quickly
In Chinese, '快速地' is an adverb used to convey speed or swiftness in doing something, effectively equivalent to 'quickly' in English. It can be used in various contexts, often placed before a verb to describe the manner in which an action is performed.
怎么 (zěn me)
how
In Chinese, '怎么' is commonly used to ask about the method or way something is done. It can also be used to express surprise or confusion about something, much like the English 'how'.
总是 (zǒng shì)
always
The Chinese word '总是' is an adverb, often used to express that something consistently or invariably happens, corresponds to 'always' in English. It is frequently employed in both spoken and written Chinese.