Very – excessively – extremely
To express “too” in Chinese, in the sense that something is too cool, too good, too much, there’s one easy word you can use: 太 (tài). In Chinese, you also use 太 to show something is very or extremely good. And don’t worry, you won’t sound ironic like you could in English if you say something is too good.
For instance, you say: 太好了 to mean something is really great. 太好了, right?
Structure
太 is always placed right before the adjective it describes, just like in English.
太 + Adjective + 了
Remember to always add 了 at the end of this structure, or you’ll sound rather unsophisticated!
Examples
太 贵 了! It's too expensive!
太好了! Awesome! (Literally too good!)这个 手机 太 便宜 了！This mobile phone is really [too] cheap!牛奶 太 好喝 了。Milk is very tasty.
Not very
Not feeling very something? Then 太 is also your word! In its negative form, 不 太 means something is "not extremely.."
Structure
Subject + 不 太 + Adjective
As you see, 不 太 works exactly the same way, with the exception that in the negative form, no 了is needed.
Examples
不太好。 Not very good.
不 太 饿。 I'm not very hungry.这 杯 咖啡 不 太 好喝。This coffee doesn't taste very good.那 件 衣服 不 太 好看。These clothes don't really look good.
Not very with verbs
不 太 can also be used with some verbs, although not with all. Reserve this pattern for verbs that show your mental state, such as 明白 – understanding, 喜欢 – liking , 想– wanting…
Structure
Subject + 不 太 + Verb
Examples
不 太 喜欢。 I don’t really like it.
不 太 想 去。I don’t really want to go这 道 题 我 不 太 懂。I don't really understand this question.她 的 丈夫 不 太 喜欢 踢足球。Her husband doesn't like playing football that much.