zhège gùshi hěn kěpà.

very

Breakdown of zhège gùshi hěn kěpà.

• 这个zhège: this
• 故事gùshi: story
• 可怕kěpà: scary

Questions & Answers about zhège gùshi hěn kěpà.

Why does the sentence start with 这个 before 故事?

这个 means this.

So 这个故事 means this story:

• 这 = this
• 个 = a measure word/classifier
• 故事 = story

Mandarin usually puts demonstratives like this and that directly before the noun, just like English:

• 这个故事 = this story
• 那个故事 = that story

What is 个 doing in 这个?

个 is a measure word (also called a classifier).

In Mandarin, when you say this/that + noun or a number + noun, you usually need a measure word in between:

• 这个故事 = this story
• 那个人 = that person
• 三个苹果 = three apples

个 is the most common general measure word. It is often used when speaking casually.

With 故事, other classifiers can appear in some contexts, such as:

• 一个故事 = a story
• 这个故事 = this story
• 一篇故事 = a story/article/text-like piece of writing

But in everyday speech, 个 is very common and natural here.

Why is 很 used before 可怕? Does it mean very?