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Questions & Answers about tā hěn ài hē chá, wǒ gèng ài kàn shū.
Why is 很 in front of 爱? I thought 很 mainly goes before adjectives.
- Here 很 is a degree adverb meaning “really/very,” and it can modify certain mental‑state verbs such as 爱, 喜欢, 讨厌, 想.
- So 很爱 = “really love/are very fond of.”
- This is different from the “neutral 很” that appears before adjective predicates (e.g., 他很高). In this sentence it’s a true intensifier, not just a grammatical filler.
If I remove 很 and say 她爱喝茶, is it still correct? What changes?
- Yes, 她爱喝茶 is correct.
- Nuance:
- 她爱喝茶: plain, definitive statement; can sound a bit blunt/strong.
- 她很爱喝茶: highlights degree (“really loves”), and often sounds more natural in conversational speech when stressing liking.
Is 爱 too strong here? Should I use 喜欢 instead?
- With activities/habits, both are fine:
- 她爱喝茶 / 她喜欢喝茶 — both natural; with hobbies, 爱 can mean “be keen on/tend to.”
- Strength/register:
- 爱 feels stronger or more decisive; 喜欢 is milder.
- With people, 我爱你 is very strong/romantic, while 我喜欢你 is “I like you.”
- Everyday usage often allows 爱 with foods/drinks: 我爱吃辣.
Why is 更 placed before 爱? Can I say 我爱更看书?
- 更 goes right before the adjective/verb phrase whose degree is increased.
- Correct: 我更爱看书 (“I love reading even more”).
- Incorrect: 我爱更看书.
- With adjectives: 今天更冷; with verbs: 我更想回家.
Does 更 always need 比 to compare things? What is it comparing here?
- No. 更 can compare to something implicit in context.
- Here, 我更爱看书 is understood as “compared with what she loves (drinking tea), I love reading more.”
- You can make it explicit:
- 比起喝茶，我更爱看书。
- 我比她更爱看书。
- Without 更, 我比她爱看书 already means “more than she does”; adding 更 intensifies it.
Why are there no aspect markers like 了, 在, or 过?
- The sentence talks about general preferences/habits, not ongoing or completed actions, so no aspect marking is needed.
- Different uses:
- 在: ongoing — 我在看书 (I’m reading now).
- 了: completion/change — 她爱喝茶了 (she has come to love tea now).
- 过: experience — 我喝过茶 (I’ve had tea before).
Why is 看 used for reading? What about 读书 or 阅读?
- Common options:
- 看书: everyday, general “read books” (also “study” in context).
- 读书: also “read,” slightly more bookish; can also mean “to attend school.”
- 阅读: formal “to read (as an activity/skill).”
- Your sentence works with any: 我更爱看书 / 我更爱读书 are natural; 我更爱阅读 sounds formal.
Why no measure word with 书 or 茶 here? Should it be 一本书, 一杯茶?
- For general activities, Chinese uses bare nouns:
- 喝茶 = drink tea (as an activity/habit).
- 看书 = read books (in general).
- Use measure words when quantifying or specifying:
- 看一本书 (read a book), 喝一杯茶 (drink a cup of tea).
- 更爱看一本书 is odd unless you mean a specific book (then: 更爱看这本书).
Could I just say 她爱茶 instead of 她爱喝茶?
- 她爱茶 exists but feels literary/formal. In everyday speech 她爱喝茶 / 她喜欢喝茶 is much more natural.
- Don’t say 喝茶叶 (“drink tea leaves”); you drink 茶, not leaves (茶叶).
Why is there just a comma between the two clauses? Should I add a word like 但是 or 而?
- Chinese often links coordinated/contrasting clauses with a comma.
- You can add a connector for clarity/style:
- Contrast: 她很爱喝茶，但是我更爱看书。
- Mild contrast/whereas: 她很爱喝茶，而我更爱看书。
- 不过/可是 also work for “but.”
- The original comma already signals contrast because of 更 in the second clause.
How do I pronounce 更 here—gèng or gēng?
- As an adverb meaning “even more,” it’s gèng (fourth tone): gèng ài.
- gēng (first tone) appears in words like 更衣 gēngyī (change clothes), 更换 gēnghuàn (replace).
Are 他 and 她 pronounced the same? How do we know it’s “she” here?
- Yes, both are pronounced tā. Spoken Mandarin does not mark gender.
- Writing distinguishes 她 (female) vs 他 (male). In speech, context provides gender; if needed, speakers add clarifiers like 那个女的 (that woman).
Can I drop the subjects and just say 很爱喝茶，更爱看书?
- Mandarin allows subject dropping when context is clear, but dropping both here can sound too bare.
- Natural:
- Keep both: 她很爱喝茶，我更爱看书。
- Sometimes drop the second subject if clear: 她很爱喝茶，(我)更爱看书。
What other degree words can replace 很 or intensify the comparison?
- Before 爱/喜欢:
- 非常/特别/挺/十分: 她特别爱喝茶。
- For “even more”:
- 更/更加: 我更加爱看书 (更加 is slightly more formal/emphatic).
- Don’t stack degree adverbs incorrectly (avoid 很更爱).
Can I say 我爱看书更多 to mean “I prefer reading more”?
- No. 更多 modifies quantity, not preference degree, so 我爱看书更多 is ungrammatical.
- Use:
- Preference: 我更爱看书。
- Quantity: 我看更多的书。 (I read more books.)
How can I explicitly say “I prefer reading to drinking tea” using 比 or other patterns?
- Natural patterns:
- 比起喝茶，我更爱看书。
- 跟喝茶相比，我更爱看书。
- 我宁愿/更喜欢看书，不太爱喝茶。
- Comparing people’s degrees: 我比她更爱看书。 (I love reading more than she does.)