Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhèxiē shēngcí bù duō, dànshì yòng zài jùzi lǐ bù tài róngyì. - These new words are not many, but using them in sentences is not very easy.

这些生词不多 literally = “These new words not many.”
The structure is: subject + (不/很/很少 etc.) + adjective
→ 这些生词不多 = “There aren’t many of these new words.”

You would use 是 when linking two nouns:

他是老师。= He is a teacher.
But with quantities and adjectives, Chinese usually doesn’t use 是:
他很高。= He is tall.
人不多。= There aren’t many people.

What is the nuance of 不多 compared to 很少?

Both relate to “not many / few,” but they feel slightly different:

不多 = “not many,” fairly neutral.
- Often implies the number is limited but not necessarily extremely small.
- 这些生词不多。= There aren’t many new words.
很少 = “very few,” often stronger, more emphatic.
- 这些生词很少。= There are very few of these new words.

In your sentence, 不多 fits because the focus is: the number isn’t large, but the real problem is using them in sentences, which the second clause introduces.

Why is there no measure word in 这些生词不多? Why not 这些生词的数量不多 or something similar?

生词 here is treated as a general plural noun “new words,” not as a specific counted number.

Chinese can express “not many” in two ways:

Directly on the noun:
- 这些生词不多。
  → “These new words (in total) are not many.”
With an explicit “number/amount” word:
- 这些生词的数量不多。
  Literally: “The quantity of these new words is not much.”

Both are grammatical, but (1) is shorter and more natural in everyday speech. Measure words (个, 条, 本…) are needed when you specify a concrete number:

三个生词 = three new words
But here we’re talking about the overall amount, not a specific count.

What exactly does 生词 mean? Is it the same as 生字?

They’re related but different:

生词 (shēngcí)
- Literally “new / unfamiliar words.”
- Vocabulary items you don’t know or haven’t learned yet.
- Includes both meaning and pronunciation.
生字 (shēngzì)
- Literally “new / unfamiliar characters.”
- Individual Chinese characters you don’t recognize or can’t write.

In your sentence:

这些生词不多 = “There aren’t many unfamiliar words (vocabulary items).”

What does 用在 mean in 用在句子里? How is it structured?

用在 is: 用 (to use) + 在 (in/at/on) and together it means “to use (something) in/at/on (a place or context).”

Structure here:

(这些生词) 用在句子里不太容易。
“(Using) these new words in sentences is not very easy.”

This is a common pattern:

把这个词用在句子里。
Use this word in a sentence.
这个方法经常用在教学中。
This method is often used in teaching.

So 用在 + 地点/范围 = “use(d) in/at/for …”

Could we say 在句子里用 instead of 用在句子里? Is there any difference?

Yes, 在句子里用 is also grammatical, but the feel is slightly different:

用在句子里
- Stresses where something is used: “used in sentences.”
- More like “to apply… in sentences.”
在句子里用
- Stresses the action in a certain place: “in sentences, (you) use…”
- Word order: 在句子里 + 用 + (something)

In many contexts, both are acceptable and the difference is subtle. In your sentence, 用在句子里不太容易 is the more natural, compact way to say “(They are) not very easy to use in sentences.”

What is the role of 在 in 用在句子里? I thought 在 just meant “to be at.”

在 can work as:

A verb: “to be (located) at/in/on”
- 我在家。= I am at home.
A preposition: “at / in / on / during”
- 我在学校学习。= I study at school.

In 用在句子里, 在 is a preposition:

用在 + 句子里 = “use(d) in sentences.”

So here it’s not a separate “to be at” verb; it’s linking the action 用 (“use”) with the location 句子里 (“in sentences”).

Why does the second part start directly with 用在句子里? Where is the subject?

The subject is understood from the context and omitted, which is very common in Chinese.

The full, very explicit version would be:

这些生词 用在句子里不太容易。

In natural speech, once you’ve mentioned 这些生词 in the first part, you don’t need to repeat it:

这些生词不多，(这些生词) 用在句子里不太容易。

So the implied subject of the second clause is still 这些生词:

“These new words are not many, but (using these new words) in sentences is not very easy.”

What does 不太容易 mean exactly? Why not just say 很难?

Both relate to difficulty, but the tone is different:

不太容易 = “not very easy,” a softer, more moderate way of saying it’s somewhat difficult.
很难 = “very difficult,” stronger and more direct.

In English terms:

不太容易 ≈ “It’s a bit tricky / It’s not so easy.”
很难 ≈ “It’s quite hard / It’s very difficult.”

The original sentence sounds a bit more neutral and less dramatic by choosing 不太容易 instead of 很难.

I learned 太 means “too (much)” as in “too expensive.” Why does 不太容易 mean “not very easy” and not “not too easy”?

You’ve noticed a very common pattern:

太 + adjective (usually with 了) = “too …”
- 太贵了。= It’s too expensive.
不太 + adjective = “not very …”
- 不太贵。= Not very expensive.
- 不太容易。= Not very easy.

So 不太 + adj is an idiomatic pattern that means roughly “not very / not so.” It doesn’t usually imply “not too (and that’s good),” it’s simply softening the adjective.

Could we say 这些生词不多，但是不太容易用在句子里? Is that okay, and does it change the meaning?

Yes, that version is also correct:

这些生词不多，但是不太容易用在句子里。

Difference in feel:

用在句子里不太容易
- Focus: “Being used in sentences is not very easy.”
不太容易用在句子里
- Focus: “It’s not very easy to use (them) in sentences.”

In practice, both mean almost the same and both are natural. Your original sentence is slightly more compact and common, but the alternative is fine.

Can we replace 但是 with 可是 or 不过? Are they interchangeable here?

Yes, in this sentence you could also say:

这些生词不多，可是用在句子里不太容易。
这些生词不多，不过用在句子里不太容易。

All three show contrast:

但是 – fairly neutral, common in both spoken and written Chinese.
可是 – often a bit more colloquial/emotional in speech.
不过 – “however / but,” sometimes a bit lighter in tone.

Here, the basic meaning doesn’t change; you’re just connecting:

“There aren’t many new words” but “they’re not very easy to use in sentences.”

How is 不太容易 pronounced with tones? Does 不 change tone here?

Syllables with tones:

不 (bù) – 4th tone, but it often changes (tone sandhi)
太 (tài) – 4th tone
容 (róng) – 2nd tone
易 (yì) – 4th tone

In 不太容易, 不 is followed by another 4th-tone syllable (太), so it changes from bù (4th) to bú (2nd):

bú tài róngyì

So you should say: bú tài róngyì, not bù tài róngyì.