Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ juéde zhè zhī gǒu tèbié kě'ài.

Pattern: 这只狗特别可爱 = “This dog is especially cute.”
Structure: [subject] + [degree adverb] + [adjective]
Here: 这只狗 (subject) + 特别 (degree adverb) + 可爱 (adjective).

If you add 是 (这只狗是特别可爱的), it becomes more emphatic or contrastive, often used when you’re stressing or defending a point, or when the adjective phrase is in front of 的. For a simple neutral statement, you just say 这只狗特别可爱 without 是.

What exactly does 觉得 mean here, and how is it different from 想 or 认为?

觉得 means “to feel / to think / to find (that something is …)” and often implies a personal, subjective impression.

我觉得这只狗特别可爱 ≈ “I think / I feel this dog is especially cute.”
You can also use 觉得 for physical or emotional feelings:
- 我觉得不舒服。 – “I feel unwell.”
- 我觉得很开心。 – “I feel very happy.”

Comparison with other verbs:

想
- Can mean “to think (about), to want, to miss.”
- 我想这只狗很可爱 is possible, but more like “I suppose / I believe this dog is cute,” or you might be thinking about it in your head.
- 我想喝水。 – “I want to drink water.”
认为
- More formal and opinion-based, often used in written or serious contexts.
- 我认为这只狗特别可爱 – “I am of the opinion that this dog is especially cute.”

In casual speech about personal impressions, 觉得 is by far the most common choice.

Why is 这只狗 placed between 觉得 and 特别可爱 instead of somewhere else?

The sentence follows this common pattern:

我觉得 + [a whole sentence]

So structurally you have:

我觉得 [这只狗特别可爱]

Inside that bracketed part, 这只狗 is the subject and 特别可爱 is the predicate (what is being said about the dog):

这只狗 (subject) + 特别可爱 (predicate).

Putting it anywhere else, like 我觉得特别可爱这只狗, sounds wrong or at least very unnatural in standard Mandarin. You keep the subject (这只狗) directly before the description (特别可爱) inside that inner sentence.

What is the function of 只 zhī here? Why do we need it?

只 is a measure word (classifier). In Mandarin, you normally can’t say “this dog” by directly putting 这 in front of 狗. You need:

这 + (measure word) + noun

For animals like dogs, cats, birds, etc., 只 is the standard measure word:

一只狗 – one dog
三只猫 – three cats
那只鸟 – that bird

So 这只狗 literally means “this (one) dog.” You can’t just say 这狗 in standard Mandarin; it sounds incomplete.

Can I say 这个狗 instead of 这只狗?

In standard Mandarin, 这只狗 is the correct and natural form. 个 is a very common general measure word, but not every noun can freely take 个.

With 狗, native speakers strongly prefer 只:
- ✅ 一只狗
- ❌ 一个狗 (sounds wrong in standard Mandarin)

You might occasionally hear 这个狗 in some dialects or very casual speech, but it is not considered standard. If you want natural Mandarin, stick with 这只狗.

Does 这只狗 mean “this dog” or “this one dog”? How do you say “these dogs”?

这只狗 most commonly corresponds to “this dog.” Because 只 is a single-unit measure word, it’s also clear that you’re talking about one dog.

To talk about more than one dog, you have options:

“These dogs” (unspecified number):
- 这些狗 – these dogs (as a group)
- If you want a more “counting” feel: 这些狗都很可爱 – “These dogs are all very cute.”
A specific number of dogs:
- 两只狗 – two dogs
- 三只狗 – three dogs

So:

这只狗 – this (one) dog
这些狗 – these dogs
三只狗 – three dogs

What does 特别 add here, and how is it different from 很 or 非常?

特别 in this sentence is an adverb meaning “especially / particularly / really (very).”

这只狗特别可爱 ≈ “This dog is especially / really cute.”

Compared with other common degree words:

很可爱 – very cute (neutral, very common)
非常可爱 – extremely / very cute (a bit stronger or more “formal” than 很)
特别可爱 – especially cute; feels like you’re highlighting how cute it is, often with more emotional emphasis.

In many everyday contexts, 很, 非常, and 特别 can all translate to “very,” but 特别 often carries a feeling of “uniquely / unusually / especially” cute.

Does 特别 always mean “very,” or can it also mean “special”?

特别 has two main uses:

Adverb (as in this sentence) – “especially / particularly / very”
- 这只狗特别可爱。 – “This dog is especially cute.”
- 今天特别冷。 – “It’s especially cold today.”
Adjective – “special; unusual; out of the ordinary”
- 这只狗很特别。 – “This dog is very special / unusual.”
- 今天是个特别的日子。 – “Today is a special day.”

In 这只狗特别可爱, 特别 is an adverb modifying 可爱 (“especially cute”), not describing the dog itself as “special.”

Is 可爱 an adjective or a verb in Chinese?

In English we call 可爱 an adjective (“cute”). In Chinese grammar descriptions, it’s often called a stative verb or adjectival verb.

That means:

It directly functions as the predicate, like a verb:
- 这只狗可爱。 – “This dog is cute.” (No 是 needed.)
When you add degree words, you get:
- 这只狗很可爱。 – “This dog is very cute.”
- 这只狗特别可爱。 – “This dog is especially cute.”

So you can think of 可爱 as “to be cute” in terms of behavior in the sentence, even though the meaning is an adjective.

Why is kě’ài written with an apostrophe in pinyin (可爱 kě’ài)?

The apostrophe in kě’ài is there to clearly separate the two syllables kě and ài.

Without the apostrophe, keai might be visually confusing, because a can appear as a possible final after k in some combinations. The apostrophe:

Marks the boundary between syllables: kě + ài
Helps readers avoid mis-parsing the syllables.

Pronunciation-wise, you just say kě and ài one after another as two normal syllables. There isn’t a big “stop” sound; the apostrophe is an orthographic help, not a special sound.

Are there any tone changes (tone sandhi) in 我觉得这只狗特别可爱?

Yes, there is one main tone sandhi phenomenon to be aware of.

The key place is 我觉得:

我 is 3rd tone (wǒ).
觉 in 觉得 is 2nd tone (jué).
A 3rd tone before another tone is usually pronounced as a “half” 3rd tone, sounding closer to a low-rising tone.

So in natural speech, 我觉得 often sounds like wó juéde (the first syllable not fully dipping like an isolated 3rd tone).

Other parts:

只 zhī (1st), 狗 gǒu (3rd) – no change here.
可 kě (3rd) + 爱 ài (4th) – no 3rd–3rd combination, so no special 3rd-tone sandhi.

So the only noticeable sandhi is that 我 won’t be pronounced as a full, isolated 3rd tone here.

Can I just say 这只狗特别可爱 without 我觉得?

Yes. 这只狗特别可爱 is a perfectly good full sentence: “This dog is especially cute.”

我觉得这只狗特别可爱 explicitly marks this as your opinion: “I think this dog is especially cute.”
这只狗特别可爱 just states the fact (it can still be understood as your opinion, but it’s presented more like a straightforward description).

If the context already makes it clear that you’re giving your opinion, you can drop 我觉得 and simply say 这只狗特别可爱.

Could I say 我觉得这只狗很可爱 or 我觉得这只狗非常可爱 instead?

Yes. Both are natural, just slightly different in flavor:

我觉得这只狗很可爱。
- Very common, neutral: “I think this dog is very cute.”
我觉得这只狗非常可爱。
- A bit stronger or more emphatic/formal: “I think this dog is extremely / very cute.”
我觉得这只狗特别可爱。
- Feels like you’re highlighting how uniquely or especially cute this dog is, often with more emotional emphasis.

All three are correct; the choice depends on how strongly and in what style you want to express your feeling.