Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè cì lǚyóu hěn yǒuyìsi.

But you do not normally use 是 before a simple descriptive predicate like 很有意思.
这次旅游是很有意思 is possible, but it adds contrast or emphasis, like:
“(Indeed) this trip was interesting (as opposed to something else).” It’s not the neutral default.

Does 很 in this sentence really mean “very”? How strong is it?

In 这次旅游很有意思, 很 (hěn) is often not as strong as English “very”.

Functionally, it does two things:

It links the subject to the adjective:
- Native speakers often avoid saying 这次旅游有意思 as a neutral description; they prefer 很有意思.
It can show a mild degree of intensity, like “quite / pretty / really” interesting, but not necessarily “very” in a strong sense.

So you can think of 很 here as:

primarily: a natural linker between the noun and the descriptive word
secondarily: a mild intensifier

Only in certain contexts or with stress in speech does 很 feel as strong as English “very.”

Can I just say 这次旅游有意思 without 很? Is that wrong?

You can say 这次旅游有意思, and it is grammatically correct, but the nuance changes.

这次旅游很有意思。
– Natural, neutral statement: “This trip was (really / pretty) interesting.”
这次旅游有意思。
– Feels more marked or emphatic, often used in contrast:
“Now this trip is interesting.” (Compared to others that were not.)

With most simple descriptive sentences, a bare adjective (or adjective‑like word) without 很 / 真 / 非常, etc., can sound

either emphatic
or like a contrast (“has the property of X” as opposed to not)

So for everyday neutral description, 这次旅游很有意思 is the natural choice.

What does 有意思 literally mean, and how is it used? Is it the same as “interesting”?

Literally:

有 (yǒu) – “to have”
意思 (yìsi) – “meaning; idea; intention”

So 有意思 literally is “to have meaning,” but in modern colloquial Chinese it usually means:

interesting
fun / enjoyable
sometimes meaningful (depending on context)

Common uses:

这个电影很有意思。 – This movie is interesting / fun.
他这个人挺有意思的。 – He’s an interesting person.
这份工作很有意思。 – This job is interesting / fulfilling.

A close synonym for “interesting” is 有趣 (yǒuqù).
Nuance:

有意思: often “interesting in a way that grabs me / has something to it.”
有趣: a bit more “fun / amusing / entertaining.”

In everyday speech, 有意思 is extremely common and very natural in 很有意思.

How do you say the negative of 很有意思? Is it 不有意思?

The normal negative form is 没意思 or 没有意思, not 不有意思.

Examples:

这次旅游没意思。 – This trip wasn’t interesting.
这个电影一点儿意思都没有。 – This movie is not interesting at all.

Patterns:

有意思 → 没意思 / 没有意思
很有意思 → 不太有意思／没什么意思 (milder or more nuanced)

不有意思 is almost never used and sounds wrong. For 有 / 没有 structures, negation usually uses 没 / 没有.

What exactly is 次 (cì) doing in 这次旅游? Why not just 这旅游 or 这个旅游?

次 (cì) is a measure word / classifier meaning “time, occurrence.”

这次 = “this time / this occasion”
这次旅游 = “this trip / this time traveling”

In Chinese, you normally cannot put 这 / 那 directly in front of a noun that denotes an event without a classifier. So:

✗ 这旅游 – unnatural
✔ 这次旅游 – “this trip (this time’s travel)”

这个旅游 is also unnatural in this meaning. 个 is a very general measure word but is not typically used with 旅游 as an event. You might see 这个旅行团 (“this tour group”), but that’s a different noun (旅行团, “tour group”), not the act of traveling itself.

So 这次旅游 is the standard way to say “this trip.”

Could I say 这次的旅游很有意思? Is the 的 needed or does it change the meaning?

You can say 这次的旅游很有意思, and it’s grammatically okay, but:

这次旅游很有意思 is more natural and common.
这次的旅游 adds a small feeling of emphasis on “the trip of this time,” almost like highlighting “this particular trip.”

In many “Noun + Noun” combinations where the first noun modifies the second (like 这次旅游, “this-time travel/trip”), Chinese often drops 的:

北京大学 (Beijing University), not usually 北京的大学 (unless you want “universities in Beijing” generally)
这次考试 – this exam (this time’s exam)

So you can remember:

Everyday, default: 这次旅游很有意思。
With 的: 这次的旅游很有意思。 – OK, but feels slightly more “written” or slightly more emphasized/formal.

What is the difference between 旅游 (lǚyóu) and 旅行 (lǚxíng)? Could we say 这次旅行很有意思 instead?

Both 旅游 and 旅行 relate to travel, but there is a nuance:

旅游
- Often “to travel for leisure / sightseeing.”
- Stronger sense of tourism.
- Can be a verb or a noun.
旅行
- More general “to travel / to take a trip,” not necessarily for fun.
- Also used both as verb and noun.

In this sentence, you can say:

这次旅行很有意思。

It would mean essentially the same thing: “This trip was interesting.”
If the context is clearly a leisure trip, 旅游 fits naturally.
If you just mean “a journey / trip” in a broader sense, 旅行 is also fine.

How do I know if 旅游 here is a noun (“trip”) or a verb (“to travel”)?

In 这次旅游很有意思, 旅游 functions as a noun phrase meaning “trip.”

Clue:

It is directly modified by 这次 (“this time”), which is a typical pattern for an event noun:
- 这次考试 – this exam
- 这次会议 – this meeting
- 这次旅行 / 旅游 – this trip

If 旅游 were a verb, you’d expect a different structure, for example:

这次我们旅游得很开心。 – This time we traveled very happily.
我们打算去中国旅游。 – We plan to travel to China.

So in the sentence you gave, think of 旅游 as “the act of traveling / the trip.”

How is tense expressed here? English says “This trip was very interesting,” but the Chinese has no past tense marker.

Chinese does not mark tense the same way English does. Instead, it relies on:

time words (这次, “this time”; 昨天, “yesterday”; 上个星期, etc.)
context
aspect particles (了, 过, etc.) when needed

In 这次旅游很有意思:

这次 indicates a specific occasion that the speaker and listener know about.
From context (often after the trip is done), we understand it as past: “This trip was very interesting.”
If you are currently on the trip, it could also mean “This trip is very interesting (so far).”

So the Chinese sentence is time-flexible; English chooses was or is depending on context. There’s no need for a special past tense marker in the Chinese version.

How do I pronounce 旅 (lǚ) and 旅游 (lǚyóu) correctly, especially the ü sound?

旅 is lǚ (third tone):

Start with “l” as in English “let.”
Shape your lips as if you were going to say “yu” as in “you” but keep the tongue position of “i.”
The result is the ü sound: written as lǚ.

旅游 is lǚyóu:

lǚ – third tone
yóu – second tone

One more detail: tone sandhi (tone change) with 很:

Written: hěn yǒu yìsi (很有意思) – 3rd tone + 3rd tone
Spoken: the first 3rd tone becomes a 2nd tone: hén yǒu yìsi.

Similarly, in 很有意思 in your sentence, you would pronounce 很 more like a rising tone, but it is still hěn in writing.

Could I replace 很 with other words like 真, 非常, or 太? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can, and each has a different feel:

这次旅游很有意思。
– Neutral, natural: “(really / quite) interesting.”
这次旅游真有意思。
– “This trip is really interesting!”
– More emotional, sounds like genuine reaction.
这次旅游非常有意思。
– “This trip is extremely / very interesting.”
– Stronger and a bit more formal/intense than 很.
这次旅游太有意思了。
– “This trip is so interesting!”
– Very strong, often expressing surprise or excitement; 了 at the end makes it sound exclamatory.

All of these are grammatical. 很 is the mildest and most neutral choice for a simple descriptive sentence.

I sometimes see sentences ending with 的, like …是很有意思的. Can I say 这次旅游是很有意思的? What does the 的 do?

Yes, you can say 这次旅游是很有意思的, and it has a slightly different feel:

这次旅游很有意思。
– Simple statement: “This trip was very interesting.”
这次旅游是很有意思的。
– Adds emphasis or contrast, roughly like:
“This trip really was interesting (you know).”
or
“As for this trip, it was very interesting.”

Here, 是…的 can:

Highlight or confirm a fact (often in contrast to something else).
Make the statement sound more definite or explanatory.

It’s not necessary in your basic sentence, but it’s a useful pattern when you want to stress or clarify that something indeed had a certain property.