Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ juéde zhè gè diànshì jiémù hěn wúliáo.

You’re expressing a personal opinion:
- 我觉得他很好。= I think he’s nice.
You’re stating how something seems to you:
- 我觉得今天有点儿冷。= I feel it’s a bit cold today.

It is not used for “think about / consider / miss”:

For “think about (consider)”: 用 想 (xiǎng), 考虑 (kǎolǜ).
For “miss (someone)”: 用 想 (xiǎng) as in 我想你。 = I miss you.

So 觉得 is “think/feel that…” about a situation, not “miss” or “plan” or “consider”.

Why do we need both 这 (zhè) and 个 (gè) in 这个电视节目? Why not just say 这电视节目 or 这节目?

In Chinese, nouns usually need a measure word (classifier) when they are modified by a number or a demonstrative like 这 (this) or 那 (that).

Demonstrative + measure word
- noun
  → 这 + 个 + 电视节目

Here:

这 = this
个 = a very common, general measure word
电视节目 = TV programme

So 这个电视节目 literally is “this (one) TV programme”.

Alternatives:

这个节目 – also natural; “this programme” (it’s usually clear it’s on TV from context).
这电视节目 – often sounds dialectal or colloquial; in standard Mandarin you normally keep the 个.
那(个)电视节目 – that TV programme.

Key point: after 这 / 那 / 一 (one) etc., you almost always need a measure word, and 个 is the default if you’re not sure.

Why isn’t there a 是 (shì “to be”) in the sentence? In English we say “This TV show is boring.”

In Chinese, you usually don’t use 是 between a noun and a descriptive adjective.

Pattern:

[Subject] + 很 + Adjective
- 这个电视节目很无聊。= This TV show is boring.
- 他很高。= He is tall.
- 这个菜很好吃。= This dish is tasty.

You would use 是 mainly to connect:

two nouns / noun phrases:
- 他是老师。= He is a teacher.
- 这是我的书。= This is my book.
or sometimes before a noun-like phrase, not a simple adjective.

So:

我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。 ✅
我觉得这个电视节目是无聊。 ❌ (unnatural in normal speech)

Think:

“X is ADJECTIVE” → X 很 adjective (no 是).
“X is a noun” → X 是 noun.

Does 很 (hěn) here really mean “very”? Is the show “very boring” or just “boring”?

In this structure, 很 is often more of a “linking word” than a strong “very”.

这个电视节目很无聊。
- Natural translation: “This TV show is boring.”
- It can mean “very boring” if stressed in speech, but often it’s just neutral.

Why?

Chinese sentences like 这个电视节目无聊 (without 很) are possible but can sound abrupt or too strong, and in some contexts a bit like a comparison (“this TV show is more boring (than something else)”).
So 很 is commonly inserted to make the sentence sound complete and natural.

You can show different degrees with other words:

有点儿无聊 – a bit boring
非常无聊 – extremely boring
太无聊了 – so boring / too boring

So, by default, 很 here is not as strong as English “very”; it usually just makes a smooth “is + adjective” sentence.

What exactly does 无聊 (wúliáo) mean? Is it “boring” or “bored”? How do I know which one?

无聊 can mean:

Boring (describes something)
Bored (describes a person’s feeling)

The meaning depends on context and subject.

Describing a thing (boring):
- 这个电视节目很无聊。
  → This TV show is boring.
- 这本书很无聊。
  → This book is boring.
Describing a person (bored / having nothing to do):
- 我很无聊。
  → I am bored / I have nothing to do.
- 我们在家很无聊。
  → We’re bored at home.

You usually understand which one from who or what is being described.
In your sentence, the subject 这个电视节目 is a show, so 无聊 = boring.

Why is the word order “我觉得这个电视节目很无聊” and not something like “我觉得很无聊这个电视节目” or “我觉得这个很无聊电视节目”?

Mandarin has a fairly strict basic word order:

Subject
Opinion verb / main verb
Object / topic
Description

In your sentence:

我 = I (subject)
觉得 = think/feel (verb)
这个电视节目 = this TV programme (object)
很无聊 = very boring (description / complement)

So:

我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。
= I think [this TV programme] [is boring].

The alternatives you suggested:

我觉得很无聊这个电视节目 ❌ unnatural word order.
我觉得这个很无聊电视节目 ❌ also unnatural.

A possible variant is:

这个电视节目我觉得很无聊。
= As for this TV show, I think it’s boring. (topic fronting, but more advanced.)

But the standard, most neutral version is exactly:

我觉得 + 这个电视节目 + 很无聊。

Can I drop the 我 (wǒ “I”) and just say 觉得这个电视节目很无聊?

Yes, in spoken Chinese, dropping the subject is very common when it’s obvious from context.

If everyone knows you are the one speaking, 觉得这个电视节目很无聊 will usually be understood as:
- “(I) think this TV show is boring.”

However:

In complete sentences, especially when learning or in writing, it’s good practice to keep the subject:
- 我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。 (clear and standard)

So:

我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。 – recommended for learners
觉得这个电视节目很无聊。 – sounds natural in a conversation, with clear context.

Could I say 我想这个电视节目很无聊 instead of 我觉得这个电视节目很无聊?

This is not natural in Mandarin.

想 (xiǎng) mainly means:
- to want (to do): 我想吃饭。= I want to eat.
- to think about / miss: 我想你。= I miss you.
- to plan, intend: 我想明年去中国。= I plan to go to China next year.

For “I think (that) … is boring”, you should use:

觉得 → 我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。

Compare:

我想看这个电视节目。
= I want to watch this TV programme.
我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。
= I think this TV programme is boring.

So 觉得 (not 想) is the right verb for giving an opinion on something.

Why is there no 的 (de) in 这个电视节目? Could I say 这个电视的节目?

In 这个电视节目, 电视 and 节目 form a compound noun:

电视节目 = TV programme (literally “television-programme”).

Because it’s a fixed, tight compound, you don’t need 的.

You would not normally say 这个电视的节目 for “this TV programme”:

电视的节目 literally sounds like “programmes that belong to the TV” or “the TV’s programmes” – grammatical, but not the usual way to say a specific TV show.
For “programmes on TV” in general, better is:
- 电视上的节目 – the programmes on TV.

So:

这个电视节目 ✅ this TV show
这个节目 ✅ this show
这个电视的节目 ❌ odd for “this TV show” in standard usage.

How do I pronounce the tones in this sentence naturally? Are there any special tone changes (tone sandhi) I should know?

Word-by-word tones (as written in dictionaries):

我 wǒ – 3rd tone
觉得 juéde – 2nd tone + neutral tone
这 zhè – 4th tone
个 gè – 4th tone
电视 diànshì – 4th + 4th
节目 jiémù – 2nd + 4th
很 hěn – 3rd
无聊 wúliáo – 2nd + 2nd

Tone sandhi to note:

Third tone before third tone changes to second tone:
- If you said 我很无聊, 我 (wǒ) → wó, because it comes before 很 (hěn).
- In your sentence, 我 is followed by 觉 (jué), a 2nd tone, not another 3rd, so no major sandhi change is usually marked; just pronounce 我 as a low dipping 3rd tone, then 觉 as 2nd.
Neutral tone:
- In 觉得 (juéde), the de is neutral: light and short, no full contour.

In practice:

Try to keep the overall rhythm smooth rather than over-emphasising each tone.
You can listen to native audio of 我觉得这个电视节目很无聊 and mimic the rhythm: it will sound like one flowing chunk with the stress naturally falling around 觉, 这, 电, 节, 无, 聊.

Are there other common ways to say “boring” about a TV show, and how are they different from 无聊?

Yes, some common alternatives include:

没意思 (méi yìsi) – “not interesting”
- 这个电视节目没意思。
  = This TV show is not interesting / kind of lame.
不好看 (bù hǎokàn) – “not good to watch”
- 这个电视节目不好看。
  = This TV show isn’t good (to watch).
很乏味 (hěn fáwèi) – “dull, flavorless” (more formal/literary)
- 这个节目很乏味。
  = This programme is dull.

Nuances:

无聊: more direct “boring / makes me feel bored”.
没意思: milder, often “not interesting, not fun”.
不好看: focuses on quality as entertainment.
乏味: more formal / written style; “dull, insipid”.

Your sentence:

我觉得这个电视节目很无聊。
is a very natural, everyday way to criticise a show as boring.