Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā bù tài xǐhuan chī suān de dōngxi, juéde nà zhǒng wèidào yǒudiǎnr qíguài. - He doesn’t really like sour foods and feels that kind of taste is a bit strange.

You can say 他不太喜欢酸的东西, and people will understand it as “he doesn’t really like sour things (to eat),” but adding 吃 makes it explicitly about eating and sounds more idiomatic in this context.

What exactly does 酸的东西 mean, and what is the 的 doing here?

酸的东西 literally means “sour things” — in context, “sour foods / sour stuff (to eat).”

Grammatically, 的 links an adjective (or adjective phrase) to a noun:

酸的东西 = sour
- 的 + things
新的书 = new + 的 + book(s)
好吃的菜 = tasty + 的 + dishes

So the pattern is: Adjective + 的 + Noun.
Here, 酸的 is “sour (ones),” and 东西 is “things,” together “sour things.”

Can we drop 东西 and just say 他不太喜欢吃酸的?

Yes. 他不太喜欢吃酸的 is also natural.

When the noun is clear from context (here: foods), 的 can stand in for “the _ ones”:

酸的 ≈ “sour ones / sour stuff”
甜的 ≈ “sweet ones / sweet stuff”

So:

他不太喜欢吃酸的东西。
他不太喜欢吃酸的。

Both are correct; the version with 东西 is a bit more explicit.

What does 觉得 mean here, and how is it used?

觉得 means “to feel / to think (subjectively)”. It introduces the speaker’s (or subject’s) opinion or feeling.

The pattern is:

Subject + 觉得 + [clause]

In this sentence:

他觉得那种味道有点儿奇怪。
= He feels/thinks that that kind of taste is a bit strange.

Compared with 认为 (which is more “to believe / to hold the opinion,” often more formal or objective), 觉得 is more about personal impression or feeling and is very commonly used in everyday speech.

What does 那种味道 mean? Why use 种 instead of 个?

那种味道 means “that kind of taste / that type of flavor.”

那 = that
种 = measure word for kinds / types
味道 = taste, flavor, smell

So 那种味道 = “that kind/type of taste.”

If you said 那个味道, it’s more like “that (specific) taste,” referring to one particular smell/taste, not a general type.
种 is used with categories/types, e.g.:

这种水果 = this kind of fruit
各种味道 = all kinds of tastes

How does 有点儿 work, and how is it different from 一点儿?

有点儿 before an adjective usually means “a bit / a little too (in a negative way)”. It often carries a slight complaint or negative feeling.

有点儿奇怪 = a bit strange (slightly negative)
有点儿酸 = a bit too sour (not entirely good)

Typical pattern:

有点儿 + [usually negative or undesirable adjective]

一点儿 is different:

As a quantity noun phrase:
- 一点儿糖 = a little sugar
- 我想喝一点儿水。 = I want to drink a little water.
With adjectives/verbs, it usually comes after them and is more neutral:
- 贵了一点儿。 = (It’s) a little more expensive.
- 冷一点儿。 = a bit colder.

So 有点儿奇怪 implies a slightly negative feeling about the strangeness, while 奇怪了一点儿 is more neutral, describing degree.

What’s the 儿 in 有点儿? Is 有点 also correct?

The 儿 is the er-hua (儿化) ending common in northern Mandarin (especially Beijing).

有点儿 and 有点 both exist:
- In the North, you’ll often hear 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr).
- In many other regions and in textbooks, you’ll often see 有点 (yǒudiǎn) or 有一点儿.

Meaning-wise here, they’re the same:

有点儿奇怪
有点奇怪
有一点儿奇怪

All mean “a little bit strange,” with the same nuance. The choice is mainly regional or stylistic.

How is the sentence structured overall? The word order feels very different from English.

You can break it into two main parts:

他不太喜欢吃酸的东西，
- 他 = he
- 不太 = not very
- 喜欢 = like
- 吃酸的东西 = to eat sour things
  → “He doesn’t really like eating sour things,”
觉得那种味道有点儿奇怪。
- 觉得 = (he) feels/thinks
- 那种味道 = that kind of taste
- 有点儿奇怪 = is a bit strange

So the second part is: [subject] + 觉得 + [noun phrase] + [adverb + adjective]
Literally: “(He) feels that that kind of taste a-bit-strange.”

Chinese tends to be Subject–Time/Adverb–Verb–Object, and then opinion clauses like 觉得 + clause follow quite directly without extra words like “that” in English.

What’s the difference between the 的 in 酸的东西 and the 得 in 觉得? They sound similar.

They sound similar (both pronounced de in this context) but are different characters and functions:

的
- Used after adjectives/noun phrases to modify a noun:
  - 酸的东西 = sour things
  - 漂亮的人 = beautiful person
- Also used as a possessive marker:
  - 我的书 = my book
得
- Commonly used after a verb to introduce a complement:
  - 跑得快 = run fast
  - 说得很好 = speak very well
- In 觉得, 觉
  - 得 together form one verb 觉得 (“to feel/think”). Here 得 is just part of the word, not a grammatical particle you can separate.

There is also 地, another de, usually used to link adverbs to verbs, but it doesn’t appear in this sentence.

Can any parts of this sentence be dropped in casual speech?

Yes, depending on context, several elements can be omitted if they’re understood:

Drop the subject 他 if it’s already clear:
- 不太喜欢吃酸的东西，觉得那种味道有点儿奇怪。
As mentioned, you can drop 东西:
- 他不太喜欢吃酸的，觉得那种味道有点儿奇怪。

You generally cannot drop 的 after 酸, because 酸东西 without 的 sounds wrong in modern standard Mandarin in this structure. The 的 is needed to link the adjective 酸 to the noun (explicit or implied).

Are there any tone changes (tone sandhi) I should be aware of in this sentence?

Yes, mainly with 不:

不 is normally 4th tone (bù), but before another 4th tone it changes to 2nd tone (bú).
太 is 4th tone, so 不太 is pronounced bú tài, not bù tài.

Other notes:

有点儿: 有 (3rd) + 点 (3rd) + 儿 (neutral / r-colored). In natural speech, the first 3rd tone often becomes a half-3rd (low, not fully rising), but you don’t need to overthink that at the beginner stage.
喜欢 is pronounced xǐhuan (second syllable is neutral tone), not xǐhuān.

So the most important sandhi here is 不太 → bú tài.