Word
他 不 太 喜欢 吃 酸 的 东西， 觉得 那 种 味道 有点儿 奇怪。tā bú tài xǐhuan chī suān de dōngxi, juéde nà zhǒng wèidào yǒudiǎnr qíguài.
Meaning
He doesn’t really like sour foods and feels that kind of taste is a bit strange.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of tā bú tài xǐhuan chī suān de dōngxi, juéde nà zhǒng wèidào yǒudiǎnr qíguài.
不bù
not
吃chī
to eat
他tā
he
喜欢xǐhuan
to like
Questions & Answers about tā bú tài xǐhuan chī suān de dōngxi, juéde nà zhǒng wèidào yǒudiǎnr qíguài.
Why is 不 pronounced bú here instead of bù?
This is because of tone sandhi. 不 is normally fourth tone (bù), but when it comes right before another fourth-tone syllable, it changes to second tone.
- 不
- 太
- bù tài becomes bú tài
So in 不太喜欢, only 不 changes because it is directly before 太.
What does 不太喜欢 mean exactly? Is it the same as 不喜欢?
Not exactly.
- 不喜欢 = do not like
- 不太喜欢 = do not really like / do not like very much
不太喜欢 sounds softer and less direct. It often suggests mild dislike rather than a strong negative feeling.
So this sentence does not necessarily mean he absolutely hates sour food. It suggests that he is not very fond of it.
Why is 吃 used after 喜欢?