Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā cónglái bù gěi háizi hē tài tián de yǐnliào, ràng tā shǎo chī táng gèng jiànkāng. - She never lets her child drink very sweet drinks, making him eat less sugar so he’ll be healthier.

她不给孩子喝太甜的饮料 = She doesn’t let the child drink very sweet drinks (could be about the present situation or a general fact).
她从来不给孩子喝太甜的饮料 = She never lets the child drink very sweet drinks, at any time; this is her consistent habit/policy.

So 从来 adds the idea of “at no time, ever”, especially for regular or habitual actions.

What’s the difference between 从来不 and 从来没?

Both combine with a negative, but they’re used differently:

从来不 + verb = never do (as a habit / general rule)
- 她从来不喝酒。= She never drinks alcohol (as a rule).
从来没(有) + verb = have never done (up to now, experiential)
- 她从来没喝过酒。= She has never drunk alcohol (not even once).

In this sentence, we’re talking about her habit of raising the child, so 从来不给孩子喝太甜的饮料 is natural.
If you said 从来没给孩子喝太甜的饮料, it would emphasize “up to now, she has never once done it”—still possible, but it sounds more like counting past experiences, not describing a standing policy.

How does 给孩子喝太甜的饮料 work grammatically? What does 给 do here?

The structure is:

给 + person + verb + object

Here: 给孩子喝太甜的饮料
= let / allow / give the child (to) drink very sweet drinks

So the roles are:

她 – subject (she)
给 – “give / let” (here, introducing the beneficiary)
孩子 – the one who does the drinking (the beneficiary)
喝 – the main verb “drink”
太甜的饮料 – the thing drunk

This pattern is common:

给孩子吃蔬菜 = let the child eat vegetables / give the child vegetables to eat
给他看这个视频 = let him watch this video / show him this video

You could also say 不让孩子喝太甜的饮料 (using 让), which is very close in meaning: “not allow the child to drink very sweet drinks.”

Could you also say 她从来不让孩子喝太甜的饮料? Is there a difference between 给 and 让 here?

Yes, 她从来不让孩子喝太甜的饮料 is also natural.

Nuance:

不给孩子喝… literally leans toward “not give (them) to drink”, i.e. not providing or not permitting access.
不让孩子喝… leans more toward “not allow (them) to drink.”

In real usage, in this context they’re extremely close in meaning; both describe not allowing the child to drink very sweet beverages. Native speakers might use either.

Why is there a 的 in 太甜的饮料? Could you just say 太甜饮料?

的 links a description (adjective / phrase) to a noun.

甜的饮料 = sweet drinks
太甜的饮料 = overly sweet drinks

In modern Mandarin, when an adjective modifies a noun like this, you almost always use 的:

好吃的菜 = tasty dishes
漂亮的衣服 = pretty clothes

Forms without 的, like 甜饮料, 冷饮, etc., do exist, but they are more:

fixed combinations / set phrases
often slightly more formal or written

So 太甜的饮料 is the natural everyday way to say “drinks that are too sweet.”

Does 太甜 here mean “too sweet” (a bad thing) or just “very sweet”?

In this sentence, 太甜 means “too sweet / excessively sweet” with a negative implication.

Clues:

It’s in a negative sentence: 不给孩子喝太甜的饮料 (not letting the child drink them).
The reason is connected to health in the second clause.

In Chinese:

太 + adj. often means “too … (excessive, not good)”
- 太贵 = too expensive
- 太小了 = too small

Here, “drinks that are too sweet” implies “excessively sugary,” which is not healthy.

Why is there 的 after 甜 but not after 健康? Why not 更健康的?

Two different structures:

太甜的饮料
- 甜 is describing the noun 饮料.
- So we need 的: [adjective] + 的 + [noun].
更健康
- 健康 here is a predicate adjective (part of the result: “be healthier”), not directly modifying a noun.
- Structure: 让他少吃糖更健康
  - 让 + 他 + 少吃糖 + 更健康
  - “make him eat less sugar (so that he is) healthier”

If you said 更健康的, you’d be expecting a noun after it, like:

更健康的身体 = a healthier body

How should I understand the structure of the second part: 让他少吃糖更健康?

It’s basically:

让 + person + action + result

Here:

让 – cause / make / have someone …
他 – the child (same child as 孩子)
少吃糖 – action: eat less sugar
更健康 – result / outcome: be more healthy

So, 让他少吃糖更健康 literally:
“(She) lets/makes him eat less sugar (so that he is) more healthy.”

English naturally adds “so that,” “in order to,” or “and that way” to make the connection clear.

Why can the subject 她 be omitted in the second part 让他少吃糖更健康?

Chinese often omits repeated subjects when they’re obvious from context.

The full sentence could be:

她从来不给孩子喝太甜的饮料，她让他少吃糖更健康。

Since 她 is already the subject of the first clause, and nothing else suggests a new subject, it’s understood that 她 is also doing the “letting/making” in the second clause.

So omitting the second 她 is natural and avoids repetition.

Why does it switch from 孩子 to 他? Are they the same person?

Yes, 他 refers back to 孩子.

孩子 means “child” (could be boy or girl).
After you introduce someone as 孩子, it’s natural to refer back with a pronoun:
- 他 = he (or “they (singular, generic male)” in practice)
- 她 = she
- 它 = it

In spoken and casual written Mandarin, 他 is often used generically when the gender is unknown or not important, even for 孩子. So here 他 just stands for “the child” mentioned earlier.

What is the function of 少 in 少吃糖? Why not 吃少糖?

少 here is an adverb modifying the verb 吃:

少吃糖 = “eat sugar less” / “eat less sugar”

Pattern: 多 / 少 + verb + object

多吃菜 = eat more vegetables
少喝饮料 = drink less (soft) drink
少看手机 = look at your phone less

吃少糖 is not correct in standard Mandarin. When “more/less” modifies the action, it comes before the verb, not before the object.

What exactly does 更 add in 更健康?

更 means “more / even more / comparatively more”.

健康 = healthy
更健康 = more healthy / healthier

The comparison here is implicit:

healthier than if he ate more sugar, or
healthier than before, etc.

So 更健康 suggests improvement in health as a result of eating less sugar.

Why is 不 used and not 没 or 别 in 从来不给孩子喝…?

Each negative word has its usual uses:

不 – negates habitual, general, or future actions; also adjectives
- 我不喝酒。= I don’t drink (as a habit).
没(有) – negates past actions / existence
- 我没喝酒。= I didn’t drink (on that occasion).
别 – “don’t (do something)” in imperatives / commands
- 别喝酒！= Don’t drink!

Here, we’re describing a habitual rule of hers, so 不 is appropriate:

她从来不给孩子喝太甜的饮料。
= She never (as a rule) lets the child drink overly sweet drinks.

Can 从来 go somewhere else in the sentence, like after 给?

No, 从来 normally comes before the negative (不 / 没).

Correct pattern:

她从来不给孩子喝太甜的饮料。

Patterns like:

✗ 她不给孩子从来不喝太甜的饮料。
✗ 她给孩子从来不喝太甜的饮料。

are ungrammatical.

Think of it as a fixed chunk: 从来不… / 从来没…, and that chunk comes right after the subject (or at the start of the clause):

我从来不抽烟。
他从来没去过中国。

What is the relationship between the two parts separated by the comma? Is it “so that,” “because,” or just “and”?

The comma ， in Chinese is flexible. Here it connects cause and purpose/result:

她从来不给孩子喝太甜的饮料，
让他少吃糖更健康。

Natural English readings:

She never lets her child drink overly sweet beverages, so that he eats less sugar and is healthier.
She never lets her child drink overly sweet beverages, in order to make him eat less sugar and be healthier.

So the second clause explains her reason/purpose or the intended result of the first.