Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ juéde zhè gè chéngshì de kōngqì bù tài hǎo, suǒyǐ hěn duō rén wǎnshang qù gōngyuán sànbù, shuō nàli de kōngqì bǐ jiā fùjìn hǎo duō. - I think the air in this city isn’t very good, so many people go for walks in the park at night, saying the air there is much better than near home.

想 can mean “to want” (我想喝水 = I want to drink water) or “to think about” (我在想 = I’m thinking).
认为 is more formal and logical, like “to hold the opinion that / to consider”:
- 很多专家认为…… = Many experts believe that...

So in everyday conversation about your personal feeling, 觉得 is the natural choice.

Why do we need both 这 (zhè) and 个 (gè) in 这个城市 (zhège chéngshì)?

In Chinese, nouns usually need a measure word when you specify “this/that + noun” or a number + noun.

这 = this
个 = a very common measure word
城市 = city

So:

这 + 个 + 城市 = “this city”

You can’t normally say 这城市 in standard written Mandarin (though some dialects or casual speech occasionally drop 个). For learning purposes, follow the pattern:

这/那 + measure word + noun

这个城市 = this city
那个公园 = that park

What does 的 (de) do in 城市的空气 and 那里的空气?

的 links a modifier to a noun, similar to “’s” or “of” or an adjective marker in English.

城市的空气
- 城市 = city
- 空气 = air
- 城市的空气 = the air of the city / the city’s air
那里的空气
- 那里 = there / that place
- 空气 = air
- 那里的空气 = the air there / the air in that place

General pattern:

modifier + 的 + noun

北京的天气 = Beijing’s weather
我们家的狗 = our family’s dog

Why is it 不太好 (bù tài hǎo) instead of just 不好 (bù hǎo) or 很不好 (hěn bù hǎo)?

These three are all negative but with different strength and politeness:

不好 = “not good / bad” (neutral)
很不好 = “very bad / really bad” (stronger)
不太好 = “not very good / not so good” (softer, more polite)

In the sentence:

空气不太好 sounds like a mild criticism, a soft way to say “the air isn’t very good” without sounding too harsh.

Chinese often uses 不太 + adjective to soften complaints or negative opinions.

In 很多人 (hěn duō rén), what is the role of 很 (hěn)? Can we just say 多人?

Here, 很多 works as one chunk meaning “many / a lot of”:

很多人 = many people / a lot of people

You will see 很多 + noun very often:

很多城市 = many cities
很多问题 = many problems

多人 does exist, but it’s:

more formal or written (e.g., headlines: 多人受伤 = “many people injured”)
not as common in everyday speech when just saying “many people”

So for normal conversation, 很多人 is the most natural choice.

Why is 晚上 (wǎnshang) placed before 去公园散步 (qù gōngyuán sànbù), and do we need 在 (zài)?

Chinese has a fairly regular word order for time:

(Subject) + Time word + Verb phrase

So:

很多人晚上去公园散步。
Many people in the evening go to the park for a walk.

You don’t need 在 here. Adding 在 (在晚上) is possible but sounds more formal or bookish in this simple sentence. In everyday speech, time words usually appear without 在:

我明天去北京。= I’ll go to Beijing tomorrow.
他周末工作。= He works on weekends.

What exactly does 去公园散步 (qù gōngyuán sànbù) mean? Why both 去 and 散步?

去公园散步 literally is:

去 = go
公园 = park
散步 = take a walk / go for a walk

So the structure is:

去 + place + (to) do something

去公园散步 = go to the park (in order) to take a walk
去图书馆学习 = go to the library to study
去朋友家吃饭 = go to a friend’s house to eat

Chinese can combine 去 + place with another verb to show purpose. Here it clearly means they are going to the park specifically for walking.

What is 说 (shuō) doing before 那里的空气比家附近好多? Is it like “say that…”?

Yes. Here 说 introduces reported speech or people’s comments:

很多人……说那里的空气比家附近好多。
→ Many people … say (that) the air there is much better than near home.

You could imagine the full version as:

他们说：“那里的空气比家附近好多。”
They say: “The air there is much better than near home.”

So 说 + sentence is like “say that + sentence” in English.
Other common verbs that can introduce what someone thinks/says:

觉得…… = feel/think that…
认为…… = believe/consider that…
听说…… = (I) heard that…

How does 比 (bǐ) work in 那里的空气比家附近好多?

比 introduces a comparison. The basic pattern is:

A + 比 + B + (adjective / adjective phrase)

In the sentence:

那里的空气 = the air there
家附近 = (places) near home
好 = good
多 = much / a lot

So:

那里的空气比家附近好多。
= The air there is much better than (the air) near home.

You could also write the fuller version:

那里的空气比家附近的空气好。
but Chinese often drops the repeated word (空气) if it’s obvious.

What does 好多 (hǎo duō) mean here? Is it “many” or “much better”?

In this sentence, 好多 is:

好 (good) + 多 (much/a lot), functioning together as “much better / a lot better”.

So:

比家附近好多 = (is) much better than near home.

Compare different uses of 多:

很多人 = many people
多喝水 = drink more water
好得多 / 好多了 = much better / a lot better (often after an illness or improvement)

Here, 好多 strengthens the adjective 好 in a comparison.

What exactly does 家附近 (jiā fùjìn) mean? Why no 在 (zài)?

家附近 literally = “home nearby”, i.e. “the area near (their) home(s)”.

In the comparison:

比家附近好多
→ “much better than (the air in) the area near home”

There’s no 在 because 家附近 here is just a noun phrase used as the reference point in a comparison, not a full “location phrase” describing where an action happens.

For location in a sentence like “I walk near home”, you’d use:

我在家附近散步。
I take a walk near (my) home.

Pattern:

在 + place + verb = do something at / in a place
In a 比 comparison, you just place the noun phrase after 比: A 比 B + adjective

Why is there no subject before 说? Who is “saying” in 说那里的空气比家附近好多?

Chinese often drops the subject if it’s clear from context.

The previous part already introduces the subject:

很多人晚上去公园散步，(他们) 说那里的空气比家附近好多。
Many people go to the park at night, and (they) say the air there is much better than near home.

The second 他们 is understood and therefore omitted. This is very natural in Chinese; repeating the subject every time often sounds heavy or unnatural.

Why is 人 (rén) not pluralized like “people” vs “person”? Should it be 人们 (rénmen)?

Chinese usually does not change the noun form for plural. 人 can mean “person” or “people” depending on context.

一个人 = one person
三个人 = three people
很多人 = many people

人们 does exist, but it’s:

more formal / literary
often used in general or collective statements (e.g., 人们都希望生活更好 = “People all hope life will be better.”)

In this sentence, 很多人 is the normal, natural way to say “many people.” You don’t need 人们.

How do we know the tense (time) of the sentence? There’s no word like “is / was / will be”.

Chinese does not mark tense the same way English does; it relies on:

Time words:
- 晚上 = at night / in the evenings
  This suggests a general, habitual action.
Context and default interpretation:
- 我觉得这个城市的空气不太好 is understood as a present opinion.
- 很多人晚上去公园散步 sounds like a habit: many people (regularly) go for walks in the park in the evenings.

If it needed to be clearly past or future, the sentence would usually add extra markers like:

昨天 / 以前 / 将来 / 会 / 了, etc.

All the 的 (de) and 得 (de) sound the same to me. Are they different characters with different functions?

Yes, they sound the same (neutral-tone de) but are different characters with different roles:

的
- Most common.
- Links modifiers to nouns:
  - 城市的空气 = the air of the city
  - 那里的空气 = the air there
得
- Often follows a verb to introduce a complement (degree, result, etc.):
  - 说得很快 = speak very fast
  - 他跑得很快 = he runs very fast
地 (also pronounced de)
- Links adverbial phrases to verbs:
  - 高兴地说 = (to) say happily
  - 慢慢地走 = walk slowly

In your sentence you see 的 (in 城市的空气, 那里的空气), but 觉得 uses 得 as part of the word; here 觉 + 得 together form one verb 觉得 (“to feel / to think”), not the “complement” 得.

Could we replace 觉得 with something else, or 不太好 with another structure, and keep roughly the same meaning?

Yes, you can make natural variations:

我觉得这个城市的空气不太好。 (original)
我觉得这个城市的空气不是很好。
- 不是很好 = “is not very good” (similar soft tone)

More formal / stronger opinions:

我认为这个城市的空气不好。 (stronger / more formal “I believe…”)
我觉得这个城市的空气很不好。 (stronger negativity: “really bad”)

But the original 觉得 + 不太好 is a very typical, polite way to express a mild negative opinion.