Learn Hardcore Chinese: guānzhòng dōu juéde zhècì bǐsài hěn yǒuyìsi. - The audience all think this competition is very interesting.

With 都 → emphasizes that every audience member shared the opinion.
Without 都 → just describes what the audience (as a group) thought, but not explicitly “all”.

It’s grammatically OK to drop 都, but you lose the “all of them” nuance.

Why is there no word for “that” after “think”? Why not 觉得那这次比赛很有意思?

English often needs “that” after verbs like “think”:

“The audience all think that this competition was very interesting.”

In Chinese, 觉得 is directly followed by the clause you think/feel:

观众都觉得这次比赛很有意思。
- literally: “The audience all think this time’s competition very interesting.”

You normally do not add a word like “that” (那) here. There is a word “that” in Chinese (那 / nà), but it’s a demonstrative (“that one”), not a conjunction like English “that” in “I think that…”.

So:

觉得 + [sentence] is the normal structure.
No extra linking word is needed.

Does 很 (hěn) really mean “very” here, or is it just a linking word?

Technically, 很 means “very”, but in everyday Chinese it often works as a default link between a subject and an adjective, and may not sound as strong as “very” in English.

这次比赛很有意思。
- natural translation: “This competition was interesting.”
- literal: “This time’s competition very interesting.”

If you say:

这次比赛有意思。 (no 很)

it can sound a bit abrupt or sometimes like mild emphasis, depending on context. So Chinese usually adds 很 to make the sentence smooth and natural.

If you really want to strongly emphasize “very,” you could use:

非常有意思 (fēicháng) – extremely interesting
特别有意思 (tèbié) – especially interesting

In short: 很 here is partly “very,” but more importantly a natural connector before the adjective.

What’s the difference between 有意思 (yǒuyìsi), 有趣 (yǒuqù), and 好玩 (hǎowán)?

All three can mean something like “interesting / fun”, but usage differs:

有意思
- Very common and versatile.
- Can describe ideas, events, people, talks, stories, etc.
- Neutral to positive: “interesting,” “meaningful,” sometimes “enjoyable.”
- 这次比赛很有意思。 – This competition was interesting.
有趣
- Often a bit more formal or descriptive.
- Sounds like “intriguing,” “interesting” in a slightly more literary way.
- 这本书很有趣。 – This book is very interesting.
好玩
- More casual and colloquial.
- Often implies “fun to do / fun to play with.”
- Great for games, activities, toys, amusement parks.
- 这个游戏很好玩。 – This game is really fun.

In this sentence, 有意思 is perfect because a 比赛 (competition) can be “interesting” or “enjoyable” without necessarily being “fun to play like a toy.”

Why is it 这次比赛 (zhècì bǐsài) and not 这比赛 or 比赛这次?

这次比赛 literally means “this time’s competition” = “this competition (this time).”

Structure:

这次 = this time
比赛 = competition / match
Together: 这次比赛 = the competition this time

Why not other options?

这比赛
- Grammatically possible, but sounds a bit abrupt or less natural in many contexts.
- Native speakers more often say 这个比赛 (“this competition”) if they use 这 + 个.
比赛这次
- This is wrong for “this competition.”
- In Chinese, the modifier usually comes before the noun.
- So it should be 这次比赛, not 比赛这次.

Common options:

这次比赛 – this time’s competition (very common)
这个比赛 – this competition (also common)

Why isn’t there a measure word before 观众 (guānzhòng) or 比赛 (bǐsài)?

Chinese uses measure words with counted nouns, but not always with general or uncounted references.

观众
- As a general group (“the audience”), you don’t need a measure word:
  - 观众都觉得… – The audience all think…
- If you count them, you need one:
  - 一位观众 – one audience member
  - 三百名观众 – three hundred audience members
比赛
- When you specify which competition (like “this time’s competition”), you can simply say:
  - 这次比赛 – this time’s competition
- If you count competitions, you need a measure word:
  - 一场比赛 – one (match) competition
  - 三场比赛 – three matches

So here:

观众 = “the audience” as a whole → no measure word needed.
这次比赛 = “this time’s competition” → “这次” already plays a similar role to “this time,” so a further classifier isn’t required.

What’s the difference between 觉得 (juéde) and 想 (xiǎng) or 认为 (rènwéi)?

All relate to thinking, but with different nuances:

觉得
- Very common.
- Means “to feel,” “to think,” often with a subjective feeling or opinion.
- 我觉得这次比赛很有意思。
  - I think / I feel this competition was interesting.
想
- Core meanings: “to want to,” “to think about,” “to miss.”
- As “think,” it often means “consider in your mind,” “be thinking about.”
- 我想这次比赛会很有意思。
  - I think (I suppose) this competition will be interesting.
- Can be more tentative than 觉得 depending on context.
认为
- More formal and logical; like “to consider,” “to hold the opinion that.”
- Often used in writing, discussions, arguments.
- 我认为这次比赛很有意思。
  - I consider this competition to be interesting. (more formal)

In this everyday sentence about the audience’s reaction, 觉得 is the most natural choice.

How would I say the opposite, like “The audience all thought this competition was not interesting”? Do I use 不 or 没?

To negate 有意思 (interesting), you use 不, not 没.

不有意思 is wrong.
The standard negative form is 没有意思.

So:

观众都觉得这次比赛没有意思。
- The audience all thought this competition was not interesting / was boring.

Pattern:

For most adjectives:
- 不 + adjective (e.g., 不好, 不贵)
But 有意思 is a set phrase. Its natural negative is:
- 没有意思 (méiyǒu yìsi) = “not interesting,” “boring.”

What does 有意思 (yǒuyìsi) literally mean? It looks like “have meaning.”

Literally:

有 = have
意思 = meaning, idea, intention

So 有意思 literally is “to have meaning”.

Over time, this developed a more general, conversational sense:

“meaningful” → “interesting,” “intriguing,” “enjoyable.”

This kind of semantic extension is common:

English “interesting” once meant more literally “having interest / creating interest,” but now is just “not boring.”

So:

Literal: “The audience all think this time’s competition has meaning.”
Natural: “The audience all thought this competition was (very) interesting.”

Is 观众 (guānzhòng) only for people watching sports? Can it be used for a concert audience or TV audience?

观众 means “audience / spectators” in a broad sense:

People watching a sports game
People watching a show, performance, concert
TV audience
Movie audience

Examples:

电视观众 – TV audience
现场观众 – live audience (on-site)
观众朋友们 – “dear audience friends,” common way hosts address the audience

For people primarily listening (e.g., a radio show or a speech where the emphasis is on listening), you can also see:

听众 (tīngzhòng) – listeners, audience (for audio / speeches)

But 观众 is completely natural for a competition that is being watched.

Can I omit 都 (dōu) and 很 (hěn) and just say 观众觉得这次比赛有意思? How does it sound?

Yes, you can say:

观众觉得这次比赛有意思。

This is grammatically correct and understandable. The nuance:

Without 都
- No explicit emphasis on “all.”
- It just says “the audience thought…” as a group; maybe most, maybe generally, not “every single person.”
Without 很
- 有意思 by itself is still fine; it can even sound a little more matter‑of‑fact or slightly stronger depending on context.
- Adding 很 makes it smoother and a bit more neutral.

So:

观众都觉得这次比赛很有意思。
- Feels a bit fuller, more natural; “The audience all thought the competition was (very) interesting.”
观众觉得这次比赛有意思。
- Shorter, still natural; lost explicit “all,” and 有意思 sounds slightly more bare/direct.