Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā zuìhòu xuǎnzé le Zhōngwén zhuānyè, fùmǔ yě hěn xīngfèn. - In the end he chose Chinese as his major, and his parents are also very excited.

了 after a verb like 选择 is mainly an aspect marker, not a pure past-tense marker. It shows that the action is completed or that there’s a change of state.

他最后选择了中文专业。
Emphasis: He ended up making that choice (the choice is completed / settled).

Without 了:

他最后选择中文专业。
This can sound more like a neutral statement of fact or a general preference, and in many contexts would feel incomplete or less natural if you’re talking about a specific decision that has already been made.

So 了 here highlights that the choosing is done and the result stands. Because this is a concrete decision in the past, English naturally uses the past tense, but in Chinese what’s crucial is the completed action, not simply “past.”

What’s the difference between 最后 (zuìhòu) and 终于 (zhōngyú)? Could we say 他终于选择了中文专业?

Both 最后 and 终于 can be translated as “finally”, but they focus on different things:

最后 literally means “last / in the end / at last.”
It’s more neutral and often marks the final step or outcome in a sequence of events.
- 他最后选择了中文专业。
  In the end, he chose Chinese as his major (this is the final outcome).
终于 means “at long last / at last (after difficulty, waiting, or expectation).”
It usually implies effort, waiting, or some emotional build-up.
- 他终于选择了中文专业。
  Implies he finally chose it after a long process, perhaps with hesitation, pressure, or obstacles.

You can say 他终于选择了中文专业, but the nuance shifts slightly to “after all that, he finally chose it” with more emotional weight or sense of struggle. 最后 is more neutral and fits a simple narrative of steps leading to a final decision.

Why is 中文 (Zhōngwén) used instead of 汉语 (Hànyǔ) here? Aren’t they both “Chinese”?

Both mean “Chinese,” but they’re used in different ways:

汉语: the spoken Chinese language, especially Mandarin as the language of the Han ethnicity.
More “linguistic” and formal. You’ll see it in phrases like:
- 汉语水平 – Chinese language level
- 汉语教材 – Chinese teaching materials
中文: broader; often refers to Chinese as a language system (spoken + written) or Chinese language & literature in a more general or practical sense.
In academic contexts, a “Chinese major” is usually called 中文专业, not 汉语专业, because it often includes language, literature, culture, etc.

So:

中文专业 ≈ “Chinese (language & literature) major”
汉语专业 can exist, but sounds more like a program that focuses specifically on Chinese as a foreign language or on linguistic aspects.

That’s why 中文专业 is the natural choice here for “Chinese major.”

What exactly does 专业 (zhuānyè) mean in this sentence? Does it mean “profession” or “major”?

专业 has two related meanings:

“Major / field of study” (in school or university)
- 中文专业 – Chinese major
- 法律专业 – law major
- 计算机专业 – computer science major
  That’s the meaning in this sentence.
“Specialty / specialization / professional field”
- 我的专业是市场营销。 – My specialization is marketing.
- 他是专业歌手。 – He is a professional singer.

In 他最后选择了中文专业, the context clearly points to university/college major, not “profession” as a job. So it means: “In the end he chose Chinese as his major.”

Why is the order 中文专业 instead of 专业中文?

Chinese normally has the order:

modifier (what kind?) + noun (what is it?)

So:

中文 (Chinese) modifies 专业 (major) → 中文专业 = Chinese major
Other examples:
- 经济专业 – economics major
- 历史老师 – history teacher
- 中国人 – Chinese person

专业中文 would be read as “a specialty-level Chinese” or “professional Chinese,” which either sounds odd or means something different (e.g. the Chinese used in a professional context) and does not mean “Chinese major.”

Why do we say 父母也很兴奋 instead of 父母也是很兴奋?

In Chinese, when an adjective is used as a predicate, you usually don’t use 是 before it.

Correct:
- 父母也很兴奋。 – His parents were also very excited.
Incorrect / unnatural in this context:
- 父母也是很兴奋。

是 is typically used to link a subject to a noun or noun phrase:

他是学生。 – He is a student.
这是中文专业。 – This is the Chinese major.

With adjectives like 兴奋, 高兴, 累, 贵, etc., you usually use a degree adverb (like 很, etc.) instead of 是:

他很高兴。 – He is (very) happy.
今天有点儿冷。 – It’s a bit cold today.
这本书非常贵。 – This book is extremely expensive.

So 父母也很兴奋 follows the typical [subject] + [degree adverb] + [adjective] pattern.

Does 很 in 很兴奋 really mean “very,” or is it just a dummy word?

It can do both, depending on context:

As a genuine intensifier “very”
When you want to emphasize degree:
- 我很兴奋。 – I’m very excited.
- 他很累。 – He’s very tired.
As a “default” degree marker
In basic statements with an adjective, Mandarin dislikes a “bare” adjective without any degree word. A plain:
- 父母兴奋。
  would often sound clipped, abrupt, or unnatural in everyday speech, unless it’s in a special context (like a headline, poem, or contrastive focus).

So in everyday speech/writing:

父母也很兴奋。
can often be understood simply as “The parents were also excited”, not necessarily “very excited,” unless the context wants that extra strength.

Think of 很 here as:

grammatically expected, and often
at least light emphasis (“quite / really” excited),
but not always as strong as English “VERY!!!”

Why is 也 (yě) placed before 很, not after it? Could we say 父母很也兴奋?

The standard order for multiple adverbs in Chinese is:

[Subject] + (也 / 都 / 常常 etc.) + (很 / 非常 etc.) + Adjective

So:

父母也很兴奋。 – correct
父母很也兴奋。 – wrong / ungrammatical

The logic:

也 is a scope adverb meaning “also / too,” indicating that this statement is in addition to something else that’s true (e.g., he is excited, and the parents are also excited).
很 is a degree adverb modifying the adjective 兴奋.

The “also” relation takes scope over the whole predicate (“also [very excited]”), so 也 goes before 很.

Could we drop 也 and say 父母很兴奋? What changes in meaning?

Yes, grammatically you can say:

父母很兴奋。 – His parents were very excited.

This is a neutral description, with no explicit comparison or addition.

When you add 也:

父母也很兴奋。 – His parents were also very excited.

Now you are explicitly linking their excitement to someone else’s situation just mentioned or implied (e.g., he was excited, and his parents were also excited).

So 也 introduces the meaning of “too / also / as well” and presupposes some previous point of reference.

Can the two parts be separated into two sentences: 他最后选择了中文专业。父母也很兴奋。? Is it different from using a comma?

Yes, you can write:

他最后选择了中文专业。父母也很兴奋。

Using a period instead of a comma:

Makes the two clauses feel a bit more separate.
Slightly emphasizes the result first, and then the reaction as a new statement.

With a comma:

他最后选择了中文专业，父母也很兴奋。
The two actions are presented as parts of one smooth event: he chose the major, and as a result / at the same time, the parents were also excited.

Both are correct; it’s mainly a matter of rhythm and style. The original comma version reads more like a single flowing narrative line.

Could we omit 父母 in the second part and just say 也很兴奋?

You can omit the subject in Chinese if it’s clear from context, but in this exact sentence, just writing:

他最后选择了中文专业，也很兴奋。

would usually be read as:

“In the end he chose Chinese as his major, and he was also very excited.”

Because the nearest and most natural subject for 也很兴奋 is still 他.

To make it clear you mean the parents, you keep 父母:

他最后选择了中文专业，父母也很兴奋。

You could omit 他 in the first clause if he has been mentioned just before:

（他犹豫了很久。）最后选择了中文专业，父母也很兴奋。
He hesitated for a long time. In the end [he] chose Chinese as his major, and [his] parents were also very excited.

But generally, if you want to introduce a different subject, it’s safest to state it explicitly.

Why isn’t there any word like “because” or “so,” even though the parents are excited because of his choice?

Chinese often uses parataxis (placing phrases side by side) instead of explicit conjunctions like “because” or “so.” The logical link is understood from context.

他最后选择了中文专业，父母也很兴奋。
Literally: “He in the end chose Chinese major, the parents also very excited.”

We infer: they’re excited about that choice, so English naturally makes it:
He ended up choosing Chinese as his major, and his parents were very excited (about it).

If you want to make the cause-consequence more explicit in Chinese, you can, but you don’t have to:

因为他最后选择了中文专业，父母也很兴奋。
他最后选择了中文专业，所以父母也很兴奋。

In everyday Chinese, leaving conjunctions out when the logical relation is obvious is very common and natural.

Could we use 选 instead of 选择, and is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

他最后选了中文专业，父母也很兴奋。

选 (xuǎn) and 选择 (xuǎnzé) both mean “to choose,” but:

选择:
- Slightly more formal or full-sounding.
- Common in written language, careful speech, or when you want to stress the act of making a choice.
选:
- Slightly more colloquial and short.
- Very common in everyday speech.

In this sentence, both are natural. 选择 makes the sentence feel a bit more formal or textbook-like; 选 makes it a bit more conversational.

What’s the nuance of 兴奋 compared to other words like 高兴?

Both can be translated as “happy / excited,” but they’re used a bit differently:

高兴 (gāoxìng):
- Basic word for “happy / glad.”
- Often used for simple happiness or emotional pleasure.
- 我很高兴。 – I’m very happy / glad.
兴奋 (xīngfèn):
- More like “excited, stirred up, thrilled.”
- Often implies heightened emotional or physical arousal: enthusiasm, agitation, being keyed up.
- 他一想到要出国就很兴奋。 – As soon as he thinks about going abroad, he gets really excited.

So in 父母也很兴奋, it suggests the parents are really excited / thrilled, not just quietly pleased. Using 高兴 would still be correct, but softer in tone:

父母也很高兴。 – His parents were also very happy.
父母也很兴奋。 – His parents were also very excited / thrilled.