Learn Hardcore Chinese: xiànzài jiāotōng hěn fādá, cóng jiāoqū dào shìzhōngxīn de dìtiě chángcháng hěn mǎn, yào zuò sìshí fēnzhōng, bǐ gōngjiāochē fāngbiàn. - Transportation is very developed now; the subway from the suburbs to downtown is often very full and takes forty minutes, but it’s more convenient than the bus.

Grammatically, 很 often works like a “linker” between the subject and the adjective, not always as a strong “very.” In many neutral contexts, 很 can sound almost like a default copula, and it doesn’t always feel as strong as English very.

You can say 交通发达, but:

交通很发达 sounds more natural and complete in everyday speech.
交通发达 feels more like a written, slogan-like, or headline style (concise, factual, a bit more formal).

So the version with 很 is the normal conversational choice.

What exactly does 交通很发达 mean? Why use 发达 with traffic?

交通很发达 literally means “transportation is very developed.”

Here, 交通 (jiāotōng) = the whole transportation system / traffic situation, and 发达 (fādá) means developed / advanced / well-developed.

So 交通很发达 suggests:

There are many transportation options (metro, buses, highways, etc.).
The network is extensive and convenient.
It’s “modern” and not underdeveloped.

It does not mean “traffic is very heavy/busy” (for that you’d say things like 交通很拥挤 / 车很多 / 堵车很严重).

What is the structure 从郊区到市中心的地铁? What does 的 do here?

从郊区到市中心的地铁 breaks down as:

从郊区到市中心 – from the suburbs to the city center
的 – links this phrase as an attributive to a noun
地铁 – subway / metro

So 从郊区到市中心的地铁 means:

“the metro (line) that goes from the suburbs to the city center”

In Chinese, you put the describing phrase + 的 before the noun it modifies:

从A到B的地铁 = the subway that goes from A to B
我昨天买的书 = the book (that) I bought yesterday

Here, 的 is roughly like “that/which” in English relative clauses.

Why is 的 attached to 市中心 and not directly to 地铁? Why not see something like 到市中心地铁的?

Chinese doesn’t mark the end of the modifier phrase with a special word; 的 belongs to the whole chunk 从郊区到市中心的, not just to 市中心.

The full modifier is:

从郊区到市中心（的） → this entire phrase modifies 地铁

You couldn’t say 到市中心地铁的; that would break the usual order. The correct pattern is always:

[modifier phrase] + 的 + [noun]
从郊区到市中心 + 的 + 地铁

What does 常常很满 mean exactly? Why not just 常常满?

常常 (chángcháng) = often / frequently
满 (mǎn) = full
So 常常很满 = “often (very) full,” i.e. often very crowded / no seats / packed with people.

很 before 满 again works as a default adverb of degree.

You could say:

地铁常常满。 – grammatically OK, a bit more written or clipped.
地铁常常很满。 – more natural in everyday speech; sounds smoother and more spoken.

The 很 makes it sound less abrupt and also mildly intensifies “full.”

In 要坐四十分钟, what is 要 (yào) doing? Is it “want to” or “need to”?

Here, 要 means “need / will take (time)”, not “want.”

要坐四十分钟 literally: “(it) needs [you] to sit for 40 minutes”
→ more naturally: “it takes 40 minutes (to ride).”

Common patterns:

从这里到学校走路要二十分钟。
It takes 20 minutes to walk from here to the school.
开车要一个小时。
Driving takes an hour.

So 要 + Verb + Duration = “it takes (time) to do X.”

Why is it 坐四十分钟 and not something like 坐四十分钟车 or 坐四十分钟的地铁?

In context, the means of transport (地铁) is already mentioned and understood:

…地铁常常很满，要坐四十分钟…

Once 地铁 is established, Chinese often omits the obvious noun and just keeps the verb phrase:

要坐四十分钟 = (riding it) takes 40 minutes.

You can say:

要坐四十分钟地铁
要坐四十分钟的地铁

Those are understandable, but in smooth natural speech, 要坐四十分钟 is more concise and sounds very normal because the listener knows we’re still talking about the metro.

Why is there no 个 in 四十分钟? I thought Chinese often uses 个 as a measure word.

Time words like 分钟, 小时, 天, 年, etc. are themselves measure words and don’t usually take 个:

四十分钟 – 40 minutes
三小时 – 3 hours
两天 – 2 days

You only see 个 with some time words that can optionally use it:

一个小时 / 一小时 – both OK
一个星期 – “one week” (more common with 个)
一个月 – one month

But 分钟 is not normally used with 个, so you just say 四十分钟.

In 比公交车方便, what is being compared here? There’s no subject in this part.

The subject is understood from context: it’s the subway (地铁).

Full meaning:

（地铁）比公交车方便。
“(The subway) is more convenient than the bus.”

Chinese frequently drops repeated subjects when it’s clear who/what we’re talking about.

The whole sentence can be expanded as:

从郊区到市中心的地铁常常很满，要坐四十分钟，（地铁）比公交车方便。

Why is there no 更 (gèng) in 比公交车方便? Would 比公交车更方便 be better?

Both are fine:

比公交车方便 – more convenient than the bus
比公交车更方便 – even more/quite a bit more convenient than the bus

更 adds some emphasis to the comparison; it often feels a bit stronger.
Without 更, the comparative meaning is already clear because of 比.

So:

Everyday speech: both 比公交车方便 and 比公交车更方便 are natural.
With 更 you slightly stress the “more.”

Why is there no 了 (le) in this sentence? It talks about riding for 40 minutes—shouldn’t that be a completed action?

The sentence describes a general, habitual situation, not one specific completed trip:

The subway from the suburbs to the city center is often full, (and it) takes 40 minutes, (and it) is more convenient than the bus.

In such general statements (facts, tendencies, habits), Chinese normally does not use 了.

Examples:

我每天坐地铁，要一个小时。 – I take the subway every day; it takes an hour.
冬天这里很冷。 – It’s very cold here in winter.

You’d use 了 if you described a specific completed event, e.g.:

昨天我坐地铁坐了四十分钟。 – Yesterday I rode the metro for 40 minutes.

What exactly does 满 (mǎn) mean here? Is it the same as “crowded”?

满 literally means “full” (filled up to capacity).

In 地铁常常很满:

Literal idea: “the subway is often very full.”
Implied: the train cars are packed with people, little or no space.

It’s close to “crowded,” but:

满 emphasizes “no more room”.
拥挤 (yōngjǐ) emphasizes “cramped / crowded / jammed”.

Both can describe a crowded train:

地铁很满。 – The metro is full.
地铁很拥挤。 – The metro is very crowded.

What’s the difference between 交通很发达 and 交通很方便?

Both are positive, but they focus on different things:

交通很发达 – the system is developed
- Many lines/routes, advanced infrastructure, modern, large-scale.
交通很方便 – it’s convenient to get around
- Easy to use, saves time/effort, good for daily life.

A place could have:

交通很发达, but if it’s always jammed, some people might not feel it’s 方便.
Or less “developed” infrastructure but still relatively 方便 (few roads, but light traffic and little waiting).

In the given sentence, 发达 is about the overall stage of development of the transportation system.

What’s the difference between 公交车 (gōngjiāochē), 公共汽车 (gōnggòng qìchē), and 巴士 (bāshì)?

They all refer to buses, but with different styles/contexts:

公交车
- Very common in Mainland China.
- Short for 公共交通汽车.
- Everyday, neutral: the regular city bus.
公共汽车
- A bit more formal/full form.
- Also perfectly correct; found in textbooks, some signs.
巴士 (bāshì)
- A transliteration of English “bus.”
- Common in Hong Kong/Taiwan, also used in the Mainland but feels a bit more foreign / brand-like / specific (e.g. tourist buses, airport buses).

In this sentence, 公交车 is the most natural everyday choice in Mainland-style Mandarin.

Why is it 市中心 (shìzhōngxīn) and not something like 中心市? How does noun order work here?

Chinese typically uses the order:

modifier (more general / larger category) + core noun (more specific)

市中心 = 市 (city) + 中心 (center) → “the center of the city”

Other examples:

学校门口 – the school’s entrance (school + doorway)
公司经理 – the company’s manager (company + manager)
中国文化 – Chinese culture (China + culture)

So 市中心 literally is “city center.” Putting 中心市 would be unnatural and doesn’t follow the usual pattern.

Can you drop 很 and just say 地铁常常满? Does it change the meaning?

You can say 地铁常常满, and it’s grammatically fine.

Differences in feel:

地铁常常很满。 – very natural, spoken, slightly softer and more flowing.
地铁常常满。 – shorter, a bit more factual / concise, can feel more written or matter-of-fact.

Meaning-wise, both say the metro is often full. The 很 adds:

A slight degree meaning (“quite full”)
And a smoother, more natural rhythm in everyday speech.