Learn Hardcore Chinese: Yīnwèi xuéfèi hěn guì, tā juéde jiāli de jīngjì gèng jǐnzhāng. - Because tuition is very expensive, he feels his family’s finances are even tighter.

因为…，所以…
- 因为学费很贵，所以他觉得家里的经济更紧张。
- Because the tuition is expensive, so he feels the family’s finances are even tighter.
因为…，(所以)… — 所以 is omitted but understood
- 因为学费很贵，他觉得家里的经济更紧张。
- Same meaning; this is the sentence you have.

Omitting 所以 is very natural, especially in spoken Chinese and in writing when the logical link is obvious.

What you cannot do is use 所以 alone without a 因为-clause before it (unless it refers back to something earlier in the conversation).

What exactly is the role of 很 here? Can’t we just say 学费贵?

In modern Mandarin, when an adjective is used as a predicate (like 贵, 大, 好) you usually need some kind of degree adverb, and the default one is 很.

学费很贵。
Literally: Tuition is very expensive, but in many neutral contexts it can just mean “tuition is expensive”.

Saying 学费贵 is possible but:

It can sound abrupt or contrastive, like you’re stressing or correcting something:
- 学费不便宜，学费贵！ – The tuition isn’t cheap; the tuition is expensive!
It’s more common in very short, emphatic statements, headlines, or poetic/literary style.

So in ordinary speech or writing, 学费很贵 is the natural default. Think of 很 here as “linking” the subject and the adjective, not always as a strong “very”.

What does 家里 mean here? Why not just 他家 or 他的家?

家里 (jiālǐ) literally means “in/at the home”, but it often carries the sense of:

“back home”
“(my/his/her) family situation”

In this sentence:

他觉得家里的经济更紧张。
→ He feels that his family’s finances are even tighter.

Because the subject is 他 (he), 家里 is naturally interpreted as “his home / his family”. Chinese often omits possessives when it’s clear from context.

You could say:

他觉得他家的经济更紧张。
他觉得家里的经济更紧张。

Both are fine. 家里 is a bit more focused on the home/family situation, whereas 他家 is more strictly “his household / his family”. The difference here is small.

What is the function of 的 after 家里 in 家里的经济?

的 is the standard marker that turns something into an attributive (modifier of a noun).

Structure:

家里 + 的 + 经济
= the economy/finances of the household
→ the family’s finances / the finances at home

Other similar patterns:

中国的经济 – China’s economy
家里的情况 – the situation at home
公司的老板 – the company’s boss

So 家里的经济 is literally “the home’s economy/finances”.

What does 经济 mean in this sentence? I thought it meant “economy” like a country’s economy.

经济 (jīngjì) does mean “economy” in the macro sense, but it’s also commonly used for personal or family finances.

In this sentence:

家里的经济更紧张
→ the family’s finances are tighter / money is tighter at home

Common collocations:

经济条件 – financial conditions
经济困难 – financial difficulties
经济负担 – financial burden
家庭经济 – household finances

So here, 经济 is closer to “finances” than to “the national economy”.

Why does 紧张 mean “financially tight”? I thought it meant “nervous”.

紧张 (jǐnzhāng) has several related meanings, all involving tension / tightness:

People’s feelings – nervous, tense
- 考试的时候我很紧张。 – I’m very nervous during exams.
Atmosphere / situation – tense
- 气氛很紧张。 – The atmosphere is tense.
Resources (time, money, etc.) – in short supply, tight
- 时间很紧张。 – Time is very tight.
- 经济紧张。 – Finances are tight.

In 家里的经济更紧张, it’s the third meaning: the family’s money situation is under pressure / short / tight.

What does 更 do here? More than what? There’s no “than” in the sentence.

更 (gèng) is a degree adverb meaning “even more / more (than before or than something else)”.

In 家里的经济更紧张:

It means the family’s finances are even tighter than some previous state or implied comparison.

What is it compared to?

Often, the comparison is understood from context:
- More than before.
- More than other families.
- More than he had expected.

If you want to make the comparison explicit, you can say:

家里的经济比以前更紧张。 – The family’s finances are even tighter than before.
因为学费涨了，家里的经济更紧张了。 – Because tuition has gone up, the family’s finances have become even tighter.

So 更 signals a higher degree; the exact reference point is left for context to fill in.

Why is there no 了 at the end, like 更紧张了 to show a change?

Adding 了 would emphasize a change of state (“have become tighter”), but it’s not required.

家里的经济更紧张。
→ States a situation: the finances are tighter (than before / than expected).
家里的经济更紧张了。
→ Highlights that this is a new situation, a change compared with the past.

In many contexts, the idea of change is already implied by 更 (“even more”), so speakers often don’t bother adding 了. Both versions are grammatically correct; the sentence without 了 simply sounds a bit more matter-of-fact.

What is the nuance of 觉得 here? Could we use 认为 or 想 instead?

觉得 (juéde) literally means “to feel”, and by extension “to think” in a subjective / personal way.

In this sentence, 他觉得家里的经济更紧张 means:

He feels / thinks the family’s finances are tighter.
It’s his personal impression, not an objective report.

Comparisons:

觉得 – subjective feeling, common in spoken Chinese
- 我觉得这个办法不错。 – I feel/think this method is pretty good.
认为 – more formal, logical judgment or opinion
- 我认为这个政策有问题。 – I consider this policy problematic.
想 – “to think / to want / to miss”, but “to think that …” with a sentence after it is less common and can sound a bit off if misused. Usually:
- 我想，他可能不会来。 – I think he probably won’t come. (here it’s ok)
- But 他想家里的经济更紧张 is unusual; 觉得 fits much better.

So in this sentence, 觉得 is the most natural verb.

Could we say 他觉得家里的经济更紧张，因为学费很贵。 instead? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is also correct:

因为学费很贵，他觉得家里的经济更紧张。
→ Puts the reason first, then the result.
他觉得家里的经济更紧张，因为学费很贵。
→ Starts with his feeling, then explains the reason.

Both are natural. The difference is mostly information flow:

Starting with 因为… emphasizes the cause.
Starting with 他觉得… emphasizes his feeling/judgment, and then justifies it.

In English, it’s the same idea as:

“Because tuition is expensive, he feels…”
“He feels… because tuition is expensive.”

Is 学费 countable? Why don’t we see a measure word here?

学费 (xuéfèi) is usually treated like “tuition” / “tuition fees” as an uncountable noun in this kind of sentence.

学费很贵。 – Tuition is expensive.

If you want to talk about a specific amount or a specific payment, you might add a measure word and a numeral:

一年的学费 – one year’s tuition
一学期的学费 – one semester’s tuition
这次的学费 – this time’s tuition payment

But when just describing tuition in general as expensive, Chinese doesn’t need a measure word, just like English doesn’t say “the tuition fee is very expensive” every time; we often just say “tuition is expensive.”

Could we say 学费太贵了 instead of 学费很贵? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but the tone changes:

学费很贵。
→ Tuition is expensive (could be neutral or mildly complaining).
学费太贵了。
→ Tuition is too expensive! (clearly complaining / disapproving).

太…了 expresses:

Excessiveness
Often strong emotion (complaint, surprise, praise, etc.)

So if you said:

因为学费太贵了，他觉得家里的经济更紧张。

It would sound like he feels the tuition is unreasonably / excessively expensive, making the family’s finances tight. The original 很贵 is a bit more neutral in tone.