Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè zhī gǒu hěn xiǎo, hěn kě'ài.

You can say 这只狗是小的, but that’s more like “This dog is the small one (as opposed to a big one)”—it has a contrastive, more specific feel, not just a neutral description.

Does 很 (hěn) really mean “very” here, or is it just grammatical? Could I translate it as simply “This dog is small and cute”?

In this kind of sentence, 很 is often more of a “linking” degree word than a strong “very”.

这只狗很小，很可爱。 is usually understood as “This dog is small and cute,” not necessarily “very small and very cute.”

Why use 很 at all?

A bare adjective like 这只狗小 is possible but:
- it can sound like a contrast (“this dog (is) small [not big]”),
- or like a judgment (“this dog is small” with emphasis, sometimes a bit abrupt).
很 “softens” the statement and makes it sound like a neutral description.

So:

这只狗很小，很可爱。 – natural, neutral description.
这只狗小，可爱。 – shorter, more emphatic / stylistic, can sound like you’re listing qualities or making a stronger comment.
Translation-wise, you can usually render 很 in such sentences as normal English adjectives without “very,” unless the context clearly emphasizes degree.

Why do we need 只 (zhī) between 这 and 狗? Why can’t we say 这个狗?

Chinese almost always needs a measure word (classifier) between a demonstrative/number and a noun:

这 + 个 + 人 = this person
那 + 本 + 书 = that book
一 + 张 + 纸 = one sheet of paper

For animals like dogs and cats, the usual measure word is 只 (zhī).

So:

这只狗 = this dog
一只狗 = one dog

这个狗 sounds unnatural to native speakers. 个 (gè) is a very common “default” measure word, and in casual speech some people might say 一个狗 or 这个狗, but it’s non‑standard and often considered incorrect in careful speech.

For correct, textbook Mandarin, use:

这只狗 – This dog.
那只狗 – That dog.
三只狗 – Three dogs.

What’s the difference between 只 (zhī) as a measure word and 只 (zhǐ) meaning “only”? They look the same.

They’re two different words that just happen to share the same character.

只 (zhī) – measure word
- Used for many animals, some small things, and some paired body parts (hands, eyes, etc.).
- Example: 一只狗 (one dog), 两只猫 (two cats), 一只手 (one hand).
只 (zhǐ) – adverb meaning “only / just”
- Example: 我只喝水。 – I only drink water.
- Example: 他只有一只狗。 – He only has one dog.

They have different pronunciations (tones) and functions:

Measure word: zhī (high level tone, 1st tone)
“Only”: zhǐ (falling-rising tone, 3rd tone)

Context and pronunciation tell you which one it is.

Why is 只 (zhī) the measure word for 狗 (gǒu, dog)? Can I use other measure words like 条 (tiáo) or 个 (gè)?

The standard, most natural measure word for 狗 is 只 (zhī):

一只狗 – one dog
两只大狗 – two big dogs

What about other measure words?

条 (tiáo): used for long, thin, flexible things (fish, snakes, rivers, pants).
Some speakers colloquially use 一条狗, but it sounds a bit humorous/folksy or dialect-influenced. It’s not the standard choice in textbooks.
个 (gè): is a very common “default” classifier. You may hear 一个狗 in casual speech, but it is non-standard and often corrected in formal learning.

For learners, you should treat 只 (zhī) as the correct measure word for dogs and most medium-sized animals.

Can I leave out 很 and say 这只狗小，可爱 or 这只狗小，可爱极了?

You can omit 很, but the nuance changes.

这只狗很小，很可爱。 – neutral description.
这只狗小，可爱。 – more emphatic / list-like, a bit stylistic or literary. It can feel like: “This dog is small, (and) cute.”
这只狗小，可爱极了。 – here you use 极了 (“extremely”), so you don’t need 很 before 可爱 because 极了 already gives strong degree.

In general:

For plain, neutral statements with a single adjective:
- 很 is strongly preferred.
- 这只狗小 alone can sound like a contrastive or slightly abrupt judgment.
If you add other degree words or structures, 很 may no longer be necessary or may be replaced:
- 非常可爱 – extremely cute
- 特别小 – especially small
- 有点儿小 – a bit small

So, yes, you can omit 很 in some stylistic or emphasized sentences, but for basic, safe sentences, keep 很 with predicate adjectives.

Why is there a comma between 很小 and 很可爱? Could I use 和 (hé, and) instead, or say 很小很可爱 without punctuation?

The comma is just joining two short clauses that share the same subject:

这只狗 / 很小，很可爱。
– This dog / is very small, (and) very cute.

Alternatives:

这只狗很小，很可爱。
– Very natural, what you gave.
这只狗很小，很可爱。 (same as 1)
The comma is normal punctuation. In handwriting or casual text, people might not worry much about it.
这只狗很小很可爱。
– Also possible; now the two adjectives are more tightly linked, like “very small-and-cute” as a bundle. Slightly more “blended” feeling.
这只狗很小，而且很可爱。
– “This dog is very small, and also very cute.” More explicit.

Using 和 directly between adjectives is not usual in this structure:

❌ 这只狗很小和很可爱。 – unnatural.

Use 和 mainly between nouns or full verb phrases, not between predicate adjectives like this. So prefer comma, 很小很可爱, or 很小，而且很可爱.

If I say 这只狗很小，很可爱, is that describing a state (“this dog is small and cute”) or is it more like an attributive (“this small and cute dog”)?

As written, it’s a full sentence describing a state:

这只狗 – subject
很小，很可爱 – predicate (“very small, very cute”)

So it means “This dog is very small and very cute.”

To make it an attributive phrase (“this small and cute dog”), you put the adjectives before the noun and usually add 的 (de):

这只很小、很可爱的狗 – this very small, very cute dog
- 这只 – this (CL)
- 很小、很可爱的 – very small, very cute (describing the dog)
- 狗 – dog

So:

这只狗很小，很可爱。 – statement about the dog.
这只很小、很可爱的狗…… – noun phrase: “this very small, very cute dog …” (you still need to complete the sentence).

How would I negate this sentence? How do I say “This dog is not small and not cute” or “This dog is not small but (still) cute”?

Negation uses 不 (bù) before adjectives.

“This dog is not small and not cute” (both negative):

这只狗不小，也不可爱。
Literally: “This dog is not small, (and) also not cute.”

You can also say:

这只狗不小，也不太可爱。 – not small, and not very cute (slightly softer).

“This dog is not small but (still) cute”:

这只狗不小，但是很可爱。
– This dog is not small, but (it is) very cute.

If you want “This dog is not very small but very cute”:

这只狗不太小，但是很可爱。

Structure pattern:

Affirmative: 主语 + 很 + 形容词 (subject + hěn + adjective)
Negative: 主语 + 不 + 形容词 (subject + bù + adjective)

How are the tones actually pronounced in speaking, especially 很小 and 很可爱? Does tone sandhi change anything?

Yes, tone sandhi (tone changes in context) affects how you pronounce some of these:

很小 (hěn xiǎo)
- Written tones: 3rd + 3rd
- In actual speech: the first 3rd tone becomes 2nd tone:
  - Pronounced like hén xiǎo (rising + dipping)
很可爱 (hěn kě’ài)
- Written tones: 3rd + 3rd + 4th (hěn kě ài)
- In speech: the 很 (hěn) becomes 2nd tone before another 3rd tone:
  - Pronounced like hén kě’ài
- 可爱 (kě’ài) is 3rd + 4th, so 可 (kě) remains a 3rd-tone type syllable (often realized as a “half 3rd” in fluent speech).
The apostrophe in kě’ài is just to show the syllable break kě + ài. The curly apostrophe (’) vs straight (') is just typography; pronunciation is the same.

Tones if you read them one by one:

这 zhè – 4th tone
只 zhī – 1st tone
狗 gǒu – 3rd tone
很 hěn – underlying 3rd, often realized as 2nd before another 3rd
小 xiǎo – 3rd tone
可 kě – 3rd tone
爱 ài – 4th tone

Why doesn’t 狗 (gǒu) change form for plural? How would I say “These dogs are very small and very cute”?

Chinese nouns generally do not change form for plural. 狗 can mean “dog” or “dogs” depending on context.

To make it clearly plural, you change the determiner / number, not the noun:

这只狗 – this dog
这些狗 – these dogs
三只狗 – three dogs
很多狗 – many dogs

So “These dogs are very small and very cute”:

这些狗很小，很可爱。
– These dogs are very small and very cute.

Note that:

些 (xiē) is used to mark “some/these/those” in 这些 (these) and 那些 (those).
The noun 狗 itself doesn’t add anything like “-s” or “-es” as in English.

How do I say “puppy” instead of just “dog” in a similar sentence?

The common, everyday way to say “puppy” is 小狗 (xiǎo gǒu) – literally “small dog.”

So:

这只狗很小，很可爱。 – This dog is very small and very cute.
这只小狗很小，很可爱。 – This puppy is very small and very cute.

You still use the same measure word 只:

一只小狗 – one puppy
几只小狗 – several puppies

Can I say 这条狗又小又可爱 instead? What’s the difference from 这只狗很小，很可爱?

You can say 这条狗又小又可爱, and it’s grammatical, but there are two differences:

Measure word:
- 只 (zhī) is the standard classifier for dogs.
- 条 (tiáo) is more for long, thin things (fish, snakes, rivers).
  Some people do say 一条狗 colloquially, but in standard Mandarin and textbooks, 一只狗 is preferred.
Structure and nuance:
- 很小，很可爱 = “is very small, (and) very cute.”
  - A bit more neutral.
- 又小又可爱 = “both small and cute / not only small but also cute.”
  - Emphasizes that the dog has both qualities at the same time; feels a bit more expressive.

A standard, natural upgrade of your original sentence using this pattern would be:

这只狗又小又可爱。 – This dog is small and cute (and it has both qualities).

Why does 可爱 (kě’ài) mean “cute”? The characters look like “can / able” and “love.”

You’re right about the basic meanings of the characters:

可 (kě) – can / may / able to / worthy of
爱 (ài) – love

Together, 可爱 originally has the sense “worthy of love,” “deserving to be loved.”

From there, its everyday meaning developed into:

“lovable,” “adorable,” i.e. cute.

So:

很可爱 – very cute / very lovable
这只狗很小，很可爱。 – This dog is small and very lovable/cute.

This “X + 爱” pattern also appears in words like:

可怜 (kělián) – pitiable, deserving pity
可笑 (kěxiào) – funny / laughable

In 可爱, it’s specifically positive: you feel like loving it → “cute.”