Learn Hardcore Chinese: Zhè jiān jiàoshì de xuéxí qìfen hěn hǎo, dàjiā dōu yuànyì shuō zhōngwén. - The study atmosphere in this classroom is very good; everyone is willing to speak Chinese.

这间教室 = this classroom (this room that is a classroom)
这个教室 is also possible. 个 (gè) is the most general measure word and works with almost any noun.

Differences:

这间教室 – more specific and a bit more precise/natural for rooms; slightly more “proper”.
这个教室 – perfectly acceptable, slightly more casual and general.

You normally would not say 这教室 in standard Mandarin; the measure word is expected.

Is 这 in 这间教室 pronounced zhè or zhèi?

The standard dictionary pronunciation is zhè (fourth tone).

However, in natural spoken Mandarin, when 这 comes directly before a measure word (like 个, 间, 本, etc.), many speakers pronounce it zhèi:

这间教室 → standard: zhè jiān jiàoshì, common spoken: zhèi jiān jiàoshì

Both are understood; zhè is the standard form you’ll see in dictionaries and should use in careful speech, while zhèi is a common colloquial variant.

What exactly does 的 do in 这间教室的学习气氛?

Here 的 (de) marks a possessive or attributive relationship, like 's or “of” in English:

这间教室的学习气氛
= the learning atmosphere of this classroom
= this classroom’s learning atmosphere

Structure:

这间教室 – “this classroom” (possessor / modifying phrase)
的 – connects possessor to what is possessed
学习气氛 – “learning atmosphere”

Without 的, 这间教室学习气氛很好 is unnatural; after a phrase like 这间教室, you basically need 的 before the noun it modifies.

You could restructure the sentence in other ways, such as:

在这间教室里，学习的气氛很好。
“In this classroom, the atmosphere for studying is very good.”

But in the original pattern, 的 is required.

What’s the difference between 学习气氛 and just 气氛? Could I say 这间教室的气氛很好?

气氛 (qìfen) = atmosphere, mood (quite general).
学习气氛 = learning/studying atmosphere – specifically the atmosphere for studying or learning.

So:

这间教室的学习气氛很好。
Emphasises: the study environment is good; people like studying here.
这间教室的气氛很好。
More general: the overall mood in this classroom is good (could be friendly, relaxed, etc., not necessarily about studying).

Both are grammatically correct; 学习气氛 just makes it clear you are talking about the academic or study atmosphere.

Why do we need 很 before 好? Does 很 always mean “very” here?

In 学习气氛很好, 很 (hěn) serves two roles:

Grammatically:
In Mandarin, adjectives can function as verbs (“to be good”), and a bare pattern like:
- 学习气氛好。
often sounds comparative or contrastive, as if you’re implying “the learning atmosphere (here) is good (as opposed to somewhere else)” or speaking very emphatically.
Adding 很 makes the sentence sound like a neutral description:
- 学习气氛很好。
  = “The learning atmosphere is good.” (neutral statement)
Semantically:
In many everyday sentences like this, 很 doesn’t strongly mean “very”; it’s often just a “linking degree word”. The English translation usually drops “very”:
- 今天天气很好。 → “The weather is good today.” (not necessarily “very good”)

If you really want to emphasize “very”, you often use stronger words:

非常好 – extremely good
特别好 – especially good
真好 – really good

So here, 很好 is best understood as simply “is good” rather than strongly “is very good”.

What is the grammatical structure of the whole sentence?

The sentence is:

这间教室的学习气氛很好，大家都愿意说中文。

It has two clauses, separated by a comma:

这间教室的学习气氛很好
- Subject: 这间教室的学习气氛
  “the learning atmosphere of this classroom”
- Predicate: 很好
  “is (very) good”
大家都愿意说中文
- Subject: 大家
  “everyone”
- Adverb: 都
  “all”
- Verb: 愿意
  “be willing (to), be ready (to)”
- Object (verb-object phrase): 说中文
  “speak Chinese”

So overall structure is:

Clause 1 (statement about the classroom atmosphere),
， (comma linking related clauses),
Clause 2 (result or example: everyone is willing to speak Chinese).

Why do we use both 大家 and 都? Aren’t they both about “all / everyone”?

大家 (dàjiā) means “everyone” (literally “big family”).
都 (dōu) means “all / both” and is an adverb that modifies the verb.

In 大家都愿意说中文:

大家 tells you who – the group of people.
都 emphasizes that every member of that group shares the same property (they are willing to speak Chinese).

This pattern is extremely common:

我们都喜欢他。 – We all like him.
他们都很忙。 – They are all busy.

If you remove 都:

大家愿意说中文。

it’s still grammatical and still usually understood as “everyone is willing to speak Chinese,” but 都 makes the “all of them, without exception” idea more explicit and sounds more natural in many contexts.

So 大家 + 都 + (verb) is a very typical, natural combination.

Where does 都 have to go? Can I say 大家愿意都说中文?

In this kind of sentence, 都 (dōu) normally comes after the subject and before the main verb:

✅ 大家都愿意说中文。

Here, the main verb phrase is 愿意说中文, and 都 modifies that whole action.

Putting 都 after 愿意 like:

❌ 大家愿意都说中文

is unnatural, because 都 doesn’t usually split 愿意 (a modal / attitude verb) from the main verb 说. In normal word order:

Subject + 都
- (modal/auxiliary) + main verb + object

Examples:

我们都想学中文。 – We all want to learn Chinese.
他们都要参加。 – They all want to participate.
学生们都喜欢说中文。 – The students all like to speak Chinese.

So 大家都愿意说中文 is the correct and natural order.

What nuance does 愿意 add compared with 想 or 要?

These three verbs are related but different:

愿意 (yuànyì) – “to be willing (to), to be ready (to), to be inclined (to)”
Focus: attitude / willingness, especially the lack of reluctance.
- 他不愿意说中文。 – He is not willing to speak Chinese.
想 (xiǎng) – “to want to, to feel like (doing something)”
Focus: inner desire or intention.
- 他不想说中文。 – He doesn’t feel like speaking Chinese / doesn’t want to.
要 (yào) – “to want, to need, to be going to”
Often stronger, more decisive, or future-oriented.
- 他要说中文。 – He will speak / wants to speak Chinese (more firm).

In 大家都愿意说中文, 愿意 emphasizes that people are willing and not reluctant or shy about speaking Chinese. This fits well with the idea of a good learning atmosphere: people dare to and are happy to speak.

Is there a difference between 说中文, 说汉语, and 说中国话?

All three can mean “speak Chinese,” but they differ slightly in usage and feel:

中文 (Zhōngwén)
- Literally “Chinese written language,” but in practice also used for the language in general.
- Common in both Mainland and Taiwan, in everyday speech and study contexts.
- 说中文 is very natural: “speak Chinese”.
汉语 (Hànyǔ)
- Literally “Han language” (the language of the Han ethnic majority).
- Often used in more formal or academic contexts: language courses, exams, textbooks.
- 说汉语, 学汉语 are very common in Mainland teaching contexts.
中国话 (Zhōngguóhuà)
- Literally “Chinese talk / Chinese speech.”
- Sounds more colloquial; usage varies by region. You will hear 说中国话 but it’s less common than 说中文 / 说汉语 in standard teaching materials.

In this sentence, 说中文 nicely matches the idea of actually using the language in class, and it sounds very natural.

Is there any tense in this sentence? How do we know if it’s present or past?

Mandarin verbs do not change form for tense (past/present/future) the way English verbs do.

In:

这间教室的学习气氛很好，大家都愿意说中文。

there is no explicit tense marker. The sentence describes a situation that is taken as currently true or generally true. In English we usually translate it with the present tense:

“The learning atmosphere in this classroom is very good; everyone is willing to speak Chinese.”

To make it clearly past or future, you’d add time expressions or aspect markers:

以前这间教室的学习气氛很好。
“In the past, the learning atmosphere in this classroom was very good.”
将来这间教室的学习气氛也会很好。
“In the future, the learning atmosphere in this classroom will also be very good.”

So tense is inferred from context, not from verb endings.

Is 氣氛 / 气氛 the same as 氛围? Could we say 学习氛围 instead of 学习气氛?

氣氛 / 气氛 (qìfen) – traditional / simplified forms of the same word, meaning “atmosphere, mood”.
氛围 (fēnwéi) – also “atmosphere, ambience, vibe”.

They overlap a lot, but:

气氛 is very common for the emotional atmosphere of an event or situation:
- 节日气氛 – festive atmosphere
- 紧张的气氛 – tense atmosphere
氛围 often feels a bit more formal or literary, and is very frequently used with 学习 (studying), 工作 (work), etc.:
- 学习氛围 – learning atmosphere
- 工作氛围 – working atmosphere

So you can definitely say:

这间教室的学习氛围很好。

This is actually a very common collocation in modern Mainland Chinese.
Both 学习气氛很好 and 学习氛围很好 are correct; 学习氛围 may sound slightly more formal or “official,” especially in school reports, brochures, etc.

Why is there just a comma （，） between the two parts instead of something like “and”?

Chinese often links closely related clauses with a comma, where English might use:

“and”
“so”
“because”
or just a new sentence.

In:

这间教室的学习气氛很好，大家都愿意说中文。

the comma connects:

A description: the learning atmosphere is good,
A result / example: everyone is willing to speak Chinese.

You could insert a connector, but it’s not required. For example:

这间教室的学习气氛很好，所以大家都愿意说中文。
“The learning atmosphere in this classroom is very good, so everyone is willing to speak Chinese.”

In ordinary writing, the version with just a comma is already clear and very natural.