Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè cì kǎoshì zhìshǎo yào xiě sānshí gè jùzi, hěnduō rén zuìhòu xiě le chāoguò sìshí gè jùzi. - For this exam you have to write at least thirty sentences; many people ended up writing more than forty.

这次考试 literally = “this time (of) exam” → “this exam / this test.”
Without 次, 这考试 sounds wrong in Chinese. Nouns like 考试 usually need a measure word when specified by 这/那/每 etc.

Other examples:

上次考试 = last exam
下次考试 = next exam

Is 考试 (kǎoshì) a noun or a verb here?

In 这次考试, 考试 is a noun: “exam / test.”

But 考试 can be both a verb and a noun:

Verb: 明天要考试。= “We have an exam tomorrow / We’re going to take an exam tomorrow.”
Noun: 这次考试很难。= “This exam is very difficult.”

In your sentence, because it follows the measure word 次, it must be functioning as a noun.

What does 至少要写三十个句子 literally mean, and what is the function of 要 (yào) here?

Literal breakdown:

至少 = at least
要 = “need to / be required to / must” (modal verb)
写 = write
三十个句子 = thirty sentences

So 至少要写三十个句子 = “At least need to write thirty sentences.”

Here 要 expresses requirement / obligation, not “want.”
Compare:

至少写三十个句子。= At least write 30 sentences. (more like an instruction, a bit blunt)
至少要写三十个句子。= You need to write at least 30 sentences. (very natural, standard way to state a requirement)

Why is 个 (gè) used in 三十个句子? Can I say 三十句子 instead?

个 is a measure word / classifier. In 三十个句子:

三十 = thirty
个 = measure word
句子 = sentence

So it’s literally “thirty units of sentence.”

三十句子 is not correct. You need a measure word between a number and a noun.

Native speakers sometimes shorten 三十个句子 to 三十句:

三十句 = 30 sentences (literally “30 sentences,” with 句 acting as the measure word)

So:

✔ 三十个句子
✔ 三十句
✘ 三十句子

What exactly does 最后 (zuìhòu) mean here? Is it “finally,” “in the end,” or “at the end (of the exam)”?

最后 can mean:

In the end / eventually / finally (result after a process)
At the end / the last (time order or position)

In this sentence:

很多人最后写了超过四十个句子。
Many people ended up writing more than forty sentences.

It’s closer to meaning “in the end / eventually / ended up”, emphasizing the final result, not the literal final minutes of the exam. It suggests:

The requirement was 30,
But in the end, many people wrote more than 40.

What does the 了 (le) in 写了超过四十个句子 do? Is it past tense?

了 here is the aspect particle that marks a completed action:

写了… = “wrote … (and that action is completed).”

It often corresponds to past tense in English, but technically it marks completion, not pure “past.”

So:

很多人最后写了超过四十个句子。
= Many people ended up writing / wrote more than forty sentences.

Without 了:

很多人最后写超过四十个句子。
This sounds incomplete or ungrammatical in this context; we expect a marker for the completed action.

So 了 tells us the writing actually happened and is finished.

Why is it 写了超过四十个句子, not 写超过了四十个句子? Can 了 go after 超过 instead?

Both positions are possible, but they emphasize slightly different things:

写了超过四十个句子 (your sentence)
- 了 follows 写 → completion of the writing action.
- Very natural here: “(They) wrote more than 40 sentences (completed action).”
写超过了四十个句子
- 了 follows 超过 → emphasizes the fact that the number exceeded 40.
- Also grammatical, but sounds a bit more focused on “the amount surpassed 40.”

In everyday speech, 写了超过四十个句子 is more straightforward and common.

What is the difference between 超过四十个句子, 四十多个句子, and 四十个以上的句子?

All mean “more than forty sentences,” but with slightly different flavors:

超过四十个句子
- Literally “to exceed 40 sentences.”
- More formal or “exact-sounding.”
- Emphasis on the fact the number goes over forty.
四十多个句子
- Literally “forty-some sentences.”
- Very natural and colloquial.
- Implies 40-something, typically not too far from 40 (e.g., 41–49).
四十个以上的句子
- Literally “sentences above forty.”
- Slightly formal / written style.
- Clear, but less conversational than 四十多个句子.

In spoken Chinese, you’d often hear:

很多人最后写了四十多个句子。

Why is it 很多人最后写了... and not 最后很多人写了...? Is the word order important?

Both orders are possible, but the focus changes slightly.

很多人最后写了超过四十个句子。
- Default word order.
- Topic: “many people”, then time: “in the end”, then action.
- Very natural.
最后很多人写了超过四十个句子。
- Topic: “at the end / eventually”, then subject: “many people…”
- Also grammatical; it puts more emphasis on the time / final stage.

In everyday use, the original 很多人最后… sounds more neutral and common here.

How do we know this sentence is about the past, since there’s no past tense verb form?

Chinese doesn’t change verb forms for tense. Instead, it relies on:

Aspect particles, like 了, to mark completion:
- 写了 → completed writing → usually translated as past.
Context, such as time words or shared knowledge (we know exams usually already happened when you describe them like this).

So, 写了超过四十个句子 tells us:
“The action of writing more than 40 sentences is completed,” which in context is understood as happening in the past.

Could I say 这次要考试，至少要写三十个句子? How is that different from 这次考试至少要写三十个句子?

Yes, you can say that, but there is a nuance:

这次考试至少要写三十个句子。
- “In this exam, you must write at least 30 sentences.”
- 考试 is a noun; you’re describing the exam’s requirement.
这次要考试，至少要写三十个句子。
- “This time we’re going to have an exam; (you) need to write at least 30 sentences.”
- First clause: 要考试 = “(we) will have an exam” (考试 as a verb).
- Second clause then states the requirement.

Both are correct. The original is more compact and directly frames it as “this exam’s requirement is…”

Why is 人 (rén) used in 很多人, not 学生 (xuésheng)? Does 人 mean “students” here?

人 just means “people.” In this context, it refers to the people taking the exam — very likely students, but it doesn’t specify.

You could say:

很多学生最后写了超过四十个句子。
= Many students ended up writing more than forty sentences.

Using 很多人 is broader and more general, like English “many people.” The exact identity (students, test-takers) comes from context.

Could I drop 句子 (jùzi) and just say 三十句 or 四十多句?

Yes, if the context is clear, that’s very natural:

至少要写三十句。
很多人最后写了四十多句。

Here 句 is the measure word “sentence,” so it’s enough on its own.
Adding 句子 is also correct, but longer:

三十个句子 / 四十多个句子 = slightly more explicit
三十句 / 四十多句 = shorter, very common in speech

What role does the comma (，) play in this sentence? Is it like “and”?

The comma here separates two related clauses:

这次考试至少要写三十个句子，
很多人最后写了超过四十个句子。

You can understand it as:

“In this exam you had to write at least 30 sentences, and many people ended up writing more than 40.”

Chinese often uses a comma to link closely related ideas where English would use “and,” “but,” “so,” etc. It doesn’t literally stand for the word “and,” but functionally it’s similar here.

Is there any difference between 至少写三十个句子 and 最少写三十个句子?

In this context, 至少 and 最少 both mean “at least”, and both are acceptable:

这次考试至少要写三十个句子。
这次考试最少要写三十个句子。

Nuance:

至少 is more common and a bit more standard / neutral in this “requirement” sense.
最少 can sometimes feel slightly more “mathematical” (“the minimum is…”), but in everyday use, many speakers use them interchangeably here.

For learners, using 至少 in this kind of requirement sentence is a safe choice.