In this lesson, we’re going to learn some common adjectives in Mandarin. Adjectives help us describe things and make our conversations more fun!

In Mandarin, adjectives usually come before the nouns they describe. Let’s check out some adjectives that you'll use a lot:

Common Adjectives

1. 大 (dà) - big
   Example: 大房子 (dà fángzi) - big house

2. 小 (xiǎo) - small
   Example: 小狗 (xiǎo gǒu) - small dog

3. 好 (hǎo) - good
   Example: 好吃 (hǎo chī) - delicious (which means "good to eat")

4. 坏 (huài) - bad
   Example: 坏天气 (huài tiānqì) - bad weather

5. 快 (kuài) - fast
   Example: 快跑 (kuài pǎo) - run fast

6. 慢 (màn) - slow
   Example: 慢走 (màn zǒu) - walk slowly

7. 美丽 (měilì) - beautiful
   Example: 美丽的花 (měilì de huā) - beautiful flower

8. 丑 (chǒu) - ugly
   Example: 丑陋的建筑 (chǒulòu de jiànzhú) - ugly building

Using Adjectives in Sentences

Now, let’s see how to use these adjectives in sentences. Here are some examples:

• 这件衣服很大。 (Zhè jiàn yīfú hěn dà.)
  • This piece of clothing is very big.
• 我的家很小。 (Wǒ de jiā hěn xiǎo.)
  • My home is very small.
• 她的工作很好。 (Tā de gōngzuò hěn hǎo.)
  • Her job is very good.
• 外面的天气坏极了！ (Wàimiàn de tiānqì huài jíle!)
  • The weather outside is really bad.

Practice Activity

Now it’s your turn to practice! Try to describe things around you using the adjectives you’ve learned.

Pick an object and create a sentence like this:

• 这 ___ 是 ___。 (Zhè ___ shì ___.) - This ___ is ___.

Fill in the blanks with a noun and one of the adjectives. For example, you might say, "这书是大。" (This book is big.)

Using these adjectives regularly will help you get better at speaking Mandarin and grow your vocabulary!