Like the title says my question is when to use 很 together with a stative verb.

The way I understand it is that it's used in affirmative sentences. However, it is not used in interrogative sentences or sentences when you contrast two things. Is this correct? Also, I am wondering if one should pronounce 很 in speech. I seem to hear people say sentences like this without 很.

I would appreciate if someone could explain this a bit better and perhaps give one or two examples.

An example would be 马很热。 Would I be able to write 马热。or is it wrong? Another sentence would be 今天马真冷。Does this sentence need a 很 to be complete? Please give some examples so that I can understand.

I don't entirely understand what you mean by stative verbs. My grammar terminology is a bit rusty.

As for your example: The first one needs the 很。 马很热。 That is correct. 今天马真冷。 That is correct. Basically, you have a series of words that can take the place of 很 in that sentence. 真，很，非常，比较，太/不太， and 有点（儿）. You could also put 极了 behind the 热. 马热极了。 (Note that that 了 is there for a different reason.) Each of those terms I listed has a different meaning, though. People say 很 translates to very. I think that is the worst translation in all of Chinese. That word is a nightmare to translate and I always translate it based on the context more than sentence structure. For the basic sentence structure "noun blank is adjective blank" you need one of those words.

Ok. To make things more complicated... if it is a change of state sentence, where you are using 了 to indicate that things have changed, you can drop the 很 type word. 马热了。 Translation: The horse is hot, and he wasn't hot before. That is also legal.

So, for some examples:

他很好。 （He is good.) (Some would say very good, but I don't entirely agree with that translation.)
她聪明极了。 (She is extremely intelligent.)
他好了。 (He is better now.) (That translation depends on context.)
我冷了。 （I am cold now. I wasn't earlier is implied.)
我非常冷。 (I am very cold.)
他很强。 (He is strong.)

I hope that helps.

Thank you! Stative verb just means that an adjective in chinese also functions as a verb. In english we say "to be cold" where "to be" is the verb whereas "cold" is the adjective. In chinese these are fused and are refered to as stative verbs (at least according to my book - Colloquial Chinese).

The textbook explains stative verbs like this:

"When adjectives form the predicate, i.e. when they say what the subject is or is not, they function as verbs: there is no additional word for 'to be'. We call them stative verbs. In the affirmative, when no more substantial adverb is to be supplied, they need to be supported by the unstressed adverb 很 'very, quite'. [If not so supported, a contrast is intended.] You will se that stative verbs may also be the subject ofa sentence, in which case tehy take on the role of a gerund: 冷不好, 'being/to be cold is not good'.


You wrote that there are a series of words which can take the place instead of 很. From this I wonder if I would be correct in saying that if a affirmative sentence in the present tense has an adverb in it then the sentence does not need 很 unless one specifically wants to say 'very'? If there is no adverb then 很 takes on the form of a sort of particle without any definate meaning. Perhaps this is why you find it so difficult to translate. It is like trying to translate a particle such as 的.

Ok. I figured that is what you meant by stative verb from your examples. It is good to be certain, though.

First of all, there is no tense in Chinese. Ｙｏｕｒ statement present tense implies tense. There really is no tense in Chinese. Foreigners often think 了 means past tense. It really doesn't.

As for the question, if I am understanding it correctly....

You wouldn't say, 他很非常好。 You would just say, 他非常好。

A rough break down of the terms, the way I would break them down:　　（Ｎｏｔｅ：　ｙｏｕ　ｄｏｎ＇ｔ　ｍｉｘ　ａｎｄ　ｍａｔｃｈ．　　Ｊｕｓｔ　ｐｉｃｋ　ｏｎｅ．）

点点： A tiny amount.　（Ｎｏｔｅ：　ｎｏ　ｏｎｅ　ｐｕｔｓ　ａｎ　Ｒ　ｏｎ　ｔｈａｔ　ｏｎｅ．）
有点（儿）: A little bit
很: Neutral (English's He is fine.)
非常 Very
极了 Extremely
比较 Relatively (他说得比较好:He speaks relatively well. He isn't extremely fluent, but he is passable.)
太: Too much　ｂｕｔ　ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ａ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｔｒｉｃｋｙ (太冷了！ It is TOO DANG　ＣＯＬＤ！　太好了！　Ｔｈａｔ　ｉｓ　ｉｎｃｒｅｄｉｂｌｅ．　　Ｔｈｉｓ　ｉｓ　ｗｏｎｄｅｒｆｕｌ．）　
真　Really，　ｉｎｄｅｅｄ　（他真冷。　Ｈｅ　ｉｓ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｃｏｌｄ．）

Ｔｈｅ　ｒｅａｓｏｎ　ｗｈｙ　Ｉ　ｓａｙ　ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｒｅｌａｔｉｖｅｌｙ　ｈａｒｄ　ｔｏ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｅ　很　ｈａｓ　ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｄｏ　ｗｉｔｈ　很．　　Ｉｔ　ｈａｓ　ｔｏ　ｄｏ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｎｔｅｘｔ　ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｕｓｅｄ．　　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　ｆｒｉｅｎｄ　ｗｈｏ　ｒａｒｅｌｙ　ｕｓｅｓ　ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ　ｓｔｒｏｎｇｅｒ　ｔｈａｎ　还可以．　　Ｈｅｒ　很好　ｗａｓ　ｏｔｈｅｒ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ＇ｓ　非常好　ｏｒ　ｍａｙｂｅ　ｅｖｅｎ　ｏｔｈｅｒ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ＇ｓ　极了．　　Ｈｅｒ　还可以　ａｃｔｕａｌｌｙ　ｍｅａｎｔ　ｖｅｒｙ　ｇｏｏｄ．　　Ｉ　ｋｎｏｗ　ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ　ｐｅｒｓｏｎ　ｗｈｏｓｅ　还可以　ｒｅａｌｙ　ｍｅａｎｔ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｐｒｅｔｔｙ　ｂａｄ．　　Ｔｈｅｓｅ　ｔｅｒｍｓ　ａｒｅｎ＇ｔ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｓｅｔ　ｉｎ　ｓｔｏｎｅ．　　Ｔｈａｔ　ｉｓ　ｗｈｙ　ｙｏｕ　ｎｅｅｄ　ｃｏｎｔｅｘｔ　ｔｏ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｅ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｗｅｌｌ．　　

Ｆｏｒ　ｍｅ，　ｔｈｅ　ｔｈｒｅｅ　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　ｔｈａｔ　ａｒｅ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｈａｒｄ　ｔｏ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｅ　ａｒｅ　把，　了，　ａｎｄ　ｒｅｓｕｌｔ　ｃｏｍｐｌｉｍｅｎｔｓ．　　Ｉ　ｈａｔｅ　ｔｒｙｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｅ　ｔｈｏｓｅ．　　Ｉ　ｃａｎ，　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｉｄｅａ．　　Ｉ　ｄｏｎ＇ｔ　ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｅ　ｉｔ　ｗｏｒｄ　ｆｏｒ　ｗｏｒｄ．

My understanding is that 很 is used in particular for monosyllabic stative verbs. So you would have 他很冷 (he is cold OR he is very cold - 很 here does not necessarily translate as "very"). The 很 is there to give a feel of completeness to the sentence, rather than to mean "very". But if something can take the place of 很 (for example 非常 or 不), then you don't need the 很. So, basically, if a stative verb (my grammar book tells me) is only one syllable, it must have some kind of modifier before it.

So if you want to use 不 to negate the verb, you don't need 很. This gives you 他不冷 (he is not cold) but 他不很冷 (he is not very cold).

But you can have 她漂亮, because 漂亮 is two syllables, and so doesn't sound incomplete. And 她很漂亮 would have the meaning "she is very beautiful", because 漂亮 doesn't need 很.

thinkbuddha, you confirmed what I thought initially but wasn't sure about. Thank you!

west316, I agree with you that 了 can be difficult at times. I haven't come across 把 yet though. Can you give an example sentence with this when the meaning is clear and another when you struggle to find an appropriate translation.

As a small test what about the following sentences. Which ones would you say are correct and which ones are not. Notice what I am trying to say in english:

我们今天不很忙。We do not have especially much to do today.

今天我们都很忙。Today all of us have a lot to do.
我们也都很忙。All of us also have a lot to do.

Are the following sentences correct? Do they need a 很 to make them complete?
第一题对。第二题错。如果你冷,我可以给你衣服。

I can't add any great explanations - struggle with these myself! But have you seen the Grammar database at ctcfl Oxford http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Lang%20work/Grammar%20database/Grammar_database_content.htm

also they have further notes on particular constructions here http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Grammar%20exercises.htm with exercises and answers following.

They also have a cool set of dialogues to focus on grammar teaching here http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/Chinese/lessons.htm

Cheers,
Donna

Thank you, however I had a look under stative verbs in the grammar notes but they only mentioned there is something called an adverbial intensifier but they didnt say anything about when to use it.

As far as I know 很 is used with monosyllabic stative verbs in sentences which are affirmative e.g. 他很好。

很 should not be used in sentences which are negated or sentences comparing something, that is unless you want to specifically say 'very'.

However, I wonder if it would be wrong to say simply 他好?

Yagebe, 你好！“他好”当然没问题。See the heading of a yesterday’s paper at http://epaper.nfdaily.cn/html/2011-01/07/content_6913132.htm