<p>Usually a noun will be used after 是 shì.</p>
<p>If an adjective, such as 漂亮 piàoliang or 忙 máng follows behind it instead, it would sound strange. 很 hěn can take the place of 是 shì in this case and will make you sound idiomatic... </p>
<p>For example you can say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你是美女 (&quot;ni shi mei nv&quot;)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But you can't say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你是漂亮 (&quot;ni shi piaoliang&quot;)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It sounds like your name is Piaoliang.
Instead, you should say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>你很漂亮 (&quot;ni hen piaoliang&quot;)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In Chinese culture, praising others is a sign of politeness, so it's common to say 很 &quot;hen&quot;. It may sound like overemphasizing, but actually is not.
It only sounds like that (maybe the interlocutor is just a common level of  beautiful instead of very beautiful). In China, people has grown accustomed to speak this way since ancient times.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-24T11:12:20.270Z
Oh so basically, saying shi in this case would be saying "You ARE this thing", not "You have the characteristic of this thing", which is why it is wrong?

So how would I express someone being extraordinarily beautiful for instance? Seeing as "hen" is basically standard".
Alex Eggers
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-24T14:21:18.717Z
@AlexEggers you could use something like 非常 or 超级 for incredibly or extraordinaryly.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-25T00:40:15.150Z
One point I want to add here is that 你是漂亮 is a valid sentence too. It is used to clarify the fact that you are indeed beautiful. You can feel the nuance between 你很漂亮 and 你是很漂亮.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-25T08:10:35.357Z
No beginner learner will be able to feel any nuance between those sentences
Angus Macrae
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-25T11:47:32.377Z
@dan Th original question is about 是 as a to-be verb. But in the sentence 你是漂亮 , 是 is NOT a to-be verb, it is an adverb equivalent to "indeed". It is not the same topic of the question.
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-26T03:55:32.877Z
@dan I don't think 我是很漂亮 makes sense...
user555662
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-04-24T10:27:17.263Z
2020-07-01T08:14:47.767Z
2020-07-01T08:14:47.767Z
user555662
<p>There are two things that need to be aware of here.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The Chinese word 是(shi) is NOT equivalent to English "is/am/are". The Chinese 是(shi) functions as a "=". So both sides of the equal sign should have the same nature. So "ni shi mang" doesn't make sense.</p></li>
<li><p>A Chinese adjective is also a verb! That is, "mang" is already "to be busy"; "pretty" is already "to be pretty". Literally "you are busy" is "ni mang". But "hen" should be added to balance the rhythm of the sentence, and it isn't necessary to mean "very". So, the right sentence is "ni hen mang".</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Finally, if you want to emphasize "very busy", it can be "ni fei chang mang". </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-24T23:10:51.850Z
2018-04-24T23:10:51.850Z
cnwang09
<p>“You are” has 2 translation, nǐ hěn 你很 or nǐ shì 你是. They have the same meaning. You can check this video, so you can understand better.</p>
<p>But in Chinese grammar, nǐ hěn 你很 add an adjective, for example:
You are beautiful, beautiful is an adjective, so you should say <strong>nǐ hěn</strong> piào liàng <strong>你很</strong>漂亮.</p>
<p>You are busy，busy is an adjective, so you should say <strong>nǐ hěn</strong> mánɡ <strong>你很</strong>忙.</p>
<p>nǐ shì 你是 add a noun, for example:</p>
<p>You are my friend, friend is a noun, so you should say <strong>nǐ shì</strong> wǒ de pénɡ yǒu <strong>你是</strong>我的朋友.</p>
<p>You are a student, student is a noun, so you should say <strong>nǐ shì</strong> yì wèi xué shēnɡ <strong>你是</strong>一位学生.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T07:48:29.927Z
[To avoid spam flags](https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/promotion), please remember to *disclose affiliation* when posting links to your own content. Thanks. I will be happy to retract my downvote after you edit your post accordingly
blackgreen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-30T20:18:48.573Z
2020-09-15T17:44:31.297Z
2020-09-15T17:44:31.297Z
Survival Chinese with Simona
<p>I am learning Chinese with the Memrize App and noticed that often, to say something like "You are x", you will actually say "nǐ hěn x" instead of "nǐ shì x". </p>

<p>For example as translated by Google: "Nǐ hěn máng" means "You are busy". This confuse me because an example from the app would be "Tā juéde tā hěn piàoliang" meaning "He thinks she is very pretty". Here, "hěn" is obviously used to reinforce "piàoliang".</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Why isn't "Ni shi..." used to say "You are..."? Or is it used like that but 
I just haven't come across it yet?</p></li>
<li><p>How do you say "You are very busy". Do I have to use another reinforcing word such as "tai"(I know that "tai" doesn't quite fit, but I haven't learn too many words yet ^.^)?</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-24T11:30:27.467Z
see grammars, (1) adjectives function as predicate (w/o 是)e.g. 任务紧急。这朵花好看。他很诚恳。他很着急。（２）function of 很 often discussed at this site before (search site)
user6065
<grammar>
Confusion about the usage of hěn
# Confusion about the usage of hěn

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-24)

I am learning Chinese with the Memrize App and noticed that often, to say something like "You are x", you will actually say "nǐ hěn x" instead of "nǐ shì x".

For example as translated by Google: "Nǐ hěn máng" means "You are busy". This confuse me because an example from the app would be "Tā juéde tā hěn piàoliang" meaning "He thinks she is very pretty". Here, "hěn" is obviously used to reinforce "piàoliang".

1. Why isn't "Ni shi..." used to say "You are..."? Or is it used like that but
   I just haven't come across it yet?
2. How do you say "You are very busy". Do I have to use another reinforcing word such as "tai"(I know that "tai" doesn't quite fit, but I haven't learn too many words yet ^.^)?

**Tags:** grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: see grammars, (1) adjectives function as predicate (w/o 是)e.g. 任务紧急。这朵花好看。他很诚恳。他很着急。（２）function of 很 often discussed at this site before (search site)  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-04-24. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Usually a noun will be used after 是 shì.

If an adjective, such as 漂亮 piàoliang or 忙 máng follows behind it instead, it would sound strange. 很 hěn can take the place of 是 shì in this case and will make you sound idiomatic...

For example you can say:

> 你是美女 ("ni shi mei nv")

But you can't say:

> 你是漂亮 ("ni shi piaoliang")

It sounds like your name is Piaoliang.
Instead, you should say:

> 你很漂亮 ("ni hen piaoliang")

In Chinese culture, praising others is a sign of politeness, so it's common to say 很 "hen". It may sound like overemphasizing, but actually is not.
It only sounds like that (maybe the interlocutor is just a common level of beautiful instead of very beautiful). In China, people has grown accustomed to speak this way since ancient times.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh so basically, saying shi in this case would be saying "You ARE this thing", not "You have the characteristic of this thing", which is why it is wrong?  So how would I express someone being extraordinarily beautiful for instance? Seeing as "hen" is basically standard".  
> **username_3**: @username_0 you could use something like 非常 or 超级 for incredibly or extraordinaryly.  
> **username_4**: One point I want to add here is that 你是漂亮 is a valid sentence too. It is used to clarify the fact that you are indeed beautiful. You can feel the nuance between 你很漂亮 and 你是很漂亮.  
> **username_5**: No beginner learner will be able to feel any nuance between those sentences  
> **username_6**: @username_4 Th original question is about 是 as a to-be verb. But in the sentence 你是漂亮 , 是 is NOT a to-be verb, it is an adverb equivalent to "indeed". It is not the same topic of the question.  
> **username_2**: @username_4 I don't think 我是很漂亮 makes sense...  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2018-04-24. Score: 8

There are two things that need to be aware of here.

1. The Chinese word 是(shi) is NOT equivalent to English "is/am/are". The Chinese 是(shi) functions as a "=". So both sides of the equal sign should have the same nature. So "ni shi mang" doesn't make sense.
2. A Chinese adjective is also a verb! That is, "mang" is already "to be busy"; "pretty" is already "to be pretty". Literally "you are busy" is "ni mang". But "hen" should be added to balance the rhythm of the sentence, and it isn't necessary to mean "very". So, the right sentence is "ni hen mang".

Finally, if you want to emphasize "very busy", it can be "ni fei chang mang".


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2020-06-30. Score: 0

“You are” has 2 translation, nǐ hěn 你很 or nǐ shì 你是. They have the same meaning. You can check this video, so you can understand better.

But in Chinese grammar, nǐ hěn 你很 add an adjective, for example:
You are beautiful, beautiful is an adjective, so you should say **nǐ hěn** piào liàng **你很**漂亮.

You are busy，busy is an adjective, so you should say **nǐ hěn** mánɡ **你很**忙.

nǐ shì 你是 add a noun, for example:

You are my friend, friend is a noun, so you should say **nǐ shì** wǒ de pénɡ yǒu **你是**我的朋友.

You are a student, student is a noun, so you should say **nǐ shì** yì wèi xué shēnɡ **你是**一位学生.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: [To avoid spam flags](https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/promotion), please remember to *disclose affiliation* when posting links to your own content. Thanks. I will be happy to retract my downvote after you edit your post accordingly  

---

