HSK 1
主谓句2：形容词谓语句
zhǔ wèi jù 2 ： xíng róng cí wèi yǔ jù
Subject-predicate sentences 2: Adjectival predicate sentences
Explanation
An adjectival-predicate sentence (predicate = the part stating the action or quality of the subject) (形容词谓语句 - xíngróngcí wèiyǔjù) is a sentence type that uses an adjective itself as the predicate to describe a feature of the subject (the person or thing performing the action, at the start of the sentence), WITHOUT needing the verb 是 (shì - to be).
Subject + (degree adverb) + adjective → 房间很干净 (the room is very clean). Common degree adverbs (words modifying a verb or adjective): 很 (hěn - very), 最 (zuì - most), 太 (tài - too).
when you want to state the quality or state of a person/thing (clean, diligent, beautiful...).
(1) adding an unnecessary 是 - it is wrong to say 房间是干净; the adjective serves as the predicate on its own, no 是 needed. (2) Leaving the adjective bare - in Chinese, 房间干净 sounds like a comparison/incomplete, so 很 is usually added for naturalness even though 很 here has faded from meaning 'very'. For the negative, use 不: 房间不干净 (the room isn't clean).
Examples
The room is very clean.
This student is the most diligent.
Practice
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Learn “主谓句2：形容词谓语句” effectively
The grammar point “主谓句2：形容词谓语句” (Subject-predicate sentences 2: Adjectival predicate sentences) is one of the key structures at HSK 1. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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