Adjective + 极了 (extremely)
Turn it up to the max
- good好 just means "good." Correct — but a little flat.
- When something really wows you, Chinese has a one-word amplifier: extremely极了.
- It takes an adjective all the way to the top: "good" → "amazing."
Adjective + extremely极了
- Add extremely极了 (jí le) right after an adjective.
- Pattern: Adjective + extremely极了 = "extremely …".
this这个idea主意good好extremely极了。
- 好极了 = "great! / perfect!" — no very很 or very非常 needed; extremely极了 already maxes it out.
Practice
Complete: 这个主意好 ____ ! (This idea is great!)
Adjective + 极了 = extremely. 好极了 = “great / excellent”.
Practice
极了 comes before the adjective (极了好).
极了 goes after the adjective: 好极了, not 极了好.
Great feelings — or terrible ones
- extremely极了 works on any adjective, pleasant or not.
that那个boy男孩annoying讨厌extremely极了！
- to dislike讨厌extremely极了 = "unbelievably annoying!" Same pattern, opposite mood.
Explore
Correct or broken?
极了 glues straight onto the adjective — no 很, no 得, and never in front.
Practice
Arrange the sentence: “That boy is extremely annoying!”
Subject + Adjective + 极了: 那个男孩 + 讨厌 + 极了.
Two things to remember
Watch out
The (completed / change)了 is required — 好极了 ✓, never just 好极. And because extremely极了 is already at the top, don't add very很 or very非常 in front: 好极了 ✓, very很好极了 ✗.
Practice
Which one is correct?
极了 follows the adjective, keeps its 了, and takes no 很/非常: 好极了.
Recap
Key idea
- Adjective + extremely极了 — extremely (好极了, nervous紧张extremely极了)
- The (completed / change)了 is not optional
- No very很 / very非常 in front
Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Adjectives.