HSK 4 Grammar 01: Adjectives
HSK 4 Topic 1 3:48 English explanations + Mandarin examples · captions follow the spoken text
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Two patterns carry a lot of HSK 4. 全 before a noun sweeps up the whole thing at once, and an adjective plus 死了 cranks a feeling to its limit. Both are tested on word order, not vocabulary: does 都 arrive, and does 的 stay away?
全 before a noun means the whole, and 都 in the predicate echoes the all. 全家都去过北京。 My whole family has been to Beijing. 这个地方全年都很热。 This place is hot all year round. 全 bonds with nouns that can be whole: 全身, 全家, 全国, 全世界, 全校, 全年. And 都 is not decoration; it echoes the all.
The rule to burn in: 全 takes no 的. 全家 is right; putting 的 between 全 and 家 is wrong. So when a classmate writes it with 的, the fix is to drop it: 全家都来了。
Where 不 sits changes everything. 全都不去. None of them go at all. 不全都去. Not all of them go. One word's position flips the meaning. A favourite exam trap.
An adjective plus 死了 means to death, extremely. 我饿死了！ I'm starving! 今天累死了！ I'm exhausted today! 这件衣服丑死了。 This outfit is hideous. The subject can drop, so 饿死了 works as a one-word outburst, like English bored to death. Say each one aloud with full feeling.
死了 attaches straight to the adjective. 累死了 is right; putting 得 in between is wrong. It is louder and more informal than 极了, and mostly for misery: tired, hungry, hot, ugly. It suits speech and diaries, not a formal essay. A hot afternoon and four flights of stairs: 热死了！ For high delight, choose 极了 instead.
Choose by the situation. 全, a noun, 都 and the verb means the whole of something, all of it; it is neutral, takes no 的, and 都 echoes the all. An adjective plus 死了 means extremely, to death; it is casual and strong, and mostly for unpleasant feelings. Register clashes are what the exam listens for.
Quick check. Which is correct? Pause the video and choose your answer before continuing. Option 1: 全家都来了。. Option 2: 全的家都来了。. Check your choice against these key points. 全 joins the noun directly: 全家、全班. 全 takes no 的.
Check yourself. Which adjective does not suit ……死了? Pause the video and choose your answer before continuing. Option 1: 累. Option 2: 饿. Option 3: 高兴. Check your choice against these key points. ……死了 exaggerates unpleasant states: 累死了、饿死了. For delight, use ……极了: 高兴极了.