# 习惯 (adjective / verb)



## alexonline

Hi,everyone,

Please,how can one tell where 习惯 is an adjective or a verb?

我已经*习惯*了热的气候
北京最冷的时候零下二十二度。第一年我很不*习惯*

Thanks a lot.


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## fyl

I think the first one is a verb, the second one is an adjective.
One easy way to tell is to see the "surroundings" of the word. In the first sentence, 习惯 is modified by 了 and followed by its object, so it is a verb. In the second sentence, 习惯 is modified by 很 and 不, so it is an adjective.


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## alexonline

fyl said:


> I think the first one is a verb, the second one is an adjective.
> One easy way to tell is to see the "surroundings" of the word. In the first sentence, 习惯 is modified by 了 and followed by its object, so it is a verb. In the second sentence, 习惯 is modified by 很 and 不, so it is an adjective.



Could I rephrase the one with an adjective like so:
... 第一年我还没有习惯？

And if possible,how would you rephrase the one with a verb into one 
with an adjective?

Thank you.


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## fyl

alexonline said:


> ... 第一年我还没有习惯？


I think this is a verb, and 没有 means "haven't".
After thinking it more, I'm getting confused myself whether 很不习惯 is a verb or an adjective. Sorry for confusing. Please wait for someone more professional in grammar to answer this. All I can tell is we don't think about a word is "verb" or "adjective" when saying this sentence.


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## Skatinginbc

alexonline said:


> 我已经*习惯*了热的气候


习于 (transitive) + 惯于 (transitive) = synonymous compound 习惯 (transitive verb)
*习惯(transitive verb) + object *(热的气候).


alexonline said:


> 北京最冷的时候零下二十二度。第一年我很不*习惯*


习 (verb) + 贯 (noun) = 习惯 VP  (习惯亦作“习贯”。原谓习于旧贯)，认了命, 习了惯
賞 (verb) + 臉 (noun) = 賞臉 VP.  賞了臉
愛 (verb) + 你 (noun) = 愛你 VP. 愛了你
很不习惯, 很不賞臉, 很不愛你 ==> 愛你 "love you" is a verb phrase.  很不 is not always followed by an adjective.

有 verb + 錢 noun = 有錢 VP "have money" ==> adjectivalization: 有錢 "rich" (e.g., 有錢人)
他比你高(adj), 他比你快樂(adj), 他比你漂亮(adj), 他比你有錢(adj) vs. *他比你习惯 or *那個比這個习惯 ==> I think 习惯 is better classified as a verb.


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## brofeelgood

我已经*习惯*了热的气候 - I have *got used to* the warm weather. / I *am* already *used to* the warm weather.

第一年我很不*习惯* - I could not *get used to* it. / I *was* not *used to* it.

get / be = verb

used to = adjective

Therefore...

get used to / be used to = verb + adjective


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## Messquito

我不喜歡
I don't like it.
The pronoun "it" is dropped very often.
我不習慣
I am not used to it.
習慣＝be used to
=Be verb+Vpp.(adj.)+preposition
=verb phrase
So, it's a verb
You feel like it's an adjective because the object "it" is dropped.
I think 習慣 can always be classified as either a noun or a verb. So just forget the adjective thing.


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## alexonline

Thanks a lot,I think I got it.It`s just that '很不' confused me,but as Skatinginbc pointed out '很不' is not always followed by an adjective,
like in 很不愛你 - I don`t like (love) you a lot,I hate you
Then 不很愛你 - don`t like you very much?


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## YangMuye

alexonline said:


> like in 很不愛你 - I don`t like (love) you a lot,I hate you
> Then 不很愛你 - don`t like you very much?


Theoritically, yes. In practice, they are not often heard.
We have some verbs/adjectives whose negative forms are so frequently used that their negative forms can be modified by adverbs like 很 and sometimes considered seperate verbs/adjectives.

But (不)爱 is not one of them.


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## Skatinginbc

I agree 很不愛你 is not often heard in real life.  你很不了解我 (also, 你很不識抬舉, 你是不是很不喜歡我, 你是不是很不希望我回來, 你是不是很不想見我, etc.) may be a better example.


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## alexonline

Messquito said:


> I think 習慣 can always be classified as either a noun or a verb. So just forget the adjective thing.



OK,how about 北京冬天很冷，第一年我很不习惯？
I think it serves as an adjective here,otherwise it would be 
...第一年我还没习惯
Does that make sense?


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## stephenlearner

I think you can regard 很不xx as 很+不xx. Generally speaking, xx is an adjective.
很不错, literally, means very not good. Sounds odd? Just treat it as very (not good) (treat 不x as a phrase).

我不习惯这样的天气.  习惯 is a verb.
我很不习惯这样的天气. 习惯 is still a verb.

Edited: 
"很不错, literally, means very not good" should be "很不错, literally, means very not bad". Sorry for the typo.


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## Skatinginbc

> 很不错.


不错 = not bad = good
很不错 = very good


alexonline said:


> how about 北京冬天很冷，第一年我很不习惯？ I think it serves as an adjective here,_otherwise it would be _第一年我还没习惯 Does that make sense?


北京冬天很冷，第一年我很不习惯, 第二年我不很习惯, 第三年我还没习惯
他一連三夜來探望我: 第一夜我不想睡, 第二夜我睡不著, 第三夜我还没睡
睡 in 不想睡 must be an adjective here, _otherwise it would be_ 我还没睡.  Does that make sense?  No, it is logically flawed.  First of all, it is NOT an either-or option.  Secondly, although 不想睡 can be translated into English as "did not feel sleepy", 睡 is surely not an adjective (想 + noun/infinitive).
我不习惯北京. 习惯 is a verb.
我很不习惯北京. 习惯 is still a verb.
北京我很不习惯. 习惯 is still a verb.
北京(冬天很冷)我很不习惯 习惯 is still a verb.
==> 北京 is the topic shared by two clauses: (1) 北京冬天很冷, and (2)北京我很不习惯(transformed from 我很不习惯北京).


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## Messquito

alexonline said:


> OK,how about 北京冬天很冷，第一年我很不习惯？
> I think it serves as an adjective here,otherwise it would be
> ...第一年我还没习惯
> Does that make sense?


I think you can see 很 as "very" followed by an adjective and "very much" followed by a verb.
I am not very happy. 我不是很開心
I don't like him very much. 我不是很喜歡他

...第一年我还没习惯
Yes, it makes sense.
還沒=haven't yet.
So it's "...I hadn't yet got used to it the first year."


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## stephenlearner

Skatinginbc said:


> 不错 = not bad = good
> 很不错 = very good


As regards the meaning, not bad is weaker than or equal to good, but with regard to structure, not bad is not good.


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## alexonline

Skatinginbc said:


> ... . 第一年我很不习惯, 第二年我不很习惯,第三年我还没习惯



... . 第一年我很不习惯, 第二年我不很习惯,第三年我还没习惯

How come that one and the same verb (习惯) in one and the same past form (didn`t get used to) takes a different  negative word (不 and 没)?


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## stephenlearner

alexonline said:


> ... . 第一年我很不习惯, 第二年我不很习惯,第三年我还没习惯
> 
> How come that one and the same verb (习惯) in one and the same past form (didn`t get used to) takes a different  negative word (不 and 没)?


You can say  "第三年我还不习惯“. 

第一年我很不习惯, 
第一年我很没习惯,

第二年我不很习惯,
第二年我没很习惯。

第三年我还没习惯 I haven't got used to it yet. 
第三年我还不习惯。 I am still not used to it.


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## alexonline

stephenlearner said:


> 第三年我还没习惯 I haven't got used to it yet.
> 第三年我还不习惯。 I am still not used to it.



Thanks,stephenlearner. Are there any other verbs behaving the same way as 习惯?
I mean,being able to take either 不 or 没 in the past form?


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## stephenlearner

In Chinese, verbs don't have inflection. So we don't have the concept that there is a past form of a verb.   

Regarding your question, there are lots of examples, for instance, 没吃饭，不吃饭，没做作业，不做作业，没起床，不起床，没睡觉，不睡觉，没上班，不上班，没适应，不适应，没参加，不参加.....


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