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差不多
差不多
chà bu duō
adj./adv. similar; a great majority of; nearly, almost
Discussion of 差不多
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差不多 can be an adjective or an adverb:
1. 差不多 as an adjective has two meanings:
1a. A great majority of
1b. Similar, about the same (差不多 appears as a predicate or complement)
E.g.
- As a predicate: 两人的水平差不多，很难分出高低。[phr] They have similar skills, and it is hard to tell who is better.
- As complement: 苹果熟得差不多了，该摘了。[phr] The apples are almost ripe (and) should be picked.

2. 差不多 as an adverb means “nearly, almost” and it can be used in these 3 ways below
2a. 差不多 verb
E.g. 我差不多会说汉语了 [phr] I'm almost able to speak Chinese.
2b. 差不多 adjective
E.g. 差不多大 [phr] almost the same in size or age
2c. 差不多 num-measure word
E.g. 差不多一半。[phr] Almost a half.
lisaC
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大概 versus 差不多：

When used as an adverb, 大概 is used to estimate a quantity, time etc. with uncertainty.

差不多 is used to compare the quantity or degree of two things or aspects that do not have much difference or that are very close.

差不多 can be followed by a verb or a phrase that contains a quantity, number or word indicating degrees or extent. 大概 can be used to replace 差不多:
E.g. 这个房子差不多有三百年的历史了。 This house has about three hundred years of history.

差不多 can be followed by an adjective. 大概 can be followed by an adjective too, however, the meaning is different - it indicates subjective conjecture. Compare these two:
E.g.
饭差不多熟了。The rice is almost cooked.
饭大概熟了。The rice is probably cooked.

差不多 can be followed by a number or quantity and a noun. 大概 can be used to replace 差不多:
E.g. 差不多五十个人 almost fifty people
lisaC
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What other words can be used to mean the same thing as 差不多? (chàbùduō)
个学生
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How is 差不多 used in a sentence? (chàbùduō)
个学生
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Is 差不多 used more in formal or informal settings? (chàbùduō)
个学生
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