越来越 + Adj
Reach for 越来越 when you want to describe something changing more and more in one direction — getting hotter, busier, more popular, more expensive. It's the everyday way to say 'increasingly X' in Mandarin and works with adjectives and many mental-state verbs. The pattern is fixed: 越来越 sits as a chunk right before the adjective, with no other modifier in between. Use it for trends, gradual changes, and personal feelings that shift over time.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 越来越 [ADJ / STATE VERB]
yuè lái yuè [ADJ]
How to Think About It
越来越 is a three-character unit, not three separate words — don't slice 很 or 非常 in between. Use it only with gradable adjectives or mental-state verbs (喜欢, 想, 觉得). You can't pair it with action verbs like 吃 or 走 — 'eating more and more' needs a different pattern. The change must be along a continuous scale, not a one-time event.
Examples
天气越来越冷了。
Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng le.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
他的中文越来越好。
Tā de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo.
His Chinese is getting better and better.
我越来越喜欢这首歌。
Wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuan zhè shǒu gē.
I like this song more and more.
Common Mistake
Learners stack 很 in between, copying 'getting very hotter' from English. 越来越 already carries the intensifying force, so adding 很 (or 非常) makes the phrase ungrammatical.
天气越来越很热。
天气越来越热。
Don't Confuse With
越...越...
Use 越 [verb/adj] 越 [verb/adj] when two things change together ('the more X, the more Y'). 越来越 just says one thing keeps changing in one direction.
更 [ADJ]
Use 更 for a single-step comparison ('more X than before'). 越来越 says X keeps increasing over time, not just one bump up.
...起来了
Use ...起来了 for an action that has just started (热起来了 = it's starting to get hot). 越来越 emphasizes ongoing, continuous change.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 这个城市 ___ 大。 (more and more)
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越来越
Fill in the blank: 我越来越 ___ 中国菜。 (love)
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喜欢
Arrange: 越来越 / 累 / 我 / 觉得
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我觉得越来越累。
Translate: His health is getting better and better.
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他的身体越来越好。
Describe a change in your life recently using 越来越.
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工作越来越忙，但我越来越开心。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 3 Fluentide episodes: