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The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details
... 是 omitted, so be aware. The only time 是 is required in this construction is when it's being negated. Other than that, 是 is commonly omitted. A: 你骑自行 ...

16 KB (2,467 words) - 09:23, 20 April 2021
The "shi... de" patterns: an overview
... . A: 你是什么时候开始学中文的？Nǐ shì shénme shíhou kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén de?A: When was it that you started studying Chinese? B: 我是两年前开始学中文的。Wǒ shì ...

10 KB (1,582 words) - 08:55, 21 April 2021
Beginner Guide to Chinese Grammar
... want to work. 她不漂亮。Tā bù piàoliang.She is not pretty. When talking about what you do not "have," you use the word ASGPNV3Q 没 (méi) instead ...

15 KB (2,464 words) - 16:44, 19 April 2020
Expressing completion with "le"
... way to use 了 (le) is to just put it after a verb. When there's nothing else after the verb, there are no complications Structure Subj. + Verb ...

8 KB (1,185 words) - 09:22, 20 April 2021
Comparing "bu" and "mei"
... usually interchangeable, so it's important to learn when you must use 不 (bù) as ... shíhou bù rènshi tā.He did not know her when he was young. 昨天我没在家。 ...

17 KB (2,625 words) - 02:55, 31 December 2021
Comparing "kending" "queding" and “yiding"
... 没有确定什么时候开始。Wǒmen hái méiyǒu quèdìng shénme shíhou kāishǐ.We still haven't decided when to start. 已经确定了三个人，还差一个。Yǐjīng quèdìng le sān gè ...

9 KB (1,327 words) - 02:48, 18 December 2020
Tricky uses of "dao"
... 拿到我的工作签证。Bù zhīdào shénme shíhou néng nádào wǒ de gōngzuò qiānzhèng.I'm not sure when I'll be able to get my work visa. 如果他拿不到绿卡，我就跟他分 ...

9 KB (1,342 words) - 07:27, 17 December 2020
Comparing "yao" and "xiang"
... 你会想她吗？Nǐ nǚpéngyou bù zài de shíhou, nǐ huì xiǎng tā ma? Do you miss your girlfriend when she is not around? 妈妈打电话的时候跟我说，她很想我。Māma dǎ ...

10 KB (1,565 words) - 08:57, 21 April 2021
Editor instructions
... of using this "copy and modify" method is with the Chinese textbook grammar index . When adding a book as a source, you can go to its edit page and ...

14 KB (2,421 words) - 01:27, 22 July 2015
Comparing "gang" and "gangcai"
... dào. 真不巧，老板刚才走。Zhēn bùqiǎo, lǎobǎn gāngcái zǒu. And if you mean to say "when I first arrived in Shanghai," use 刚 instead of 刚才: 我刚到上海的时候，谁 ...

11 KB (1,707 words) - 00:21, 14 April 2023
Taiwanese "you"
... 我有看到他们吵架。Wǒ yǒu kàn dào tāmen chǎojià.I saw them fighting. When 有 is put in front of action verbs in Taiwanese Mandarin, it can indicate that the ...

7 KB (987 words) - 02:07, 18 December 2020
Verb
... Verb reduplication with "yi" between them e.g. 看一看. On the other hand, when you are reduplicating two character verbs, (e.g. 整理整理), 一 can't be ...

6 KB (835 words) - 07:15, 15 June 2017
Expressing "and" with "he" (advanced)
... 冷静和理性？with modifier 那样Nǐ shénme shíhou cái kěyǐ xiàng tā nàyàng lěngjìng hé lǐxìng?When will you be as calm and rational as he is? 她那么单纯和天真，你 ...

9 KB (1,273 words) - 02:48, 18 December 2020
Comparing "bici" and "duifang"
... 道歉。Gēn péngyou chǎojià de shíhou, wǒmen dōu xīwàng duìfāng néng xiān dàoqiàn.When we have an argument with a friend, we all hope the other side will ...

6 KB (884 words) - 03:23, 17 December 2020
Part of speech
... '' or ''-们'', but they're not common. So we'll point them out when they exist, but they're not something you can consistently count on in your studies ...

7 KB (1,166 words) - 03:42, 29 November 2013
Using "ba" sentences
... Key Things to Keep in Mind When Using 把 The object should be ... any particular time. You can use them when talking about events in the past, or ...

15 KB (2,034 words) - 02:55, 31 December 2021
Style guide
... with "yinwei" and "suoyi" this one use terms like "cause" and "effect." When writing an example, some parts of speech are too long and should be ...

14 KB (2,278 words) - 03:18, 8 July 2021
Expressing "until" with "dao"
... zài wǒmen jiā zhù dào shénme shíhou?Your younger brother is going to stay in our house until when? 昨天的会一直开到晚上九点。Zuótiān de huì yīzhí kāi dào ...

4 KB (653 words) - 00:23, 14 April 2023
Learner FAQ
... past tense. 过 (guo) is especially used for "past experiences" that the subject has had. When do I know whether I should be using 如果 or 要是 for an ...

7 KB (1,084 words) - 09:05, 26 November 2013
Expressing "even" with "shenzhi"
... xǐhuan yóuyǒng, shènzhì lián dōngtiān yě yóu.My boyfriend likes swimming a lot. He goes swimming even when it's winter. 几年不见，他变胖了很多，甚至连我这 ...

5 KB (727 words) - 07:21, 29 December 2020
Comparisons with "buru"
... dǎ de kuài.I don't type as fast as you do. 不如 as an Adverb When facing a choice, 不如 can also be used to mean "might as well" to emphasize that ...

5 KB (811 words) - 00:23, 18 January 2021
Ending a non-exhaustive list with "shenme de"
... 我们见面一般就是吃饭、聊天什么的。Wǒmen jiànmiàn yībān jiùshì chīfàn, liáotiān shénme de.When we meet, we just eat a meal, chat, and so on. 明天去野餐，我们要不要买 ...

4 KB (654 words) - 04:49, 9 March 2019
Expressing "always" with "conglai"
... by oneself. 我们下棋，从来都是他赢。Wǒmen xiàqí, cónglái dōushì tā yíng.He always wins when we play chess. 她买衣服从来都是只买名牌。Tā mǎi yīfu cónglái dōushì ...

3 KB (486 words) - 04:48, 9 March 2019
Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
... Obj.＋了 Examples 她十九岁就结婚了。Tā shíjiǔ suì jiù jiéhūn le.She got married when she was only 19. 你妹妹十五岁就上大学了？Nǐ mèimei shíwǔ suì jiù ...

9 KB (1,300 words) - 09:28, 17 December 2020
Comparing "gen" and "dui"
... 两本账对不上。Zhè liǎng běn zhàng duì bu shàng.These two accounts don't match up. When to Use 跟 and Not 对跟 is a preposition, and it can be used in ...

7 KB (1,000 words) - 07:34, 19 January 2021
Comparing "dui" and "duiyu"
... prepositions to modify a verb, they are basically the same. As a matter of fact, when used this way 对 is just the simplification of 对于对于 sounds a ...

6 KB (958 words) - 07:36, 19 January 2021
Comparing "changchang" and "wangwang"
... not good for your skin. 等我退休了，就可以常常去旅行了。I can travel more often when I retire. 我不在的时候，你要帮我常常去看看她。You need to watch her more ...

5 KB (558 words) - 07:35, 9 July 2021
Expressing "one by one" with "yi"
... a time. Used as "Little by Little" Aside from just meaning "one by one," when 一 (yī) is used with a measure word that is a unit of time like ...

4 KB (709 words) - 08:08, 26 November 2018
Expressing "through" with "jingguo"
... 经过我家门口的时候叫我一下。Nǐ jīngguò wǒ jiā ménkǒu de shíhou jiào wǒ yīxià.Call me when you pass by my door. 她经过这个咖啡店的时候就会想到他。Tā jīngguò zhège ...

3 KB (500 words) - 07:24, 22 April 2019
Ba-test
... Key Things to Keep in Mind When Using 把 The object should be ... any particular time. You can use them when talking about events in the past, or ...

12 KB (1,773 words) - 03:08, 29 December 2021
Complement
... them. The longer you've been using them, the more natural they'll feel, and when to use them will become clearer and clearer. One good place to start ...

11 KB (1,569 words) - 07:22, 22 November 2018
Personal pronoun
... form 您 (nín), which cannot normally take the -们 (-men) suffix. Additional Pronouns When referring to a group, 他们 (tāmen) refers to a group of all ...

1 KB (215 words) - 07:43, 22 November 2018
Degree complement
... 你的中文 in the sentence above can also be 你中文 (without the 的). When it makes sense to include the 的, it often sounds better. Just to be completely clear ...

12 KB (1,800 words) - 08:57, 21 April 2021
Direction complement
... 了吗？几点回来吃饭？Nǐ xiàbān le ma? Jǐ diǎn huílái chīfàn?Are you off work now? When are you coming back for dinner? B: 我今天不回去吃饭。Wǒ jīntiān bù huíqù ...

14 KB (2,058 words) - 03:11, 29 December 2020
Expressing ability or possibility with "neng"
... 的时候不能玩手机。Gōngzuò de shíhou bù néng wán shǒujī.When working, you can't play with your cell phone. See also Expressing permission with "keyi ...

5 KB (804 words) - 09:24, 20 April 2021
Reduplication of verbs
... quite useful. Occasionally, though, two-syllable verbs get reduplicated as well. When this happens, it's important to use the "ABAB" pattern for verbs ...

5 KB (743 words) - 08:53, 21 April 2021
Using "dao" to mean "to go to"
... exactly which word to use in Chinese to mean "go." 到 (dào) is used when you talk about ''arriving'' at a place, emphasizing the destination. 去 (qù) is ...

5 KB (882 words) - 08:53, 21 April 2021
Adjectives with "name" and "zheme"
... shì yǒu kěnéng de.Science and technology is so developed. Anything is possible. When to use which one You might be thinking that since 这 ("this ...

4 KB (608 words) - 07:55, 14 May 2019
Reduplication of adjectives
... the job of a verb. Notice also that there's no 的 after the ABAB, because 的 is used when modifying nouns. Examples 妹妹快过生日了，我打算给她办一个 ...

8 KB (1,168 words) - 07:40, 13 November 2020
Expressing "and also" with "hai"
... 请了同事，还请了谁？Tā jiéhūn de shíhou, qǐng le tóngshì, hái qǐng le shéi?When he got married, he invited his co-workers. Who else did he invite? 生日的时候 ...

6 KB (902 words) - 08:56, 21 April 2021
Doing something less with "shao"
... "to do less (of something)." It is often heard when scolding or giving advice (like when parents talk to children). What's not intuitive to learners ...

4 KB (606 words) - 07:31, 10 May 2021
Direction complement "-qilai"
... 体好起来了。Yéye de shēntǐ hǎo qǐlái le.Grandpa's health is getting better. When used like this, 起来 is only used with spontaneous actions, like 唱 (chàng ...

7 KB (977 words) - 04:04, 21 February 2020
Change of state with "le"
... 不是生气了？Nǐ shì bu shì shēngqì le?Are you mad? Used with Verbs When following a verb or verb phrase, the 了 (le) indicates a change in an overall ...

6 KB (967 words) - 04:08, 12 March 2019
Using "dui" with verbs
... " an object or target. As with all prepositions, you've got to watch out when using this word, as usage of 对 in Chinese doesn't always totally "make ...

5 KB (736 words) - 08:53, 21 April 2021
Conceding a point with "shi"
... néng zuòdào.It is difficult, but I believe that I can do it. When using 但是, the second clause can express positive experiences or something good, as ...

4 KB (617 words) - 01:10, 3 March 2021
Expressing "hard to avoid" with "nanmian"
... . 刚离开家的时候难免会想家。Gāng líkāi jiā de shíhou nánmiǎn huì xiǎng jiā.When you first leave home, you can't help but feel homesick. 车上人多难免会遇到小偷 ...

4 KB (565 words) - 09:50, 14 January 2021
Passive verbs with "shou"
... , today Shanghai is especially cold. It must be noted that on the occasions when 受 is followed immediately by 到 or 过，it is preferable to consider 受 ...

5 KB (783 words) - 06:16, 29 December 2020
Expressing "not often" with "bu zenme"
... time or energy into doing it. In other words, the action is done "not often." When the verb is used with an object, it also means that the number (or ...

3 KB (525 words) - 08:45, 24 April 2019
Comparing "er" and "liang"
... (and using measure word s to do it), 两 (liǎng) is used. This is when you want to say "two of something" or "both." Here are some common examples of ...

4 KB (669 words) - 08:57, 21 April 2021
Expressing "thanks to" with "duokui"
... you, the project is going smoothly. Thank you. Pattern with 多亏 and 才 When the good outcome comes before 多亏 (as in the pattern above), there is ...

5 KB (784 words) - 03:18, 4 January 2021
Comparing "haishi" and "huozhe"
... " or " and are used to present a choice. However, 还是 is normally used when asking a question, and 或者 is mostly for declarative sentences. 还是 for ...

6 KB (863 words) - 03:33, 8 October 2019