Difference between revisions of "Potential complement "-bu dong" for not understanding"
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* 你 <strong>看</strong> <em>不 懂</em> 我 的 邮件 吗？<span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ <strong>kàn</strong> <em>bù dǒng</em> wǒ de yóujiàn ma?</span> <span class="trans">Do you not understand my emails?</span>
 
* 你 <strong>看</strong> <em>不 懂</em> 我 的 邮件 吗？<span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ <strong>kàn</strong> <em>bù dǒng</em> wǒ de yóujiàn ma?</span> <span class="trans">Do you not understand my emails?</span>
 
* 老板 的 中文 说 得 很好，可是 他 <strong>看</strong> <em>不懂</em> 中文 报纸。 <span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn de Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo, kěshì tā <strong>kàn</strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> Zhōngwén bàozhǐ.</span> <span class="trans">The boss speaks very good Chinese, but he doesn't understand Chinese newspapers.</span>
 
* 老板 的 中文 说 得 很好，可是 他 <strong>看</strong> <em>不懂</em> 中文 报纸。 <span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn de Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo, kěshì tā <strong>kàn</strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> Zhōngwén bàozhǐ.</span> <span class="trans">The boss speaks very good Chinese, but he doesn't understand Chinese newspapers.</span>
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* 你 怎么 总是 <strong>听</strong> <em>不懂</em> 我 的 话？<span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ zěnme zǒngshì <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> wǒ de huà?</span> <span class="trans">How could you always not understand what I say?</span>
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* 我 <strong>听</strong> <em>不懂</em> 上海话 。 <span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> Shànghǎi-huà.</span> <span class="trans">I don't understand Shanghai dialect.</span>
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* 我 <strong>听</strong> <em>不懂</em> 上海话 。 <span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> Shànghǎi-huà.</span> <span class="trans">I don't understand Shanghai dialect.</span>
+
* 你们 <strong>听</strong> <em>不懂</em> 我 的 话 吗？<span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bù dǒng</em> wǒ de huà ma?</span> <span class="trans">Do you not understand what I say?</span>
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* 我 小 时候，常常 <strong>听</strong> <em>不 懂</em> 大人 在 说 什么。 <span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎo shíhou, chángcháng <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> dàrén zài shuō shénme.</span> <span class="trans">When I was young, I often didn't understand what adults talked about.</span>
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* 我 <strong>听</strong> <em>不 懂</em> 你 说 的 英语。 <span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bù dǒng</em> nǐ shuō de Yīngyǔ.</span> <span class="trans">I don't understand the English you speak.</span>
 +
* 我们 都 <strong>听</strong> <em>不 懂</em> 你 的 意思。 <span class="expl">Literally: hear-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <strong>tīng</strong> <em>bù dǒng</em> nǐ de yìsi.</span> <span class="trans">None of us understand what you mean.</span>
 
* 很 多 人 <strong>读</strong> <em>不懂</em> 这 本 书 。 <span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Hěn duō rén <strong> dú </strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> zhè běn shū.</span> <span class="trans">Many people don't understand this book.</span>
 
* 很 多 人 <strong>读</strong> <em>不懂</em> 这 本 书 。 <span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Hěn duō rén <strong> dú </strong> <em>bùdǒng</em> zhè běn shū.</span> <span class="trans">Many people don't understand this book.</span>
 
* 这 个 句子 很 难， 学生们 都 <strong>读</strong> <em>不 懂</em>。 <span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Zhè ge jùzi hěn nán, xuéshengmen dōu <strong> dú </strong> <em>bùdǒng</em>.</span> <span class="trans">This sentence is very difficult. None of the students understand.</span>
 
* 这 个 句子 很 难， 学生们 都 <strong>读</strong> <em>不 懂</em>。 <span class="expl">Literally: read-not-understand</span><span class="pinyin">Zhè ge jùzi hěn nán, xuéshengmen dōu <strong> dú </strong> <em>bùdǒng</em>.</span> <span class="trans">This sentence is very difficult. None of the students understand.</span>

Revision as of 04:57, 11 January 2017

Chinese learners often have to express that they don't understand something, especially in the beginning when they start learning. One of the ways to express that is to use the 不懂 (bù dǒng) verb complement.

Structure

The potential complement 不懂 (bù dǒng) is used to talk about things that can't be understood. Note that this is about potential - the subject doesn't have the ability to understand.

Subj. + Verb + 不懂

The 不懂 (bù dǒng) may be swapped out with 不明白 (bù míngbai).

Examples

  • 我 看 不 懂 这 本 书。Literally: read-not-understandWǒ kàn bù dǒng zhè běn shū. I don't understand the book.
  • 孩子们 看 不 懂 你 写 的 汉字。Literally: read-not-understandHáizi men kàn bù dǒng nǐ xiě de hànzi. Kids don't understand the characters that you wrote.
  • 你 看 不 懂 我 的 邮件 吗？Literally: read-not-understandNǐ kàn bù dǒng wǒ de yóujiàn ma? Do you not understand my emails?
  • 老板 的 中文 说 得 很好，可是 他 看 不懂 中文 报纸。 Literally: read-not-understandLǎobǎn de Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo, kěshì tā kàn bùdǒng Zhōngwén bàozhǐ. The boss speaks very good Chinese, but he doesn't understand Chinese newspapers.
  • 我 听 不懂 上海话 。 Literally: hear-not-understandWǒ tīng bùdǒng Shànghǎi-huà. I don't understand Shanghai dialect.
  • 你们 听 不懂 我 的 话 吗？Literally: hear-not-understandNǐmen tīng bù dǒng wǒ de huà ma? Do you not understand what I say?
  • 我 听 不 懂 你 说 的 英语。 Literally: hear-not-understandWǒ tīng bù dǒng nǐ shuō de Yīngyǔ. I don't understand the English you speak.
  • 我们 都 听 不 懂 你 的 意思。 Literally: hear-not-understandWǒmen tīng bù dǒng nǐ de yìsi. None of us understand what you mean.
  • 很 多 人 读 不懂 这 本 书 。 Literally: read-not-understandHěn duō rén dú bùdǒng zhè běn shū. Many people don't understand this book.
  • 这 个 句子 很 难， 学生们 都 读 不 懂。 Literally: read-not-understandZhè ge jùzi hěn nán, xuéshengmen dōu dú bùdǒng. This sentence is very difficult. None of the students understand.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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