Difference between revisions of "Expressing concern with "kongpa""
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| − | + | == Examples == | |
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| − | * | + | *今天 <em>恐怕</em> <strong>要</strong> 下雨 。<span class="trans">I'm afraid it's going to rain today.</span> |
| − | * | + | *这件事 <em>恐怕</em> 要 你 帮忙 。<span class="trans">I'm afraid I'm going to need your help with this.</span> |
| − | * | + | *这 是 很重要 的 决定 ，你 <em>恐怕</em> 不 <strong>能</strong> 这么 着急 。<span class="trans">I'm afraid you can't rush this decision as it is a big one to make.</span> |
| − | * | + | *老婆 ，我 晚上 要 加班 ，<em>恐怕</em> 不 <strong>能</strong> 回家 吃 晚饭 了 。<span class="trans">Wife, I'm going to work late tonight. I'm afraid I can't go home to eat dinner.</span> |
| − | * | + | *你 这样 说 ，<em>恐怕</em> 她 <strong>会</strong> 不高兴 吧 。<span class="trans">I'm afraid she will be upset about the way you talk.</span> |
| + | *一个人 去 那个 地方 <em>恐怕</em> 不太 安全 。<span class="trans">I'm afraid it's not safe to go there alone.</span> | ||
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Revision as of 08:01, 22 March 2018
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恐怕 (kǒngpà) can be used to express "I'm afraid that," or "I'm concerned that," or even "I'm worried that," followed by some sort of reason. It doesn't need to be something you're literally afraid of; it may be that you're just trying to soften the blow of some bad news, as in, "I'm afraid that I'm too busy washing my hair tomorrow night to come over and see the 2000 pictures of your trip to ComicCon."
Contents
Structure
恐怕 comes at the beginning of the sentence. The meaning is similar to "perhaps" or "probably."
(Reason / Situation, ) 恐怕 + Fact / Conclusion
Examples
- 今天 恐怕 要 下雨 。I'm afraid it's going to rain today.
- 这件事 恐怕 要 你 帮忙 。I'm afraid I'm going to need your help with this.
- 这 是 很重要 的 决定 ，你 恐怕 不 能 这么 着急 。I'm afraid you can't rush this decision as it is a big one to make.
- 老婆 ，我 晚上 要 加班 ，恐怕 不 能 回家 吃 晚饭 了 。Wife, I'm going to work late tonight. I'm afraid I can't go home to eat dinner.
- 你 这样 说 ，恐怕 她 会 不高兴 吧 。I'm afraid she will be upset about the way you talk.
- 一个人 去 那个 地方 恐怕 不太 安全 。I'm afraid it's not safe to go there alone.
我 with 恐怕
A common mistake many people make when learning "恐怕“ is putting a pronoun, such as "我," before ”恐怕.“ It's a reasonable assumption, as "恐怕“ translates to, "I'm afraid" but the pronoun is more or less implied and grammatically incorrect when preceded by 我:
- 我 恐怕今天没有时间做作业。Never put 我 before 恐怕!
- 恐怕 我 今天 没有 时间 做 作业 。Always use 恐怕 before 我.I'm afraid today I don't have time to do homework.
See also
- "Would like to" with xiang
- Wanting to do something with yao
- Auxiliary verb
- Auxiliary verb "hui" for "will"
Sources and further reading
Videos
- Yoyo Chinese: "Have to and Don't have to"
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 164-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 301) [ →buy]
