Difference between revisions of "Expressing "almost" using "chadian""
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
*菜 <em>差点</em> 糊 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="expl">It wasn't burned.</span><span class="pinyin">Cài <em>chàdiǎn</em> hú <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">The food was almost burnt.</span> | *菜 <em>差点</em> 糊 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="expl">It wasn't burned.</span><span class="pinyin">Cài <em>chàdiǎn</em> hú <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">The food was almost burnt.</span> | ||
*我们 队 <em>差点儿</em> 输 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="expl">the team didn't lose</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen duì <em>chàdiǎnr</em> shū <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Our team almost lost.</span> | *我们 队 <em>差点儿</em> 输 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="expl">the team didn't lose</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen duì <em>chàdiǎnr</em> shū <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Our team almost lost.</span> | ||
| − | *我 <em>差点</em> <strong>就</strong> 做到 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="expl">I didn't | + | *我 <em>差点</em> <strong>就</strong> 做到 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="expl">I didn't manage to do it.</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>chàdiǎn</em> <strong>jiù</strong> zuòdào <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">I almost did it.</span> |
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 14:31, 29 July 2018
-
Level
-
Similar to
-
Used for
-
Keywords
To say that something bad almost happened (but didn't), you can add the word 差点 (chàdiǎn) before the verb. You will also hear 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) in northern China. There is no difference in meaning between 差点 and 差点儿.
Contents
Literal Meaning
It might help to understand the literal meaning of the structure. The word 差 has a lot of meanings. In this case, it means "to lack," or "to be short." So in Chinese, the way to say "almost" is to say, "lacking that little bit." If that "little bit" hadn't been lacking, it would have happened. But it was lacking, so it didn't happen. Technically, it almost happened. Just remember: the fact of what really happened is always the opposite of the verb phrase after 差点(儿).
Structure
Note that the "Verb Phrase" part of the structure is usually something bad or something you don't wish for, and that it didn't happen.
Subj. + 差点 + Predicate
You can put 了 at the end of the sentence for emphasis. In this case, 就 is often used and it's optional.
Subj. + 差点 (+就) + Predicate + 了
The predicate part of the pattern can be a verb or an adjective.
Examples
- 车 差点 撞到 我 。The car didn't hit me.The car almost hit me.
- 我们 差点 相信 他 。We didn't believe himWe almost believed him.
- 他们 差点 打 起来 。They didn't start a fight.They almost started a fight.
- 我 差点 忘 了 。I didn't forget.I almost forgot.
- 我 今天 差点儿 迟到 了 。 I wasn't lateI was almost late today.
- 她 差点 疯 了 。She didn't go crazy.She almost went crazy.
- 他 差点 就 死 了 。He didn't die.He almost died.
- 菜 差点 糊 了 。It wasn't burned.The food was almost burnt.
- 我们 队 差点儿 输 了 。the team didn't loseOur team almost lost.
- 我 差点 就 做到 了 。I didn't manage to do it.I almost did it.
Using 差点 with 没
This can get confusing, even though it's really the same pattern (and same logic) with a little added complexity. This pattern goes beyond the difficulty level of the needs of the B1 learner, so to learn more about this usage, see expressing "almost" using "chadian mei".
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 112) [ →buy]
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 341) [ →buy]
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 145) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy
