Using "ba" sentences

Revision as of 06:10, 26 November 2013 by Parry (talk | contribs) (Text replace - "(\r?\n){2}" to "\r\n")

\r\n

Also known as: 把字句, 把 construction, disposal construction, preposition 把 and pre-transitive 把.\r\nThe 把 (bǎ) sentence is a useful structure for focusing on the result or influence of an action. It's really common in Mandarin, but can feel a bit strange for English speakers at first.\r\n== What is a 把 sentence? ==\r\nA 把 sentence (把字句 in Chinese) is a sentence in which the object of the sentence (the noun that is having some action done to it) appears after the subject and before the verb, preceded with a 把.\r\nRemember, a basic sentence in Mandarin is formed with a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, as in English:\r\n
\r\nSubject + Verb Phrase + Object\r\n
\r\nA 把 sentence shakes things up a bit, and you get this structure:\r\n
\r\nSubject + 把 + Object + Verb Phrase\r\n
\r\nNote that the object has moved, and is preceded by 把. You now have SOV word order.\r\nThis is all well and good, but most students of Chinese, on learning about 把 sentences for the first time, have the same reaction: "Why the hell would I ever use this structure? The SVO word order always works just fine, right?" The answer is: well, no... not always. It's true that 把 sentences are often used to achieve somewhat subtle differences in emphasis, but there are also very good reasons to use 把 sentences when a regular sentence just won't do. Take this sentence for example:\r\n
\r\n* 你 把 书 放 在 桌子 上 。 ("Put the book on the table.")\r\n
\r\nHow would you say this without the 把 construction? You might try this:\r\n
\r\n
  • 你 放 书 在 桌子 上 。

    • \r\nThe only problem is that the above sentence is not grammatical. You can't put an object right after a verb, and then put other modifiers of the verb after the object. Below, we'll go into more detail about when and how to use 把 sentences.\r\n\r\n== When to use a 把 sentence ==\r\nThe conditions for using a 把 sentence were briefly mentioned above. These are:\r\n* The object is known. (It's already been mentioned or discussed previously.)

    • The sentence describes what happened to the object in some detail (it's not just a "bare" verb; there's "more stuff" after the verb).\r\n=== Known object ===\r\n把 sentences can only deal with objects that are previously known about or have been clearly established in context. In other words, 把 sentences should have objects that are obvious.\r\nThis means that the object must either be definite (often preceded by 'the' in English), or generic. A generic object is a general class of things that the listener should know about. For example:\r\n
      \r\n* 我 有时候 把 茶 当 咖啡 喝。Sometimes I drink tea instead of coffee.\r\n
      \r\nHere 茶 and 咖啡 do not refer to any particular cups of tea or coffee, but to these drinks in general. This is acceptable because as general classes of things (generic objects), these are known and understood by the listener.\r\n=== Disposal (what happened to the object) ===\r\nThe other requirement for a 把 sentence is that it described what happened to the object, or its end fate as far as the sentence is concerned. This rules out any actions that don't have a clear effect on the object, such as psychological verbs. For example, you generally can't use 把 sentences to describe emotions or perceptions. Something has to be done to the object, and not just done by the subject.\r\nSome examples:\r\n
      \r\n
      • 我 把 他 想念。
      • 他 把 他 妹妹 爱。
      • 你 把 我的 东西 看见 了 吗？

      \r\n\r\nNone of these are acceptable 把 sentences because the object is not directly changed or affected by the verb. There is no disposal. So far so good. But it can get a bit trickier. The object does not have to be physically affected in the real world for a 把 sentence to be acceptable. For example, a 把 sentence could be used to describe something being written down:\r\n

      \r\n* 我 把 我的 姓名 写 下来 了。I wrote my last name down.\r\n

      \r\nHere the name hasn't been physically affected, but it has been converted into written form so its disposal is still described. Another example:\r\n

      \r\n* 我 把 那 件 事 说 出来 了。I talked about that thing.\r\n

      \r\nAgain, the 'something' in this sentence can't be 'changed' or 'affected' by being spoken about, but it is a change of form so a 把 sentence can be used. Even real world objects that do physically exist do not need to be physically affected to appear in a 把 sentence:\r\n

      \r\n* 她 把 家里 收拾 得 很 干净。 He cleaned the inside of the house very well.\r\n

      \r\nThese three disposals are all different types of interactions with an object, but each is a disposal.\r\n== How to form a 把 sentence ==\r\n=== Basic 把 sentences ===\r\nA basic sentence in Mandarin is formed with a subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, as in English:\r\n

      \r\n* 猫 吃 掉 了 金鱼。The dog ate the goldfish\r\n

      \r\nA 把 sentence shakes things up a bit, and you get this structure:\r\n

      \r\nSubject + 把 + Object + Verb Phrase\r\n

      \r\nSo you now have SOV word order:\r\n

      \r\n* 猫 把 金鱼 吃 掉 了。The dog ate the goldfish.\r\n

      \r\nYou might notice that the character 掉 occurs after the verb in these two sentences. This is no accident! This is because 把 sentences are used for describing in some detail what happened to the object. In other words, the verb alone is not enough; there always has to be something else after the verb.\r\n

      \r\nSubject + 把 + Object + Verb + Something else\r\n

      \r\nThis is often described as the disposal of the object, which might sound a bit fancy but we'll use it for convenience here. As well as the verb, you need to provide more information related to the action (in this case, that it was completed). In the example above 掉 indicates this 'disposal'.\r\nThe idea of disposal will be covered in more detail below. For now, just remember that a 把 sentence must describe what happened to the object in the end (beyond just what the verb tells you by itself). One way of thinking about the pattern which may be useful is that using 把 is similar to saying "What I did with ... was ... " or "What happened to ... was ...."\r\n==== More examples ====\r\n

      \r\n{| class="wikitable"

      |+Basic 把 sentences |- ! Subject !! 把 !! Object !! Verb !! Disposal !! |- | 你 || 把 || 那 本 书 || 放 || 在 桌子 上 || 。 |- | 我 || 把 || 作业 || 做 || 好 了 || 。 |- | 他 || 把 || 我的 钱包 || 偷 || 走 了 || 。 |- | 她 || 把 || 我的车 || 修 || 好 了 || 。 |- | 您 || 把 || 您的 名字 || 写 || 下来 || 。

      |}\r\n

      \r\nAnother important rule for using 把 sentences is that they have to be about something specific or definite. The object has to be something that is clear in the context, and known to both speaker and listener.\r\n=== Negating 把 sentences ===\r\nTo negate a 把 sentence, insert 不 (present or future) or 没有 (past) directly in front of 把. You can't put it after 把, 'inside' the 把 construction, as this would break the rule about describing what happened to the object. It would be like saying "What happened to ... was nothing". It doesn't sound natural.\r\n

      Negating 把 sentences
      Subject Negative 把 Object Verb Disposal
      我 没有 把 你的 电脑 弄 坏 。
      你 不要 把 我的 啤酒 喝 完 。
      他 没 把 钥匙 弄 丢 。
      她 没有 把 她的 房间 收拾 干净 。
      我 不 会 把 这 件 事 告诉 她的 。

      \r\n=== Question forms of 把 sentences ===\r\nYou can make 把 sentences into questions in the usual three ways to form questions in Mandarin:\r\n* With a question particle

      • With a question word
      • With positive-negative verbs\r\nSome examples:\r\n
        \r\n* 你 把 你的 手机 弄 丢 了 吗？Did you lose your phone?
      • 你 可以 把 五 个 汉堡 吃完 吗？Can you eat five hamburgers?\r\n* 你 把 我的 东西 放 在 哪里 了？Where did you put my stuff?
      • 他 把 你的 自行车 卖 给 谁 了？Who did you sell your bike to?
      • 你 是 不是 把 牙膏 用完 了？Did you finish the toothpaste?
      • 你 能 不能 把 我 写 的 文章 翻译 成 英文？Can you translate the essay I wrote into English?\r\n\r\nBe careful how you form questions with 把 sentences though. Remember that you have to have a definite object, and you have to describe the disposal of that object. A question form could easily get in the way of one of these conditions.\r\n=== Adverbs in 把 sentences ===\r\nAdverbs can usually be placed before 把 or before the verb (the exception is negative adverbs, as described above). Adverbs in each of these positions can change the meaning in slightly different ways, as demonstrated with 都 in the examples below. In the first sentence, "我们都把作业做完了", 都 modifies "我们" to make "We all finished the homework." In the second sentence, 都 modifies 作业 to make "We finished all the homework."\r\n
      把 sentences with adverbs
      Subject Adverb 把 Object Adverb Verb Disposal
      我们 都 把 作业 做 完了 。
      我们 把 作业 都 做 完了 。
      他 不小心 把 我的 秘密 告诉 别人 了 。
      她 把 茶 全 喝 完了 。

      (Note the subtle difference in meaning between the first two sentences.)\r\n=== 把 Sentences and Measure Words ===\r\nAs mentioned above, the object of a 把 sentence must be something specific and definite. This might involve noun measure words, which will come after the 把 and before the object.\r\n

      \r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:38em"

      |+More 把 and quantity examples |- ! Subject !! 把 !! Measure Word !! Object !! Verb !! |- | 我 || 把 || 那 件 || 衣服 || 洗了 || 。 |- | 他 || 把 || 几 块 || 蛋糕 || 吃 掉 了 || 。 |- | 她 || 把 || 五 篇 || 课文 || 翻译 好 了 || 。

      |}\r\n

      \r\nVerb measure words are frequently used in 把 sentences, and come at the end of a 把 sentence.\r\n

      \r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:38em"

      |+More 把 and quantity examples |- ! Subject !! 把 !! Object !! Verb !! Measure Word !! |- | 我 || 把 || 衣服 || 洗 了 || 三 遍 || 。 |- | 你 || 把 || 这些 规则 || 看 || 两 回 || 。 |- | 她 || 把 || 老公 || 打 了 || 一 顿 || 。

      |}\r\n

      \r\nNote that in all of these sentences, the object is something specific and definite. For example, the third sentence can not be translated as "I ate half a cake." It has to be "I ate half of the cake."\r\n=== 把 Sentences with Two Objects ===\r\nThe usual structure for 把 sentences, as described above, puts the object right after 把. for certain verbs, however, you can have two objects in a 把 sentence. Their use in a 把 sentence will also involve prepositions.\r\nThey use the following structure:\r\n

      \r\nSubject + 把 + Object 1 + Verb + Preposition + Object 2\r\n

      \r\nCommon verbs that take two objects include: 买, 卖, 告诉, 介绍, 送, 还 (huán), 通知. \r\n

      把 sentences with two objects
      Subject 把 Object 1 Verb Preposition Object 2
      我 把 我 女朋友 介绍 给 父母 了 。
      她 把 日记 卖 给 他 了 。
      他 把 这家花店 送 给 了 他 女朋友 。

      \r\n=== 把 sentences and aspect particles ===\r\nThe particles 了 and 着 can both be used with 把 constructions, whilst 过 cannot. This is because the object of a 把 construction must be obvious, or 'present' in some way in the context. 过 indicates some kind of action in the past, which suggests that the object is no longer present in the context, so it's not suitable for a 把 construction.\r\n了 and 着, though, can be used to indicate that the disposal of the object is complete or ongoing, respectively.\r\n

      \r\n{| class="wikitable" style="width:42em"

      |+把 sentences and aspect particles |- ! Subject !! 把 !! Object !! Verb phrase !! Aspect particle !! |- | 我 || 把 || 那 本 书 || 翻译 成 英文 || 了 || 。 |- | 你 || （不要） 把 || 门 || 开 || 着 || 。 |- | 她 || 把 || 瓶子 || 打 破 || 了 || 。 |- | 他 || 把 || 那 件 衣服 || 带 || 着 || 。

      |}\r\n

      \r\n

      == Verbs for 把 sentences ==\r\nYou might have noticed by now that some types of verbs are more suitable for 把 sentences than others. This comes back to the issue of disposal, as described in the section above. Because of this, there are some verbs that work really well in 把 sentences, or even sound unnatural without this structure. Here are some examples:\r\n* 放 - putting an object in a place is a perfect action for a 把 sentence. 放 pretty much has to be in a 把 construction.

      Retrieved from "https://resources.allsetlearning.com/gramwiki/?title=Using_%22ba%22_sentences&oldid=19153"