The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details

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Also known as: 是⋯⋯的结构 (shì... de jiégòu), 是⋯⋯的 sentence and 是⋯⋯的 pattern.

The 是⋯⋯的 (shì... de) construction is used to draw particular attention to certain information in a sentence. It's often used to ask questions that seek specific information, or to explain a situation by emphasizing a particular detail.

While not strictly tied to any "tense," the 是⋯⋯的 construction is frequently used when asking details about the past or telling details about the past.

Singling out Details for Emphasis

  • A: 明天 我 要 去 杭州 。A: Míngtiān wǒ yào qù Hángzhōu.I will go to Hangzhou tomorrow.
  • B: 你 怎么 去 ？B: Nǐ zěnme qù?How will you get there?
  • A: 我 坐 火车 去 。A : Wǒ zuò huǒchē qù.I will go by train.

A 是⋯⋯的 construction can pick out any detail that's related to a past event. Whatever comes immediately after 是 is emphasized. Check out this example:

  • A: 昨天 我 去 杭州 了。A: Zuótiān wǒ qù Hángzhōu le.I will go to Hangzhou tomorrow.
  • B: 你 是 怎么 去 的 ？B: Nǐ shì zěnme qù de?How did you get there?
  • A: 我 是 坐 火车 去 的 。A : Wǒ shì zuò huǒchē qù de.I went by train.

Basic Usage

是 ⋯⋯的 is not generally used for reporting new information, but for adding important details that make the information clearer. You could think of 是⋯⋯的 as being equivalent to saying one of the following in English:

  • "The situation is that"
  • "It's that... "
  • "It was... that... "

Structure

Subj. + 是 + [Information to be Emphasized] + Verb + 的

This structure can be used to emphasize any detail, but most commonly it emphasizes time, manner, or place. Don't worry if this still seems a little confusing; lots of helpful examples are coming up!

Examples

  • 你们 是 什么时候 来 的 ？Emphasizing "when"Nǐmen shì shénme shíhou lái de?When did you come?
  • 我们 是 昨天 来 的。"Yesterday" is emphasized.Wǒmen shì zuótiān lái de.We came yesterday.
  • 你 是 在 哪儿 出生 的 ？"Where" is emphasized.Nǐ shì zài chūshēng de?Where were you born?
  • 我 是 在 中国 出生 的 。"In China" is emphasized.Wǒ shì zài Zhōngguó chūshēng de.I was born in China.
  • 你 是 怎么 来 的 ？Emphasizing "how" or "in what manner"Nǐ shì zěnme lái de?How did you come?
  • 我 是 坐 飞机 来 的 。Emphasizing "by plane"Wǒ shì zuò fēijī lái de.I came by plane.
  • 是 谁 告诉 你 的 ？Emphasizing "who"Shì shéi gàosu nǐ de?Who was it that told you?
  • 是 一 个 同事 告诉 我 的 。Emphasizing "a colleague"Shì yī gè tóngshì gàosu wǒde.It was a colleague that told me.

You might be wondering, "can I still say the same thing without the 是 and the 的?" The answer is that in most cases, no, not really. While the 是 can sometimes be dropped, these examples sound weird without the 的. It's just a part of learning to ask questions naturally in Mandarin. You don't have to learn a "past tense," but you do have to learn this way of asking for details about the past, sooner or later.

Negative Form

是⋯⋯的 sentences can only be negated with 不, as 没 can not be used to negate 是. Place 不 before 是 as you would in a standard sentence.

Examples

  • 我们 不 是 坐 火车 来 的 。 Wǒmen bù shì zuò huǒchē lái de.We didn't come by train.
  • 这个 电话 不 是 打给他的 。 Zhège diànhuà bù shì dǎ gěi tā de.This phone call isn't to him.
  • 我们 不 是 去 看她 的 。 Wǒmen bù shì qù kàn tā de.We didn't go to see her.

Note that negating a 是⋯⋯的 construction creates the implication that the action in the sentence was carried out, and only the detail emphasized by 是⋯⋯的 is being denied. So, in the last sentence, the implication is that 你 didn't go out with 她, but did go out with someone. So negative 是⋯⋯的 constructions would work nicely in the final scenes of detective dramas.

Used in a Question

是⋯⋯的 constructions can be made into questions in the usual three ways to form questions in Chinese:

Examples

  • 他 是 坐飞机 去 的 吗 ？Tā shì zuò fēijī qù de ma?Did he go by plane?
  • 你们 是 不 是 去年 认识 的 ？Nǐmen shì bu shì qùnián rènshi de?Did you meet each other last year?
  • 你 的 车 是 在 哪儿 买 的 ？Nǐ de chē shì zài nǎr mǎi de?Where did you buy your car?
  • 你 跟 谁 去 的 ？Nǐ shì gēn shéi qù de?Who did you go with?
  • 这个 东西 多少钱 买 的 ？How much did this thing cost?

Although this structure is called the 是⋯⋯的 construction, the 是 is nearly always optional. You will often hear this structure with 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.

the Optional 是

A few examples:

  • 你 坐 地铁 来 的 吗 ？Nǐ zuò dìtiě lái de ma?Did you come by metro?
  • 我们 两 个 月 以前 认识 的。Wǒmen liǎng gè yuè yǐqián rènshi de.We met two months ago.
  • 我 跟 我 男朋友 一起 去 的。Wǒ gēn wǒ nánpéngyou yīqǐ qù de.I went there with my boyfriend.

Where to Put 的 When there's an Object

Up till now we've said that 的 appears at the end of the sentence in a 是⋯⋯ 的 construction. This is very often the case. However, if there's an object, 的 can appear before the object.

For example:

  • 我 是 在 加拿大 学 的 英语。the 的 comes before the object 英语I studied English in Canada.
  • 我 是 在 加拿大 学 英语 的。the 的 comes after the object 英语I studied English in Canada.

Note that if the object is a person, 的 has to go at the end of the sentence. Otherwise it can go before the object or at the end of the sentence.

  • 我 是 在 法国 认识 的 她。the 的 cannot come before the object 她I met her in France.
  • 我 是 在 法国 认识 她 的。the 的 can only come after the object 她I met her in France.

Completed Action

It's important to note that a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction also indicates that an action has been completed. However, this is not the purpose of a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction. The association with a completed action is more like a side effect of 是 ⋯⋯ 的. This means you shouldn't use 是 ⋯⋯ 的 just to indicate that an action is completed. Use the aspect particle 了 for that. Instead, use 是 ⋯⋯ 的 to draw attention to particular features of the action.

See Also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites


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