Marking a topic with "de hua"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
You probably already know that 的话 (de huà) can be put at the end of a phrase to express the meaning of "if." It can be used independently, or with 如果, both meaning "if." But it can also be used to simply identify a topic, sort of like saying "when it comes to...."
Structure
的话 can also be used to introduce a topic which the speaker intends to say more about.
Topic + 的话 ，Comment
Examples
- 北京 的话，秋天 去 最好 。As for Beijing, autumn is the best time to go.
- 晚上 的话，当然 方便 啦 。The evening? Of course that's convenient.
- 这个 问题 的话，我 不 太 方便 说 。As for this question, it's not convenient for me to talk about it.
- 我 肯定 能 去 。 他 的话 ，我 就 不知道 了。I can definitely go. As for him though, I don't know.
- 我们 的 要求 比较 高 。具体 来说 的话 ，有 三 个 方面 。Our requirement is quite high. Specifically, there are three aspects.
See also
Sources and further reading
Websties
- Chinesegrammar.info: Chinese grammar de hua (的话): expressing “if” in Chinese with de hua
