Difference between revisions of "Expressing contrariness with "dao""

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⋯⋯,倒 + Unexpected Situation
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⋯⋯,Subj.+倒 + (也 / 又)⋯⋯
  
 
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== 倒 Used to Make a Concession and then a Complaint ==
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== Using 倒 to make a concession and then a complaint ==
  
 
=== Structure ===
 
=== Structure ===
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Subj. + Verb + 倒 + ⋯⋯,Concession
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Subj. + Verb + 倒 + ⋯⋯,不过 / 但是 / 就是
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*你 说 得 <em>倒</em> 挺 流利,<em>就是</em> 有 点 洋腔洋调。<span class="trans">You speak very fluently, it's just that you have a little bit of an accent.</span>
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*你 说 得 <em>倒</em> 挺 流利,<em>就是</em> 有 点 声调 不太 标准。<span class="trans">You speak very fluently, it's just that you have a little bit of an accent.</span>
 
*你们 说 得 <em>倒</em> 容易,<em>不过</em> 做 起来 很 难!<span class="trans">It's easy to be said, but it's hard to be done!</span>
 
*你们 说 得 <em>倒</em> 容易,<em>不过</em> 做 起来 很 难!<span class="trans">It's easy to be said, but it's hard to be done!</span>
*这 个 女孩 长得 <em>倒</em> 漂亮,<em>就是</em> 太 矮 了。<span class="trans">The girl looks really beautiful, but she's too short.</span>
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*这 个 女孩 长 得 <em>倒</em> 漂亮,<em>就是</em> 太 矮 了。<span class="trans">The girl looks really beautiful, but she's too short.</span>
 
 
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== 倒 Used Idiomatically ==
 
  
A useful little phrase to admit concession is 那倒也是, something like "I guess so, I hadn't thought of it like that before." Or if on the contrary you are unwilling to concede, 我倒不觉得 can be used.
 
 
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*其他 老师 都 说 这 个 学生 很 笨,我 <em>倒</em> 不 觉得。<span class="trans">All the other teachers said this student is stupid, but I disagree.</span>
 
*很 多 人 认为 钱 是 最 重要 的,我 <em>倒</em> 不 觉得。 <span class="trans">A lot of people think that money is the most important, but I don't think so.</span>
 
 
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For more on [[倒]], be sure to check our C1 (advanced) grammar point on [[Expressing contrariness with "dao"|expressing contrariness with 倒]].
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 07:17, 16 November 2016

倒 (dào) can be used to express something is contrary to expectations, acting as a turning point in the sentence. It is generally followed by a positive comment.


倒 Used to Express an Unexpected Situation

Note that 倒 is often followed by 也 or 又 to add further emphasis.

Structure

⋯⋯,Subj.+倒 + (也 / 又)⋯⋯

Examples

  • 他 不 是 很 努力 的学生,但 成绩 也 不错。He's not a vey hardworking student, but his score isn't too bad.
  • 已经 是 春天 了, 又 冷 起来 了。It's already spring, but it's getting cold.
  • 不 吃 药,病 慢慢 好 了。I didn't take any medicine, but I'm getting better.
  • 他 是 个 老外,普通话 挺 流利。He is a foreigner, but he speaks fluent Chinese.

Using 倒 to make a concession and then a complaint

Structure

倒 can also be used to express a concession, so it's often followed by 不过、但是、就是。

Subj. + Verb + 倒 + ⋯⋯,不过 / 但是 / 就是

Examples

  • 你 说 得 挺 流利,就是 有 点 声调 不太 标准。You speak very fluently, it's just that you have a little bit of an accent.
  • 你们 说 得 容易,不过 做 起来 很 难!It's easy to be said, but it's hard to be done!
  • 这 个 女孩 长 得 漂亮,就是 太 矮 了。The girl looks really beautiful, but she's too short.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books