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.

Basic Usage

A 是 ⋯⋯ 的 sentence is formed with this 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!

Singling out Details for Emphasis

A 是⋯⋯ 的 construction can pick out any detail in a sentence. Whatever comes immediately after 是 is emphasized. So in the sentence below:

  • 我 上 周六 跟 我 家人 在 饭店 吃饭 。 Wǒ shàng zhōuliù gēn wǒ jiārén zài fàndiàn chīfàn.I ate with my family in a restaurant last Saturday.

We can pick out any one of the details by putting 是 in front of it:

  • 我 跟 我 家人 是 上 周六 在 饭店 吃 的 饭 。"last Saturday" is emphasized.Wǒ gēn wǒ jiārén shì shàng Zhōuliù zài fàndiàn chī de fàn.
  • 我 上 周六 在 饭店 是 跟 我 家人 吃 的 饭 。"with my family" is emphasized.Wǒ shàng Zhōuliù zài fàndiàn shì gēn wǒ jiārén chī de fàn.
  • 我 上 周六 跟 我 家人 是 在 饭店 吃 的 饭 。"in a restaurant" is emphasized.Wǒ shàng Zhōuliù gēn wǒ jiārén shì zài fàndiàn chī de fàn.

More Simple Examples

These are some of the most common questions asked using the 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction and some possible answers:

  • 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 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.
  • 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.

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.

When to Use 是⋯⋯ 的

As described above, the 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction is used to draw attention to particular information in a sentence. Whereas a sentence without a 是 ⋯⋯ 的 construction might describe a situation, a sentence with a 是⋯⋯ 的 construction explains it. 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... "

If the sentence could be formed with one of those phrases in English, it can probably use a 是⋯⋯ 的 construction in Chinese. Usually the topic of a 是⋯⋯ 的 sentence has already been established.

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.

Negating 是 ⋯⋯ 的

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 Questions

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

Examples

  • 他 是 用 左 手 写 的 吗 ？Did he write this with his left hand?
  • 你 是 跟 谁 出去 的？Who did you go out with?
  • 你 是 怎么 来 北京 的？How did you come to Beijing?
  • 你们 是 不 是 去年 认识 的？Did you meet each other last year?
  • 你 的 车 是 在 哪儿 买 的？Where did you buy your car?

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.

More Useful Examples

The 是⋯⋯ 的 construction is very versatile and can be used to pick out a large variety of details in a sentence. Have a look at the examples below to get a stronger grasp of how this structure can be used.

Focusing on Manner:

  • 我 是 开车 回家 的。"by car" is emphasized.I came home by car.

Focusing on Instrument:

  • 我 是 用 法文 写 的 信 。"used French" is emphasized.I used French to write the letter.
  • 她 是 用 邮件 回复 我们 的。"used the email" is emphasized.She used email to reply to us.

Focusing on Agent:

  • 我 的 钱包 是 被 一个男人 偷走 的。"by a man" is emphasized.My wallet was stolen by a man.
  • 弟弟 是 被 同学 打伤 的。"by his classmate" is emphasized.My younger brother was hit and got injured by his classmates.

Focusing on Target:

  • 你 是 给 谁 做 的 饭 ？"for whom" is emphasized.Who did you make food for?
  • 他 是 向 你 借 的 钱？"from you" is emphasized.He borrowed the money from you?

See Also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites


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