Difference between revisions of "The "shi... de" construction for indicating purpose"

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*钱 <em>是</em> <strong>用来</strong> 花<em> 的</em>。<span class="pinyin">Qián <em>shì</em> <strong>yònglái</strong> huā <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">Money is for spending.</span>
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*钱 <em>是</em> <strong>用来</strong> 花<em> 的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Qián <em>shì</em> <strong>yònglái</strong> huā <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">Money is for spending.</span>
*这 种 菜 <em>是</em> <strong>用来</strong> 做 汤 <em>的</em>。<span class="pinyin">Zhè zhǒng cài <em>shì</em> <strong>yònglái</strong> zuò tāng <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This kind of vegetable is for making soup.</span>
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*这 种 菜 <em>是</em> <strong>用来</strong> 做 汤 <em>的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhè zhǒng cài <em>shì</em> <strong>yònglái</strong> zuò tāng <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This kind of vegetable is for making soup.</span>
*这 种 车 <em>是</em> <strong>用来</strong> 搬家 <em>的</em>。<span class="pinyin">Zhè zhǒng chē <em>shì</em> <strong>yònglái</strong> bānjiā<em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This kind of car is for moving.</span>
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*这 个 房间 <em>是</em> <strong></strong> 客人 住 <em>的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhège fángjiān <em>shì</em> <strong>gěi</strong> kèrén zhù <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This room is for our guest to live in.</span>
*这 个 房间 <em>是</em> <strong>给</strong> 客人 住 <em>的</em>。<span class="pinyin">Zhège fángjiān <em>shì</em> <strong>gěi</strong> kèrén zhù <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This room is for our guest to live in.</span>
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*这些 钱 <em>是</em> <strong>给</strong>孩子 上 大学 <em>的</em> 。<span class="pinyin"> zhèxiē qián <em>shì</em> <strong>gěi</strong> háizi shàng dàxué <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This money is for our children going to college.</span>
*这些 <em>是</em> <strong>给</strong>孩子 上 大学 <em>的</em>。<span class="pinyin"> zhèxiē qián <em>shì</em> <strong>gěi</strong> háizi shàng dàxué <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">This money is for our children going to college.</span>
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*这些 礼物 <em>是</em> <strong>给</strong> 客户 准备 <em>的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhèxiē lǐwù <em>shì</em> <strong>gěi</strong> kèhù zhǔnbèi <em>de</em>.</span><span class="trans">These presents are prepared for the clients.</span>
  
 
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Revision as of 08:13, 29 September 2017

There are many ways to explain why you are doing something or what's the use of things. This article will explain another way to do that, and it just happens to involve "是⋯⋯的." This isn't to say that you can't make these sentences without using "是" and "的" but this can help emphasize why you are doing something or what's the use of thing, giving your sentence a little more kick.

Person as Subject

Structure

If the subject is a person, there is often a "来" or "去" after the "是," indicating direction like "coming here" or "going there."

Person + 是 + 来 / 去 + [Verb Phrase] + 的

Examples

  • 我们 都 出差 Wǒmen dōu shì lái zuò shēngyi de.We are all going on business trips.
  • 上海 旅游 shì lái Shànghǎi lǚyóu de.I came to Shanghai to travel.
  • 他们 都 实习 Tāmen dōu shì lái shíxí de.They all came here to do an internship.
  • 你 真的 帮 我们 吗 ? Nǐ zhēnde shì lái bāng wǒmen de ma?Are you here to help us? Really?
  • 我们 不 做 调查 Wǒmen bù shì wán de, shì zuò diàochá de.We're not going to hang out with people. Instead, we're there to do research.

Things as Subject

Structure

If the subject is a thing, "用来" is often used. Look at the examples below for some more clarification.

Thing + 是 + 用来 + [Verb Phrase] + 的

Thing + 是 + 给 + Obj. + [Verb Phrase] + 的

Examples

  • 用来Qián shì yònglái huā de.Money is for spending.
  • 这 种 菜 用来 做 汤 Zhè zhǒng cài shì yònglái zuò tāng de.This kind of vegetable is for making soup.
  • 这 个 房间 客人 住 Zhège fángjiān shì gěi kèrén zhù de.This room is for our guest to live in.
  • 这些 钱 孩子 上 大学 zhèxiē qián shì gěi háizi shàng dàxué de.This money is for our children going to college.
  • 这些 礼物 客户 准备 Zhèxiē lǐwù shì gěi kèhù zhǔnbèi de.These presents are prepared for the clients.

See Also