Questions tagged [particles]
A tag for discussing the nuances of particles. Including 的, 了, 吗, 过, 吧, 着, etc.
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What function does 了perform in this sentence 我忘问她要电话了 ？
It's a change of situation, isn't it? But what has changed? Why is 了 not used after the verb?
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When to use or skip 的 between two nouns?
Please helpme to understand the grammatical difference when using or skip 的 between two nouns。 What I know is that 中文, 西班牙 and 书 all are nouns. But in some cases thy become attributes
Case a) 中文书 ...
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Le aspect or modal particle
In the sentence “即使在教室，他们仍然保留了自由散漫的天性”, is 了 an aspect particle or a modal particle? I thought that the modal particle needed to be at the end of the sentence, but I’m not sure why it would be an ...
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How to specify colors etc. attributively
I’ve been using Duolingo and Google Translate (definitely not the most authoritative of sources) and have seen constructs like
红色的书
and
红车
Is there a difference in meaning depending whether one ...
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Is 的 Here An Emphasis or Just A Nominalization
我觉得这句话哪里怪怪的
I guess 的 can be nominalizing since it would be something weird. But every time I see 的 by itself at the end of a ssntemce I struggle to tell whether or not it's emphasizing since I'vs ...
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In "Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén", why is it "Nǐ" and not " Nǐde"?
Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?
Why "Nǐ" and not " Nǐde"?
Since Nǐde is possessive.
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的 in the “你们是坐飞机来北京的吗？”
Some sites said 来的 can be used for an emphasis but here it s separate. Can it have the same meaning or something other here?
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了 in the “小王不能参加这次招待会了”
That's the mean have 了 here? I've heard it can be index for changing, like before he could came bit now he can't, but I'm not sure. Does it work here? Have it any other meaning(exept the index of past ...
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Meanings and roles of 要 inside 信用卡比现金要方便多了。
信用卡比现金要方便多了。
I think that 要 can be removed from the above sentence to convey the same meaning of the original sentence.
I looked up for several online dictionaries but still haven't got the meaning(s)...
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Use of 要...(了) to indicate future
This is a question about the use of 要 yào as a verb to indicate immediate future ('going to') and its common complementation by 了 le.
要 is a confusing word for learners because of its various meanings....
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Use of final 的 (de) with the verb 會/会 (huì)
A use case of the particle 的 de that I've always found odd is the way it can be added at the end of a sentence where 會/会 huì is the main verb. I've seen this explained as a form of 'emphasis', but I'...
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Is 今天的日是什么 ever used as substitute for 今天是星期几吗, or is it grammatically incorrect/improper?
Is 今天的日是什么 ever used as substitute for 今天是星期几吗, or is it grammatically incorrect/improper?
This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm not the smartest (Hence why I haven't fully learnt Chinese ...
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What is the etymology of the different sentence final particles?
I'm curious about the etymology of 吗，吧， 呢，and 了. Does anyone have theories or sources on the subject?
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Using 那 particle similar to how 所以 is used when asking series of questions?
I watch a lot of Mandarin Corner on YouTube and the style of her videos are to basically interview subjects in Mandarin dialect.
I notice when she goes from questions to question, she will use 那 and ...
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Confusing 了1 and 了2
One of the functions of 了 is marking the completion of an action. (了1) Another function is marking a change of state. (了2) Personally it is sometimes difficult for me to distinguish between these two ...
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What is the function of 了 in 请告诉她我不能跟她去看电影了？
Is it the "change of state" sentence-end particle?
If so, can you say this sentence without it?
And if not, how do you convey the difference between:
(She already knows, the situation hasn't ...
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What is function of 的 in 挺.......的?
I am understanding 挺。。。的 to mean "quite"
I don't get the sense that the 的 is nominalizing an elided phrase particularly, or is this wrong? If yes/no, how/why?
Additionally, why/when is it ...
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What is function of 了 in 太……了?
I am understanding 太……了 to mean "really/very/too/excessively"
I don't get the sense 了 is either a completed-action or a sentence-end change-of-state - would this be right to assume? If yes/...
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What is the function of 了 in 我现在养了一只狗和一只猫？
Presumably the 了 cannot mean a "completed action" since this is cancelled out by the 现在?
Additionally, if the meaning is I raised (completed action) a dog... and I still have it now (现在) - ...
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Why is 我把一本书买来了 wrong?
This Facebook post says:
The object behind “把” should be a specific person or thing. Example: “我把那本书买来了” cannot say “我把一本书买来了”.
Judging from context "behind" here should be "after&...
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Difference using 的 here 1) 这道菜味道很好 and 2) 这道菜的味道很好
What is the difference between
这道菜味道很好
and
这道菜的味道很好?
How does this grammar point work?
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Using 了 about future events
I've come across some sentences, in which the particle 了 is used about future events.
晚上我们请他们去吃了北京烤鸭。
下个月我就回美国去了。
现在该去海关办你的事儿了。
I don't know what kind of 了 is this? Is it 了1, marking the completion ...
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Is it possible to put 了 in 昨天上午你去哪儿了？after the verb 去 instead at the end?
This question example is from the book "HSK Standard Course 1 (2014)". According to the Chinese Grammar Wiki:
When time, place, manner, or purpose are specified in a sentence, 了 can be used ...
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translations and 了
I was practicing translating the following sentences:
Relax, this problem has already been solved!
放輕鬆吧，這個問題已經解決了。
That foreigner hasn’t taken a bus for a long time.
那個外國人很久沒有搭巴士了。
I feel I added 了 at ...
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Purpose of 了 except completion marker
What is the purpose of 了 in these sentences:
1:找到你了。(If it is completion marker, why doesn't it come right after the verb?)
2:我最喜欢看篮球比赛了.
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How is 了 being used in 没有了职务?
没有了职务，王建男像是从捆绑状态中被释放出来，一身轻松。
HSK6上 Standard Course, chapter 14, page 136 (original)
This violates the rule of thumb: we don't use 了 in conjunction with 没 (see e.g. A verb negated with 没 / 没有 cannot ...
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Using the article 咪 in this Cantonese sentence
Please take a look at this sentence.
我已經做晒啲嘢，咪返屋企囉！
I know for one that 咪 stands for the negative. At first glance, I thought the meaning is 'I finished my tasks already, so I am going home!'
But what ...
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Question with "ne (呢) to be responded with "呢"?
I resumed my Chinese studies and got a native speaker to help me. She mentioned that to agree with a suggestion with "ne" (呢), I should respond with it and just changed the tone. I cannot ...
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Why is 了 placed after the object in "你回英国了吗?" and “我去上海了"?
In the following sentences, why is 了 placed after the object?
马大为：林娜，早！好久不见，你回英国了吗？
林娜：我没有回英国，我去上海了，昨天刚回北京。
I have looked at a Grammar Wiki page on when 了 can go after the object, but none of the ...
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Still about the filler word 很, after 得
I just learned that an adverb or quality describing how a verb (action) is performed must be preceded by the filler word 得, which introduces an "expression of degree" ("well", &...
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很 as a filler word?
Beginner's question here.
If I understood correctly, all descriptive words in Mandarin can work both as an adjective and a "descriptive verb", which would be equivalent to the construction &...
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Retention of 其 as a modal particle in modern Chinese
There is a recent Chinese Stack Exchange question on the significance of 其 in 尤其, given the meaning of the word is largely contributed by 尤.
I am quite confident that some of the answers in the thread ...
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Using this Cantonese particle to indicate past tense
I ran across this 'conversation piece' in a Cantonese study material.
填好地址未？
填好晒。
郵票貼好未？
貼好咗啦。
I found the usage of 晒 strange, because 填好 already indicated the action is done. The same is true with ...
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In the novel 猫城记, why does 老舍 use 的 (instead of 地) for adverbs?
From the first chapter of 猫城记 by 老舍, we see examples where 的 is used where I would expect to use 地 (to indicate an adverb):
我应当先去挖坑，但是我没有去挖，只呆呆的看着四外，从泪中看着四外。
动是我自己不能负责的，现在想来，这或者是最近情理的解释与自恕。
鸟儿下来一只。...
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Is the 了 in 你几岁了？ a change-of-state 了?
There's a simple question we ask kids:
你几岁了？
How old are you?
It's possible to ask it without the 了, i.e., 你几岁？. This makes me think this 了 is a change-of-state 了. It may just be a kind of "...
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When translating "he thinks I bought three books, but I didn't buy anything", do we add a completion 了 for "bought"?
When learning about when to use 了, we're typically given simple examples with clear-cut answers, such as the following:
我买了三本书。
I bought three books.
Expressing completion with "le"
We are ...
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躺着 can be used for persons laying on an object. What can we use for an object laying on another object? ...着?
What verb can one use to describe an object laying on another object.
I know that one can use 躺着 for a person laying on/in a bed... what about an object laying, for example, on the table? ...着
I ...
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Which is the correct translation for "I went to the bathroom twice": 去了厕所两次 or 去厕所两次了?
Which one is correct please?
If I try to translate:
I went to the bathroom twice.
去了厕所两次
去厕所两次了
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What are the parts of speech of the words in 车外的阳光格外的刺眼, and why is this 的 correct?
车外的阳光格外的刺眼.
That's a complete sentence. I've got troubles understanding what parts of speech are. According to my dictionaries:
阳光 - sunshine,
格外 - especially,
刺眼 - to dazzle.
So the sentence would ...
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Can someone logically explain why 在坐 is wrong and 坐着 is fine?
This question keeps me awake at nights.
Please, don't suggest that I've made a mistake and mistook 在坐 for 在座. I know what 在座 is. I dont' care about it.
I need to know a logical reason why 在坐 is never ...
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Can the 的 particle ever function without "nominalizing"?
From my answer in What is the meaning of 的 in “有一天你会明白的”? and according to Charles N. Li, Sandra A. Thompson - Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar, I believed the function of the particle ...
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What is the meaning of 的 in "有一天你会明白的"?
From Why is 的 used in 你是哪一天出生的 and 我们什么时候开始的 and 前天你什么时候来的这里?, I understand 的 at the end of a sentence describes an event that happened in the past.
However, I am not sure whether I understand the ...
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What does "了" do in the sentence "呆在家里， 这样你就能接电话了"?
In the sentence "呆在家里， 这样你就能接电话了", I can't see why "了" is used in this sentence.
I study Chinese these days, and I think that I can just say "这样你就能接电话", but in this ...
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Why is 指 repeated twice in 他指了指墙上的画?
I found a sentence from a short story which goes:
"他指了指墙上的画。“
I know that 指 means to point, by why is it repeated twice in the sentence? Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
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Can 地 be used in place of 的 as a stylistic choice?
Is the use of 地 in the following document correct (some specific samples included below)? I feel like there are many cases where 的 should have been used, but 地 is used instead. The number of such ...
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Why 说的 and not only 说 in 你要按照我说的做并且要做好?
I saw that phrase while I was studying and I don't understand.
你要按照我说的做并且要做好。
Why 说的 not only 说?
What does 的 mean in that phrase?
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Why is 的 at the end of phrases such as 那是他们的 and 钱他们的?
I'm confused with the possessive particle 的, it was explained to me as 's in English and "of" something. Like, Y的X becomes X of Y.
那是他们的。
他们的是那。
Here are two sentences that from that logic ...
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In 吃完晚饭后，我们去了维多利亚海港看烟花, why is 了 after 去 and not after 看?
In my chinese book I saw the following sentence.
6年初二晚上他们一家人去看了烟花 。
That has sense with the following grammar point for verbs in series with 去
9.5 Two verbs: One indicating purpose When a simple ...
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What is 吗 doing in 你有什么事吗？
In a Chinese lesson, I came across these sentences:
你有什么事吗？
Nǐ yǒu shénme shì mɑ?
你有什么事？
Nǐ yǒu shénme shì?
And both were translated as:
What's the matter?
I don't understand 1. Without 吗, I ...
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What is 了 doing in 这个表快了+time？
I am confused about the 了 in the sentence:
这个表快了五分钟。
Zhèɡe biǎo kuàile wǔ fēnzhōnɡ.
This watch is running five minutes faster.
Clearly there is no change of state. Is it for completion? I don't ...
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