15
votes
Accepted
Why there is no 的 after 你 in 你国家的医院好吗?
This question is really about: " when can we omit the possessive 的 "
的 1.(adjective suffix):
For example:
强大勇敢 (strong and brave)
强大勇敢的人 (strong and brave man)
You cannot omit the ...
- 81.4k
10
votes
Accepted
What is 吗 doing in 你有什么事吗？
In Chinese grammar, words as 什么 are commonly known as interrogative substitutes, they substitute the word that should be found in the answer.
Therefore, they have inherent interrogative semantics, and ...
- 5,462
9
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to write "I'm hungry and tired" (我饿了，我也累了) with a single change-of-state 了?
The only thing wrong with "我饿了，我也累了。" is the second 我 is redundant.
"我饿了，也累了。" is perfectly grammatical
You can also use the [又 X 又 Y + 了] structure
Example: 我已經又累又饿了 (I am hungry and tired ...
- 81.4k
9
votes
Can someone logically explain why 在坐 is wrong and 坐着 is fine?
[在 + v] = in the act of carrying out the action. e.g. 在穿衣服 (putting on clothes)
[v + 着] = the actions is in a continuous state. e.g. 穿着衣服 (wearing clothes/ the clothes is being worn currently)
More ...
- 81.4k
9
votes
Difference using 的 here 1) 这道菜味道很好 and 2) 这道菜的味道很好
1.这道菜味道很好 and
2.这道菜的味道很好
If we analyze these sentences syntactically, we can conclude the following:
In sentence 1, 这道菜 is the topic of the sentence, and the comment is 味道很好. You should have a ...
- 1,231
8
votes
What is the meaning of 的 in "有一天你会明白的"?
In Taiwan, According to dictionary owned by Ministry of Education.
的 can mean:
句尾助詞：置於句尾，表示肯定或加強的語氣。
(助詞 at end of the sentence denoting affirmation, or intensify tone.)
有一天你會明白的它 is not correct. ...
- 1,627
8
votes
Can we simultaneously use the particles 地 and 得 with a single verb, e.g. 他高兴地跳得高?
It's possible to use both in the same sentence. Googling whole prefabricated sentences will probably give you no results, but if you just search "地跳得" (or any other verbs), you will find ...
- 151
7
votes
Sentence with demonstrative without explicit subject - de required?
这个很好吃。
一般语气，可以不加'的'。
若要加强语气，加'的'，而且念重一点。
这是黒的。
这猫是黒色的。
通常要加'的'。
这本书很好。
和第一例一様，平常可省略；加强语气时，加'的'。
- 1,328
7
votes
Can someone logically explain why 在坐 is wrong and 坐着 is fine?
Why 在坐 is wrong?
我在穿衣服 我穿著衣服
我在坐飛機 我坐著飛機
在坐 - 在一般使用上已經被擴大延伸，不再只是字面上「坐著」的意思而已，例如可用於表示在搭乘某種交通工具，而搭乘這些交通工具時，某種程度上就隱含坐著的意思。
如：
我在坐計程車 我在坐公車 我在坐捷運 我在坐船 我在坐火車
我坐著計程車 我坐著公車 我坐著捷運 我坐著船 我坐著火車
而單獨的在坐，就如同OP所說，...
- 792
7
votes
Accepted
Using this Cantonese particle to indicate past tense
晒 as a verb particle here indicate - 'All; completely'
Example: 走晒 (all left); 死晒 (all dead; completely dead); 冇晒 (all gone)
填好晒 = finished filling it all
The phrase 貼好 (finished sticking on) ...
- 81.4k
7
votes
Using this Cantonese particle to indicate past tense
The verbal aspect markers V+咗 and V+好, and the verb complement V+嗮, are similar but not identical.
V+咗 is perfective. The activity is completed but its result still applies to the present situation. (...
- 5,625
6
votes
How exactly do time and "tense" work in Mandarin REALLY?
If the form 我看了一本书 is correct then what role is 了 playing here and why does it sound to me like past tense with a not-a-tense-marker indicating tense?
'了' in "我看了一本书" is a [aspect marker] ...
- 81.4k
6
votes
What's the role of 了 in this sentence: 你要是喜欢我就给你买了
I think the key is the usage of 了. In my opinion, 了 here works like a result complement, which indicates the status changed.
Semantically, they(with or without 了) denote the same meaning.
我买 vs ...
- 24k
6
votes
Accepted
Why is 你去了北京吗 less common than 你去北京了吗?
Both 你去了北京吗 and 你去北京了吗 are possible in practice, but they are used in different situations.
你去了北京吗 is used when you try to confirm the fact that someone really went to Beijing. Let's say you have ...
- 24k
6
votes
What is 了 doing in 这个表快了+time？
Grammatically, the completion is not only for verbs but also for adjectives. In your example 快了, 快 is an adj. Another example might be easier to understand. 苹果红了, apples turned red. 苹果熟了 is a ...
- 24k
6
votes
Why is 我把一本书买来了 wrong?
My 语感 tends to agree with yours here. Grammatically, I would explain this in terms of degrees or types of definiteness. (What the fb post likely meant by 'specific', ie what is usually marked in ...
- 942
6
votes
Can we simultaneously use the particles 地 and 得 with a single verb, e.g. 他高兴地跳得高?
Native speakers might find it somewhat more natural to say "he was so happy that he jumped" i.e. 高兴得跳了起来 rather than "he jumped happily" 高兴地跳了起来. The adverbial particle 地 is not ...
- 61
5
votes
Why there is no 的 after 你 in 你国家的医院好吗?
I believe that 的 is omitted because it's not in the front of the subjects or objectives and because it's not fluent to use too many "的" in a sentence.
In TangHo's answer the "strong 强大的" and "tall 高的"...
- 51
5
votes
Accepted
Understanding 了: difference between 她上个月去了北京 and 上个月我去台湾了?
了 indicates 'completion of an action'
In "上个月我去了台湾" the action of "去" is completed, meaning you had gone there but it doesn't say you are still there or have already came back
In "上个月我去台湾了", '了' ...
- 81.4k
5
votes
Accepted
Can we omit the 吗 at the end of a 难道 rhetorical question?
Yes, definitely you can. However, in some situations, with 吗 it sounds more natural and less rude. And sometimes, with 吗 it might sound less criticizing, such as your first example 今天是我的生日，难道你不知道吗?
- 1,179
5
votes
Accepted
Why is there no 地 in 不小心踢到椅子 ("carelessly kicked the chair")?
Strictly speaking, your translation is incorrect and that is what is tripping you up.
不小心 has many interpretations here, and the one employed in all these examples is along the lines of "wasn't ...
- 516
5
votes
Is 會 an aspect marker?
會 is a modal verb.
From the classic Li & Thompson (1981) Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar:
Most languages have morphemes for signaling the of a reported event relative to the ...
- 6,826
5
votes
Can 地 be used in place of 的 as a stylistic choice?
I think the document has simply not been well proofread. The usage of 地 is not consistent though. We can see the examples like:
没错，唐三的父亲唐昊，就是一个铁匠。村子里唯一地铁匠。
So, I don't believe it's anything ...
- 24k
5
votes
Why is 指 repeated twice in 他指了指墙上的画?
I'm surprised this hasn't been covered before here, I'm sure there must be a link somewhere that I was unable to find.
This is the V + 了 + V structure.
#Grammar 2. 动词的重叠 Reduplication of Verbs (II): ...
Mou某♦
- 36.3k
5
votes
Can someone logically explain why 在坐 is wrong and 坐着 is fine?
在+v：the action is in progress; v+着：the aftermath/effect of an action is still there. The key is the action. Some verbs are without action: 是、有、喜欢、见、到...；definitely can not use either one. Some verbs ...
- 687
5
votes
Accepted
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： Object + related location/position = place term, n.
的： Aux. term to turn n. into descriptive, usually in possession/belonging relation; or habitually added after multi-character adj. (single ...
- 687
5
votes
Accepted
In the novel 猫城记, why does 老舍 use 的 (instead of 地) for adverbs?
Actually, you're right, this is a history question rather a grammar one.
Chinese people do NOT differentiate "的得地" intentionally before the 1960s (or even 1980s).
Here is a blog I found “的地得”...
- 868
5
votes
Using this Cantonese particle to indicate past tense
晒 and 好 are verb complements in the same category as 完，飽，實，斷，乾净，... etc.
A verb complement serves to indicate a distinctive notional value of a process P (action or event associated to the verb). For ...
- 301
5
votes
Why is 我把一本书买来了 wrong?
I am a native Chinese and found this question really interesting.
I am not a language expert but feel that the 把 will slightly emphasize the words after it. So 我把一本书买来了 emphasizes 一本书 but it didn't ...
- 51
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