URLLesson Introduction
Finally, we tackle one of the top ten requested sentence patterns here on Qing Wen: the 是...的 (shì...de) pattern. No, we weren't afraid... well, maybe a little... but for some reason it took a year to get around to it. Good thing we have a linguist on hand (JP) to help us break this one down. A linguist, a smuggler, and a shopaholic. Are you sure you trust us with this pattern? Listen in and see!
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rjberki says
August 9, 2008
I have been waiting for this one. Good review. Connie, you keep an eye on that JP :-)
ricardosanchez says
August 9, 2008
I was told that there would soon be Cantonese lessons/podcasts here at Chinesepod.com . Is that still in the works? I sure hope so .
shiqiangdan says
August 9, 2008
This is a great lesson (as always)! Now that I think about it, this concept is probably complicated to teach as well as to learn. Myself, I was never taught this but rather, I just picked it up on my own. This is really the first time I have ever really thought about the this particular pattern in any depth. When I speak and I say something using the 'shi4...de5' pattern, I really don't think about it. It just sort of comes out instinctively. Nonetheless, whether you pick this up just from hearing it used in everyday Chinese or whether you actively study it (using this episode of QW!), this pattern is a super-convenient way to express A LOT of different ideas. Think of it like this:There is an island which represents a concept that you want to express. You can build a bridge (learn the pattern) that allows you to cross (express an idea) easily and just about effortlessly, or you can swim through a muddy, filthy, disgusting mud pit (expressing the same idea WITHOUT the convenience of these useful patterns). Doesn't that make you want to learn this pattern!? ...There I go again... hehe. Thanks Amber, Connie, and JP for the great lesson! Your lessons never leave me disappointed.
Jordan
foleadu says
August 9, 2008
Very useful! Love the rapport between you three!
chris says
August 9, 2008
Good show! A quick question - is the "shi...de" actually even needed? It struck me when listening to the show that in every example you gave, the "shi" and "de" could've been omitted and the sentence would've still been grammatically correct?
Thanks, Chris
shiqiangdan says
August 9, 2008
chris,
Good question. Correct me if I am wrong, please, but I am pretty sure that this pattern is a little bit more natural sounding than when you omit shi and de. At least it sounds that way to me. And also, some of the sentences are not gramatically correct when you take out the shi and de; they need to be switched around a little bit. Watch out for the word order! ;)
artkho says
August 9, 2008
Connie, keep up the good work of putting the new guy in his rightful place. Connie, 加油！:)
quasifrog says
August 10, 2008
I have purely used Chinesepod.com for my Chinese lessons since arriving here in February. I never had any real knowledge or concept of this way of phrasing. This was a monumental lesson for me, and it should considerably cut down on the horrified, constipated, facial expressions that I receive when I try to utter something in this language. Learning Mandarin is getting fun.
The basketball game stories were funny too. Thanks guys.
excuter says
August 10, 2008
听那个裤子故事我真的是不了想怎么可能做的
Hearing this trouser story I realy can´t think of how you did that.
BTW it seems you´re switching the Amber/Clay relation ship of and turn it into a Conni/JP one... well we´ll see how this developes...
jpvillanueva says
August 10, 2008
excuter,
I'm not sure I see a parallel here. Amber never threatened to break Clay's head. If I manage to get out of the recording studio uninjured, I consider it a small victory.
excuter says
August 10, 2008
well, then 加油 JP ^_^
...wait why would you want to get out of the recording studio?... probably it´s like in the old saying not fear heaven nor hell but a women ;-)
excuter says
August 10, 2008
I wonder if it would be possible to adapt this smuggling technique for crisps (I did smuggle 400 g crisps in an eastpak into a cinema once)
rjberki says
August 10, 2008
"man up" JP.
amylovestea4 says
August 10, 2008
general question for everyone, im a college student learning chinese, who has been to taiwan before, and im intereseted in studying abroad for a semester or more to get that practice, is there a major difference in learning chinese in china or taiwan, are there advantages or disadvantages in either?
sushan says
August 10, 2008
Here is a list of Chinese nicknames for NBA players:
(Thought this was discussed here somewhere before, but couldn't find it.)
connie says
August 10, 2008
Hi everyone, here are the sentences used in the podcast today:
你是什么时候到的？
Nǐ shì shénme shíhou dào de?
这个三明治是什么时候做的？
Zhège sānmíngzhì shì shénme shíhou zuò de?
这个裙子是什么时候买的？
Zhège qúnzi shì shénme shíhou mǎi de?
我是昨天买的。
Wǒ shì zuótiān mǎi de.
你是什么时候开始不喜欢我的？
Nǐ shì shénme shíhou kāishǐ bù xǐhuan wǒ de?
我是昨天开始不喜欢你的。
Wǒ shì zuótiān kāishǐ bù xǐhuan nǐ de.
你是在哪里学习汉语的？
Nǐ shì zài nǎli xuéxí Hànyǔ de?
我是在杭州学汉语的。
Wǒ shì zài Hángzhōu xué Hànyǔ de.
我是在台湾学习的。
Wǒ shì zài Táiwān xuéxí de.
我是在家学习汉语的。
Wǒ shì zàijiā xuéxí Hànyǔ de.
这是在哪里买的？
Zhè shì zài nǎli mǎi de?
这是从我的裤子里拿出来的。
Zhè shì cóng wǒ de kùzi lǐ ná chūlai de.
是在淘宝上买的。
Shì zài Táobǎo shàng mǎi de.
这是谁送给你的？
Zhè shì shéi sònggěi nǐ de?
是我的妈妈送给我的。
Shì wǒ de māma sònggěi wǒ de.
这是谁做的？
Zhè shì shéi zuò de?
这是我妈妈做的。
zhè shì wǒ māma zuò de.
这是谁投的？（投篮）
Zhè shì shéi tóu de?（tóulán）
这是姚明投的。
zhè shì Yáo Míng tóu de.
这不是我说的。
Zhè bù shì wǒ shuō de.
这是谁干的？
Zhè shì shéi gàn de?
snakeshe says
August 10, 2008
by the way, where is Clay?
penben says
August 11, 2008
JP, in my experience, some Chinese ladies hit men as a sign of affection. She's probably flirting with you.
daizi says
August 11, 2008
"是...的"是中文最加强调的句型之一！
"Shì...de" shì Zhōngwén zuì jiā qiángdiào de jùxíng zhīyī！
bill says
August 11, 2008
明白了！真有用。谢谢你们。
rclinton says
August 11, 2008
奥运会是电视上最棒的东西不得了！Amber, and Connie... 你们是做真漂亮的？(hope thats correct :D ) JP, 你有剧照吗？"swimming relay" 中文怎么说？谢谢你们。
magnus1977 says
August 11, 2008
Can you guys check these to tell me if they are correct or not?
1. chinesepod是什么时候开始的？
Chinesepod是2005年开始的。
2. 你是什么时候结婚的？
我是2006年结婚的。
3. 你是什么时候找到chinesepod的?
我是2006年找到的。
4. 你是什么时候来到上海的？
我2004年来到上海的。
also a couple quesitons
You guys said that 这个裙子是什么时候买的？ would be when did you buy those pants? but what about 这个裙子什么时候买？ would be what? When do you buy pants? So without the 是...的 pattern it changes the meaning of the sentence right?
inland says
August 11, 2008
As I understand it, shi..de is to describe or ask about characteristics of events in the past. So 这个裙子什么时候买 could be asking "when WILL you be buying pants", whereas 这个裙子 是什么时候买的？ would be When DID you buy pants? And 这个裙子 买了 is "did you buy pants? Without any question as to the method.
amber says
August 11, 2008
rclinton,
Your sentence is a little more correct either of these ways:
奥运会是电视上最棒的东西。
Àoyùnhuì shì diànshì shang zuì bàng de dōngxi.
奥运会棒得不得了。
Àoyùnhuì bàng de bùdéliǎo.
swimming relay 游泳接力赛 (yóuyǒng jiēlìsài)
connie says
August 11, 2008
Hi clarsen,
All your sentences are correct. Good job!
The "是......的" pattern is needed when to emphasize the time, place, purpose, etc. of a completed action.
你什么时候来？When will you come?
你什么时候来的？When did you come?
portunhol says
August 12, 2008
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS LESSON! It's really helpful. I'm going to listen to it a million times.
f4t4lb4z00k42 says
August 12, 2008
Hello Connie,
I think there's a small mistake in your second sentence, a 是 is missing and it should read :
你是什么时候来的？When did you come?
daizi says
August 12, 2008
你什么时候来的？= 你是什么时候来的？The 是 just makes it a bit more emphatic.
goodgoodstudydaydayup says
August 12, 2008
a sentance I found useful (because I am often asked it) using 'shi...de' is:
auntie68 says
August 12, 2008
Hello CPOD. I hope that the overwhelmingly positive reactions you are getting from everybody on this will encourage you to build on this lesson. How about a lesson on 是的，好的，不会的 etc etc, which has mystified many learners?
For what it's worth, my own way of explaining the 是。。。的 construction to friends is that it provides the same emphasis that is provided by "that" in English:
我是在杭州学汉语的。
Wǒ shì zài Hángzhōu xué Hànyǔ de.
="It is/was at Hangzhou that I am/was learning Mandarin"
If the 是。。。的 is omitted, the sense of the phrase becomes "I am/was learning Mandarin in Hangzhou."
HTH.
chillosk says
August 12, 2008
hmm, my feed only got 4 minutes worth of this episode :(
suburbanite says
August 12, 2008
I had a similar problem--mine cut out with a few minutes to go. Or my PC has finally succumb to being a 老电脑。
I would like to see more sentence pattern lessons. Or perhaps a series either as part of Qing Wen or separate.
thriple says
August 14, 2008
是的=沒錯!
that's right!!!!
stackattack says
August 15, 2008
Great lesson! very useful. I love chinesepod. Do you think you could do a lesson on the many four word phrases / 成语 / chinese idioms there are?
Maybe you could talk about some very common ones you hear in shanghai. I think its really interesting to compare the literal translations to their meanings.
my favorites:
一心一意
一见钟情
Thanks!
orkelm says
August 15, 2008
I often got a similar question when I was in China, it meant something like, "How did you learn your Chinese?" I was never really sure what they were saying, but it was enough to kind of know what they were getting at. I also never really knew how to answer it either. Any ideas? How would someone ask and answer that?
eunica says
August 15, 2008
I would guess it could be 你是怎么学习中文的?
No idea how to reply to that, stating for example "I have studied on my own, relying on brilliant resources like the website and podcasts of ChinesePod, and various textbooks as well as grammar reference books and having an occasional chat with native speakers online." *wink* Suggestions? (I'd be immensely grateful if someone could actually tell me how to explain my study habits...I'm not advanced enough to put this kind of sentence together. A drawback of this learning method is that active skills get somewhat neglected ;-) )
我是在家自学中文的。。。
Regarding this QingWen, I'm afraid Connie might have been underestimated!
emberswift says
August 15, 2008
One thing that you didn't mention in this (excellent) podcast was that sometimes 是。。。的 is used to emphasize something. Like: 你是特别重要的。 Which to me is a way of saying "you're really IMPORTANT" rather than "you're really important."
Am I wrong? I often use this pattern to emphasize things in speech but I'm wondering now if I overuse it.. which is entirely possible! Anyway, please confirm that this is also a means to put the 是。。。的 pattern to work!
Thanks!
eunica says
August 17, 2008
@emberswift, according to my grammar book, 是 can be used for emphasis, but without a 的. If the 的 occurs, then it becomes the pattern discussed in the podcast which is intrinsically a way to stress particular aspects. If you only use 是, it can appear in contexts like "You really ARE annoying" or "We ARE going out today". That's not to say that 你是特别重要的。 is incorrect, I really don't know.
changye says
August 17, 2008
I suppose that the 是～的 pattern is far more important than we learners think. You can almost always use (or need to use) this pattern when you ask or explain about reason, time, place, method etc. of something going on or happened in the past.
a) 他来中国了。
b) 他是为什么来中国的？
a) 他是为了学中文来的。
b) 他是从哪儿来的？
a) 他是从日本来的。
b) 他是什么时候来的？
a) 他是昨天来的。
wxgcathy says
August 18, 2008
Penben: well said."some Chinese ladies hit men as a sign of affection. She's probably flirting with you."
right, like a chinese saying goes: 打是疼，骂是爱。
i ever said this to JP. haha
light487 says
August 18, 2008
Can you expand on:
你是什么时候开始不喜欢我的？
Nǐ shì shénme shíhou kāishǐ bù xǐhuan wǒ de?
我是昨天开始不喜欢你的。
Wǒ shì zuótiān kāishǐ bù xǐhuan nǐ de.
You skipped over this one a bit too quickly for me without explaining the intrinsic meaning.
Also.. 你是怎么美丽天天的？ "Why are you always so beautiful?" :) As a way of giving a compliment with a question.. :) Haha.. I am always looking for more pickup lines.. so may be we could do a Qing Wen on pickup lines and romantic stuff? :)
xiaohu says
August 18, 2008
Light487,
It seems to me they did a lesson back in the day about pick up lines, I just wish I could find it...hhmmm...
你是怎么美丽天天的, did you come up with this or was in part of the exercise? To the best of my knowledge the only time Chinese people refer to anyone as a "天天" （Angel) is when they are very young, like my friends from Chicago call their child “小天天”。
light487 says
August 18, 2008
Yeh I came up with it and try to get some feedback on if it is right or wrong.. and if wrong what would be a good way to say that, that isn't too forward and is a little playful.. I don't want to embaress her.. that's why I thought I could use this construction to ask it as a question rather than just say it..
connie says
August 18, 2008
Hi light487,
"Why are you always so beautiful?"
可以说：
你是怎么保养的？Nǐ shì zěnme bǎoyǎng de?
auntie68 says
August 18, 2008
Wow, watch out Chinese ChickBabes! light487 is armed and dangerous...
But I do have a question for connie 老师:
你是怎么保养的？Nǐ shì zěnme bǎoyǎng de?
To a non-native speaker like me, the phrase/line sounds a bit like, "Wow, you really take care of yourself!" or even "How come you are so well-preserved?"
Did I understand it wrong? Can you really flatter and intrigue a chickbabe with these words? Thanks!
rjberki says
August 19, 2008
A cheezy line is a cheezy line regardless of language.Good luck with that one light. At least we learned how to say black eye. You might need the vocab when it comes time to tell us how this worked out for you. :-)
changye says
August 19, 2008
Hi rjberki,
Hehe, actually it's rather embarassing to say "你怎么这么漂亮？" or "你怎么这么美？" or something like that, but I (and my neighbors) often say to my chubby dog that 你怎么这么胖啊？
rockynash says
August 20, 2008
This is a great lesson. I just finished my trial podcast episodes, and decided to sign up today. I feel comfortable studying with ChinesePod because the English is so real and the Chinese translation accurate. I have used other methods, but I always wondered if the Chinese translation I was given, is just as outdated as the English sentence they use. With ChinesePod I can tell from the natural English they use, that I'm not going to sound unnatural in Chinese. Thank you again for being so modern in your speech :)
mikenotinjubei says
August 28, 2008
Amber
With reagard to smuggling things into sports arenas. A few years ago when my baby daughter was president of the senior class, the boys high school hockey team was in the state finals. Although the whole school was warned they could not pass up the chance to continue a tradition that carried them that far. When the team scored the first goal I saw on TV my daughter come down the aisle and throw a huge octopus onto the ice. Where she hid it I have never asked.
More Qing Wen's - what a great combo the three of you are.