Results found with the tag 'grammars' , 206 articles in total.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar:Comparing 之间zhijian and 中间zhongjian
When describing spatial relationships, the words 之间 (zhījiān) and 中间 (zhōngjiān) will come in handy to express the concepts of "between" and "among." Both have a few particular uses, thou
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 人家renjia and 别人bieren
When describing others, we can use the word 人家 (rénjia) or 别人 (biéren). But 人家 also has other grammatical uses, which we will explore in this article.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 为了weile and 因为yinwei
为了 (wèile) and 因为 (yīnwèi) both have the character "为" in them, and they have sort of similar meanings: 为了 means "in order to" and 因为 means "because". Using them properly is important
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 还是haishi and 活着huozhe
Both 还是 (háishì) and 或者 (huòzhě) mean “or” and are used to present a choice. However, 还是 can only be used when asking a question and 或者 can only be used in a declarative sentence.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 总算zongsuan and 终于zhongyu
One pair of confusing adverbs is 总算 (zǒngsuàn) and 终于 (zhōngyú). They both can be translated as "finally" or "in the end," but they subtly different in tone.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 再zai and 又you
Both 再 (zài) and 又 (yòu) express the duplication of an action and can be roughly translated in English to "again". However, 再 is used to express actions that have not yet occurred (the "futu
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 会hui、能neng、可以keyi
This is one of the trickiest comparisons, as 会 (huì), 能 (néng), and 可以 (kěyǐ) are often translated as "can." Sometimes they are explained as: 会 means "know how to", 能 means "to be able
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 突然turan and 忽然huran
Both 突然 (tūrán) and 忽然 (hūrán) express the something happens in a very short time or is unexpected. Both can be translated as "unexpectedly" or "surprisingly", however, 突然 is a bit hars
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Comparing 才cai and 就jiu
Both 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù) are adverbs that have to do with expressing time, and they are both placed in front of the verb. However, they both have a different tone and feel, and they express d
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Topic-comment sentences
The part that is to be emphasized becomes the topic, and moves to the beginning of the sentence, with the comment on the topic coming after the topic has been stated.
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[Grammar]
Chinese food: The pattern it's not…, it's…
Sometimes you want to explain that an object, concept, or event isn't one thing, but in fact a different thing. This is the perfect structure to convey that in Chinese.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: The "if" sandwich pattern
"如果⋯⋯的话,⋯⋯" (rúguǒ de huà, ) is a pattern commonly used in Chinese to express "if". An easy way to remember the pattern's format is that in the full form, the condition is "sand
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Sequencing with 先xian and 再zai
The word 再 (zài) actually has a lot of uses, beyond just "again." "先, 再" (xiān, zài) is a pattern used for sequencing events, much like "First, then" in English. This patt
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Giving perspective with 要我说yaowoshuo
“要我说” (yàowǒshuō) is another, more colloquial way to say "in my opinion" or "the way I see it." It is generally used to express a person's perspective or opinion about a matter.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Expressing not even one
In English we might want to say something like "I have absolutely no money, not even one penny." That "not even one" is the focus of this article.
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar:Expressing not only… but also不但……而且……
"不但⋯⋯,而且⋯⋯" (bùdàn, érqiě) is a very commonly used pattern that indicates "not only, but also."
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Idiomatic phrases with 在zai
You probably already know how to express location with "在". In this article, we'll go more in depth as to how you can make idiomatic phrases using that construction. This kind of form is actuall
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[Speaking]
Chinese grammar: Indicating purpose or intent using 是……的……shi...de
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 s
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Referring to all using 所有suoyou
In this grammar structure, we learn about a way to say "all" that is, well, a bit more epic. Sort of like how we might say "all the king's men" or "all the money in the world."
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[Grammar]
Chinese grammar: Conceding a point with 是shi
When conceding a point, we often put emphasis on the point we concede, and in Chinese there is a way to do that.