Unit 4

Unit 4
Prev	Chapter 2. Module 2: Biographic Information	Next

Introduction

Topics covered in this unit

Arrival and departure times,
The marker le
The shì … de construction.

Material you will need

The C-l and P-l tapes» the Reference List and Reference Notes.
The C-2 and P-2 tapes» the Workbook.
The UD-1 tape.

References

Reference List

in Běijīng

1.	A:	Nǐ àiren lái ma?	你爱人来吗？	Is your wife coming?
	B:	Tā lái.	她来。	She is coming.

2.	A:	Nǐ àiren lái le ma?	你爱人来了吗？	Has your wife come?
	B:	Lái le, tā lái le.	来了，她来了。	Yes, she has come.

3.	A:	Nǐ àiren yě lái le ma?	你爱人也来了吗？	Has your wife come too?
	B:	Tā hái méi lái.	她还没来。	She hasn't come yet.

4.	A:	Tā shénme shíhou lái?	她什么时候来？	When is she coming?
	B:	Tā míngtiān lái.	她明天来。	She is coming tomorrow.

5.	A:	Nǐ péngyou shénme shíhou dào?	你朋友什么时候到？	When is your friend arriving?
	B:	Tā yǐjīng dào le.	他已经到了。	He has already arrived.

6.	A:	Tā shì shénme shíhou dàode?	她是什么时候到的？	When did she arrive?
	B:	Tā shì zuótiān dàode.	她是昨天到的。	She arrived Yesterday.

7.	A:	Nǐ shì yíge rén láide ma?	你是一个人来的吗？	Did you come alone?
	B:	Bú shì, wǒ bú shì yíge rén láide.	不是，我不是一个人来的。	No, I didn't come alone.

8.	A:	Nǐ shénme shíhou zǒu?	你什么时候走？	When are you leaving?
	B:	Wǒ jīntiān zǒu.	我今天走。	I'm leaving today.

9.	A:	Nǐ něitiān zǒu?	你哪天走？	What day are you leaving?
	B:	Wǒ jīntiān zǒu.	我今天走。	I'm leaving today.

Vocabulary

hòutiān	后天	the day after tomorrow
qiántiān	前天	the day before yesterday
tiāntiān	天天	every day
érzi	二字	son
nǚér	女儿	daughter
dào	到	to arrive
érzi	二字	son
hòutiān (hòutian)	后天	the day after tomorrow
jīntiān (jīntian)	今天	today
lái	来	to come
le	了	combined le: new-situation and completion marker
míngtiān (mīngtian)	明天	tomorrow
něitiān	哪天	what day
nǚér	女儿	daughter
qiántiān (qiántian)	前天	the day before Yesterday
shénme shíhou	什么时候	when
shì de	十的	focus construction
-tiān	天	day
tiāntiān	天天	every day
yíge rén	一个人	singly, alone
yǐjīng (yǐjing)	已经	already
zǒu	走	to leave
zuótiān	昨天	Yesterday
jiéhūn	结婚	to get married, to be married
méi jiéhūn	没结婚	not to be married
kěshi	可是	but
xiǎng	想	to think, to think that

Reference Notes

Notes on №1

1.	A:	Nǐ àiren lái ma?	你爱人来吗？	Is your wife coming?
	B:	Tā lái.	她来。	She is coming.

These sentences refer to future time, but lái is not a future-tense form. Strictly speaking, Chinese verbs do not have tenses. The same form of the verb can be used in present, past, and future contexts.

We translated the sentence Tā zài Táinán gōngzuò. as "He works in Tainan" assuming a present context. But in a past context we could translate It as "He worked in Tainan; and in a future context we could translate it as "He will work in Tainan." The verb form gōngzuò does not tell you what time is being talked about. You have to look elsewhere for that information, perhaps to a time expression like "last year" or "now" or "tomorrow," or to the conversational setting.

Notes on №2

2.	A:	Nǐ àiren lái le ma?	你爱人来了吗？	Has your wife come?
	B:	Lái le, tā lái le.	来了，她来了。	Yes, she has come.

Aspect: Le is an aspect marker. Through the use of and other one-syllable markers (de, zhe, ne, guo), the Chinese language indicates whether the occurrence being talked about is completed, ongoing, about to occur, or experienced for the first time. Aspect markers may also be used to indicate whether the whole situation in the sentence is a new, changed situation.

"Completion" and "new situation" are not tenses but aspects. Aspect is a way of talking about events or activities in relation to time. While tenses categorize action in terms of features such as completeness and change. Aspect markers are very different from tense markers because the same aspect may be used in past, present, and future contexts. We may speak of an action that will be completed as of a future time, for example, or of a situation that was new as of a past time. English communicates these ideas to a certain extent through the use of many different tenses for the verb (future perfect, simple past, etc,). Chinese does this through the use of aspect markers and time words. The verbs themselves do not change form.

Le is used in exchange 2 to indicate two aspects-completion and new situation, (it is, however, often used to indicate only one aspect.)

Here, it indicates that the person has come, meaning that the action is completed, and that the person is now here, a changed situation. When the marker le refers to both these aspects, we call it "combined le." Combined le can be thought of as a telescoping of the completion le followed by a new-situation le: le le becomes le. In the next two units, you will see the marker le used to Indicate each of these aspects separately.

Notes on №3

3.	A:	Nǐ àiren yě lái le ma?	你爱人也来了吗？	Has your wife come too?
	B:	Tā hái méi lái.	她还没来。	She hasn't come yet.

Negative of combined le: Compare these affirmative and negative forms:

affirmative			lái		is coming.
negative		bù	lái		isn't coming.

affirmative			lái	le	has come (now).
negative	hái	méi(you)	lái		hasn't come (yet).

Notice that the marker le does not appear in the negative answer in the exchange.

Hái: The negative of a sentence containing combined le_ will include the adverb hái, "yet," as well as the negative méi(you). In English, the "yet" is frequently left out.

Like other adverbs such as yě, hái always precedes the verb, although not always directly. Elements such as the negatives and méi may come between an adverb and a verb,

Méiyou, "not have" is used to negate the aspect of completion; that is, to say that a certain event did not take place. Méiyou may be shortened to méi. Here are three possible negative answers to the question.

Tā lái le ma? "Has he come?"

Tā	hái	méiyou	lái.	He hasn't come yet.
Tā	hái	méi	lái.	He hasn't come yet.
	hái	méiyou.		Not yet.

Notes on №4-5

4.	A:	Tā shénme shíhou lái?	她什么时候来？	When is she coming?
	B:	Tā míngtiān lái.	她明天来。	She is coming tomorrow.

5.	A:	Nǐ péngyou shénme shíhou dào?	你朋友什么时候到？	When is your friend arriving?
	B:	Tā yǐjīng dào le.	他已经到了。	He has already arrived.

Position of time words: Time phrases occupy the same position in a sentence as adverbs such as yě and hái between the subject and the verb.

Notes on №6-7

6.	A:	Tā shì shénme shíhou dàode?	她是什么时候到的？	When did she arrive?
	B:	Tā shì zuótiān dàode.	她是昨天到的。	She arrived Yesterday.

7.	A:	Nǐ shì yíge rén láide ma?	你是一个人来的吗？	Did you come alone?
	B:	Bú shì, wǒ bú shì yíge rén láide.	不是，我不是一个人来的。	No, I didn't come alone.

(shì)...de: ^[7] This is another way to indicate the aspect of completion. The aspect marker le and the pattern (shì...de) perform different functions and convey different meanings. This is how they are different:

The aspect marker le or its negative méi (you) is used when the center of interest is whether or not an action took place. For example, if you do not know whether Mr. Sun came or not, you would ask:

Tā léile méiyou?

Did he come?

and you would be answered either

Tā láile.

He came.

Tā méi lái.

He didn't come.

In this question and answer, you use le or its negative méi(you) because the focus is on whether the action took place or not.

The purpose of the (shì)...de construction, on the other hand, is to focus on additional information about a completed action; that is, the construction is used when the center of interest is NOT whether or not a certain action took place.

For example, once it has been established that Mr. Sun did in fact come, the (shì)...de construction will probably be used for any additional questions and answers about his coming. For example:

Tā shi shénme shíhou láide?	When did he come?
Tā shi zuótiān láide.	He came yesterday.
Tā shi yíge rén láide ma?	Did he come alone?
Tā shi yíge rén láide.	He came alone.

These questions and answers use the (shì)...de construction because you already know that Mr. Sun came and now you are asking for additional information about his visit. Many types of additional information can be focus points for which the (shì)...de construction is used.

In Tā shi shénme shíhou láide? the additional information is the time when something happens.

In Tā shi yíge rén láide ma? the information asked for is the manner in which something takes place.

Other possible focus points are place, cause of action, goal of action, and performer of action.

Now let's take a look at how shì and de function separately in this construction. The verb shì, coming before the phrase which is the center of interest, serves as a signal that what follows is emphasised. The verb "to "be" is often used in a similar way in English to mark the center of interest:

Tā shi zuótiān láide ma?

Was it yesterday that he came?

Another way of showing the center of interest in English is by word stress. Here is a comparison between focusing in Chinese with (shì)...de and focusing in English with stress:

Tā lái le ma?	Has he come?
Lái le.	Yes, he has.
Tā shi zuótiān láide ma?	Did he come YESTERDAY?
Shì, tā shi zuótiān láide.	Yes, YESTERDAY.

The marker de coming after the verb indicates completion. When the marker de is not used in the sentence, that sentence no longer describes a completed event. The marker shì by itself emphasizes something about the action.

Compare these sentences:

Tā shi jīntiān lái.	She is coming (later) today.
Tā shi jīntiān láide.	She came (earlier) today.

For the time being, you will not use shì without de.

The negative form of the (shì)...de construction is bú shi...de . Compare this with the negatives you have already learned:

Tā		shi	zuótiān		lái	-de	It was YESTERDAY that he came.
Tā	bú		zuótiān		lái	-de	It wasn't YESTERDAY that he came.

Tā					lái	le.	He has come.
Tā			hái	méi	lái.		He hasn't come.

Tā			míngtiān		lái.		He is coming tomorrow.
Tā			míngtiān	bù	lái.		He isn't coming tomorrow.

Notice that in a (shì)...de construction the negative bú precedes the verb shì rather than the main verb. Short answers are also formed with shì rather than with the main verb:

Nǐ shi yíge rén láide ma?	Did you come alone?
Shì, wǒ shì yíge rén láide.	Yes, I came alone.
Búshì, wǒ bú shi yíge rén láide.	No, I didn't come alone.

The (shì)...de construction is not used in every completed-action sentence containing a time, place, or manner phrase. If the center of interest is still whether or not the action took place, le is used. If, for example, you knew that someone was expected to come yesterday and you wanted to find out only whether he actually did come, the conversation might go as follows:

A:	Tā zuótiān méi lái ma?	Didn't he COME yesterday?
B:	Tā zuótiān lái le.	He DID COME yesterday.

Literally, yíge rén means "one person." When the expression is used to describe how someone does something, translate it as "alone"

Notes on №8-9

8.	A:	Nǐ shénme shíhou zǒu?	你什么时候走？	When are you leaving?
	B:	Wǒ jīntiān zǒu.	我今天走。	I'm leaving today.

9.	A:	Nǐ něitiān zǒu?	你哪天走？	What day are you leaving?
	B:	Wǒ jīntiān zǒu.	我今天走。	I'm leaving today.

The word for "day" is the bound word -tiān. To ask "what day" (literally "which day"), the bound word něi- "which," is combined with the bound word -tiān, "day": něitiān (like něiguó, "which country").

něitiān?	what day?/which day?
qiántiān	day before yesterday
zuótiān	yesterday
jīntiān	today
míngtiān	tomorrow
hòutiān	day after tomorrow

Some speakers say the -tiān in these words in the Neutral tone: qiántian,zuótian, jīntian, míngtian, hòutian.

Drills

Transformation drill

Table 2.34. Transform the question according to the model.

	Question	Answer

1.	你爱人来吗？ Nǐ àiren lái ma? Is your spouse coming?	你爱人来了吗？ Nǐ àiren lái le ma? Has your spouse come?

2.	你父母走吗？ Nǐ fùmǔ zǒu ma? Are your parents leaving?	你父母走了吗？ Nǐ fùmǔ zǒu le ma? Have your parents left?

3.	你朋友走吗？ Nǐ péngyou zǒu ma? Is your friend leaving?	你朋友走了吗？ Nǐ péngyǒu zǒu le ma? Has your friend left?

4.	你哥哥走吗？ Nǐ gēge zǒu ma? Is your older brother leaving?	你哥哥走了吗？ Nǐ gēge zǒu le ma? Has your older brother left?

5.	你姐姐来吗？ Nǐ Jiějie lái ma? Is your older sister coming?	你姐姐来了吗？ Nǐ jiějie lái le ma? Has your older sister come?

6.	你妹妹来吗？ Nǐ mèimei lái ma? Is your younger sister coming?	你妹妹来了吗？ Nǐ mèimei lái le ma? Has your younger sister come?

7.	你弟弟走吗？ Nǐ dìdi zǒu ma? Is your younger brother leaving?	你弟弟走了吗？ Nǐ dìdi zǒu le ma? Has your younger brother left?

Transformation drill

Table 2.35. Transform the question according to the model.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lái le ma? Has he/she come?	他/她已经来了吗？ Tā yǐjīng lái le ma? Has he/she already come?

2.	毛同志到了吗？ Máo tóngzhì dào le ma? Has comrade Máo arrived?	毛同志已经到了吗？ Máo tóngzhì yǐjīng dào le ma? Has comrade Máo already arrived?

3.	李同志走了吗？ Lǐ tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has comrade Lǐ left?	李同志已经走了吗？ Lǐ tóngzhì yǐjīng zǒu le ma? Has comrade Lǐ already left?

4.	⻢同志走了吗？ Mǎ tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has comrade Mǎ left?	⻢同志已经走了吗？ Mǎ tóngzhì yǐjīng zǒu le ma? Has comrade Mǎ already left?

5.	张同志来了吗？ Zhāng tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Zhāng come?	张同志已经来了吗？ Zhāng tóngzhì yǐjīng lái le ma? Has comrade Zhāng already come?

6.	⻩同志到了吗？ Huáng tóngzhì dào le ma? Has comrade Huáng arrived?	⻩同志已经到了吗？ Huáng tóngzhì yǐjīng dào le ma? Has comrade Huáng already arrived?

7.	孙同志走了吗？ Sūn tōngzhì zǒu le ma? Has comrade Sún left?	孙同志已经走了吗？ Sún tóngzhì yǐjīng zǒu le ma? Has comrade Sún already left?

Response drill

Table 2.36. Answer to the question according to the model.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lái le ma? Has he/she come?	他/她还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He/she hasn't come yet.

2.	王同志走了吗？ Wáng tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has Comrade Wáng left?	他还没走。 Tā hái méi zǒu. Comrade Wáng hasn't left yet.

3.	李同志到了吗？ Lǐ tóngzhì dào le ma? Has Comrade Lǐ arrive yet?	他还没到。 Tā hái méi dào. He hasn't arrive yet.

4.	胡同志来了吗。 Hú tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Hú come?	他还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He hasn't come yet.

5.	赵同志来了吗？ Zhào tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Zhào come?	他还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He hasn't come yet.

6.	刘同志走了吗？ Liú tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has Comrade Liú left?	他还没走。 Tā héi méi zǒu. He hasn't left yet.

7.	孙同志来了吗？ Sūn tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Sūn come?	他还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He hasn't come yet.

Response drill

Table 2.37. Answer to the question according to the model.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她走了吗？ Tā zǒu le ma? Has he/she left?	走了，他/她已经走了。 Zǒu le, tā yǐjīng zǒu le. Yes, he/she has already left.

2.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人也已经走了。 Tā àiren yě yǐjīng zǒu le. His/her spouse has already left too.

3.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lái le ma? Has he/she come?	来了，他/她 Lái le, tā yǐjīng lái le. Yes, he/she has already come.

4.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人也已经来了。 Tā àiren yě yǐjīng lái le. His/her spouse has already come too.

5.	他/她到了吗？ Tā dào le ma? Has he/she arrived?	到了，他/她 Dào le, tā yǐjīng dào le. Yes, he/she has already arrived.

6.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人也已经到了。 Tā àiren yě yǐjīng dào le. His/her spouse has already arrived too.

7.	李同志走了走吗？ Lǐ tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has comrade Lǐ left?	走了在，他已经走了。 Zǒu le, tā yǐjīng zǒu le. Yes, he has already left.

8.	他/她哥哥呢？ Tā gēge ne? And his older brother?	他/她哥哥也已经走了。 Tā gēge yě yǐjīng zǒu le. His older brother has already left too.

9.	王同志来了吗？ Wáng tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Wáng come?	来了，他已经来了。 Lái le, tā yǐjing lái le. Yes, he has already come.

10.	他爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his spouse?	他爱人也已经来了。 Tā àiren yě yǐjīng lái le. His spouse has already come too.

11.	赵先生到了吗？ Zhào xiānsheng dào le ma? Has Mr.Zhào arrived?	到了，她已经到了。 Dào le, tā yǐjīng dào le. Yes, he has already arrived.

12.	他弟弟呢？ Tā dìdi ne? And his younger brother.	他弟弟也已经到了。 Tā dìdi yě yǐjing dào le. His younger brother has already arrived too.

13.	张同志走了吗？ Zhāng tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has comrade Zhāng left?	走了，他哟经走了。 Zǒu le, tā yǐjīng zǒu le. Yes, he has already left.

14.	陈同志呢？ Chén tóngzhì ne? And comrade Chén?	陈同也已经走了。 Chén tóngzhì yě yǐjīng zǒu le. Comrade Chén has already left too.

Response drill

Table 2.38. Answer to the question according to the model.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lái le ma? Has he/she come?	他/她还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He/she hasn't come yet.

2.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人也还没来。 Tā àiren yě hái méi lái. His/her spouse hasn't come yet either.

3.	他/她走了吗？ Tā zǒu le ma? Has he/she left?	他/她还没走。 Tā hái méi zǒu. He/she hasn't left yet.

4.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人也还没走。 Tā àiren yě hái méi zǒu. His/her spouse hasn't left yet either.

5.	他/她到了吗？ Tā dào le ma? Has he/she arrived?	他/她还没到。 Tā hái méi dào. He/she hasn't arrived yet.

6.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人也还没到。 Tā àiren yě hái méi dào. His/her spouse hasn't arrived yet either.

7.	方女士来了吗？ Fāng nǚshì lǎi le ma? Has Mrs.Fāng come?	方女士还没来。 Fāng nǚshì hái méi lái. Mrs.Fāng hasn't come yet.

8.	她弟弟呢？ Tā dìdi ne? And her younger brother?	她弟弟也还没来。 Tā dìdi yě hái méi lái. Her younger brother hasn't come yet either.

9.	李先生到了吗？ Lǐ xiānsheng dào le ma? Has Mr.Lǐ arrived?	李先生还没到。 Lǐ xiānsheng hái méi dào. Mr.Lǐ hasn't arrived yet.

10.	他父母呢？ Tā fùmǔ ne? And his parents?	她父母也还没到。 Tā fùmǔ yě hái méi dào. His parents haven't come yet either.

11.	陈同志走了马？ Chén tóngzhì zǒu le ma? Has comrade Chén left?	陈同志还没走。 Chén tóngzhì hái méi zǒu. Comrade Chén hasn't left yet?
12.	江同志呢？ Jiāng tóngzhì ne? And comrade Jiāng?	江同志也还没走。 Jiāng tóngzhì yě hái méi zǒu. Comrade Jiāng hasn't left yet either.

13.	他/她母亲到了马？ Tā mǔqin dào le ma? Has his/her mother arrived?	他/她母亲还没到。 Tā mǔqin hái méi dào. His/her mother hasn't arrived yet.

14.	他/她姐姐呢？ Tā jiějie ne? And his/her older sister?	他/她姐姐也还没到。 Tā jiějie yě hái méi dào. His/her older sister hasn't arrived yet either.

Response drill

Table 2.39. Give an affirmative response to the first question in each exchange, and include hái and méi. in your response to the second question.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她走了吗？ Tā zǒu le ma? Has he/she left?	他/她已经走了。 Tā yǐjīng zǒu le. He/she has already left.

2.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人还没走。 Tā àiren hái méi zǒu. His/her spouse hasn't left yet.

3.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lái le ma? Has he/she come?	他/她已经来了。 Tā yǐjīng lái le. He/she has already come.

4.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人已经还没来。 Tā àiren hái méi lái. His/her spouse hasn't come yet.

5.	他/她到了吗？ Tā dào le ma? Has he/she arrived?	他/她已经到了。 Tā yǐjīng dào le. He/she has arrived.

6.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人还没到。 Tā àiren hái méi dào. His/her spouse hasn't arrived yet.

7.	王先生走了吗？ Wáng xiānsheng zǒu le ma? Has Mr.Wáng left?	王先生已经走了。 Wáng xiānsheng yǐjīng zǒu le. Mr.Wáng has already left.

8.	他母亲呢？ Tā mǔqin ne? And his mother?	她母亲还没走。 Tā mǔqin hái méi zǒu. His mother hasn't left yet.

9.	钱同志来了吗？ Qián tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Qián come?	钱同志已经来了。 Qián tóngzhì yǐjīng lái le. Comrade Qián has already come.

10.	江同志呢？ Jiāng tóngzhì ne? And comrade Jiāng?	江同志还没来。 Jiāng tóngzhì hái méi lái. Comrade Jiāng hasn't come yet.

11.	毛女士到了吗？ Máo nǚshì dào le ma? Has Mrs.Máo arrived?	毛女士已经到了。 Máo nǚshì yǐjīng dào le. Mrs.Máo has already arrived.

12.	她妹妹呢？ Tā mèimei ne? And her younger sister?	他妹妹还没到。 Tā mèimei hái méi dào. Her younger sister hasn't arrived yet.

13.	曾夫人走了吗？ Zēng fūren zǒu le ma? Has Mrs.Zēng left?	曾副人已经走了。 Zēng fūren yǐjīng zǒu le. Mrs.Zēng has already left.

14.	他母亲呢？ Tā mǔqin ne? And his mother?	他母亲还没走。 Tā mǔqin hái méi zǒu. His mother hasn't left yet.

Response drill

Table 2.40. Respond to the question according to the model.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lái le ma? Has he/she come?	他/她还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He/she hasn't come yet.

2.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And is/her spouse?	他/她爱人已经来了。 Tā àiren yǐjīng lái le. His/her spouse has already come.

3.	他/她走了吗？ Tā zǒu le ma? Has he/she left?	他/她还没走。 Tā hái méi zǒu. He/she hasn't left yet.

4.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人已经走了。 Tā àiren yǐjīng zǒu le. His/her spouse has already left.

5.	他/她到了吗？ Tā dào le ma? Has he/she arrived?	他/她还没到。 Tā hái méi dào. He/she hasn't arrived yet.

6.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	他/她爱人已经到了。 Tā àiren yǐjīng dào le. His/her spouse has already arrived.

7.	局同志来了吗？ Gāo tóngzhì lái le ma? Has comrade Gāo come?	局同志还没来。 Gāo tóngzhì hái méi lái. Comrade Gāo hasn't come yet.

8.	孙同志呢？ Sún tóngzhì ne? And comrade Sún?	孙同志已经来了。 Sún tóngzhì yǐjīng lái le. Comrade Sún has already come.

9.	张先生来了吗？ Zhāng xiānsheng lái le ma? Has Mr.Zhāng come?	张先生还没来。 Zhāng xiānsheng hái méi lái. Mr.Zhāng hasn't come yet.

10.	他弟弟呢？ Tā dìdi ne? And his younger brother?	他弟弟已经来了。 Tā dìdi yǐjǐng lái le. His younger brother has already come.

11.	他/她母亲到了吗？ Tā mǔqin dào le ma? Has his/her mother arrived?	他/她母亲还诶到。 Tā mǔqin hái méi dào. His/her mother hasn't arrived yet.

12.	他/她妹妹呢？ Tā mèimei ne? And his/her younger sister?	他/她妹妹已经到了。 Tā mèimei yǐjīng dào le. His/her younger sister has already arrived.

13.	王女士走了吗？ Wāng nǚshì zǒu le ma? Has Mrs.Wāng left.	王女士还没走。 Wāng nǚshì hái méi zǒu. Mrs.Wāng hasn't left yet.

14.	张女士呢？ Zhāng nǚshì ne? And Mrs.Zhāng?	张女士已经走了。 Zhāng nǚshì yǐjīng zǒu le. Mrs.Zhāng has already left.

Response drill

Table 2.41. Respond to each question with a completed-action answer or a yet-to-be-completed answer, depending on the cue.

	Question	Cue	Answer

1.	他/她走了吗？ Tā zǒu le ma? Has he/she left?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他/她已经走了。 Tā yǐjīng zǒu le. He/she has already left.

2.	他/她呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他/她爱人也已经走了。 Tā àiren yě yǐjīng zǒu le. His/her spouse has already left too.

3.	他/她来了吗？ Tā lǎi le ma? Has he/she come?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她还没来。 Tā hái méi lái. He/she hasn't come yet.

4.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她爱人也还没来。 Tā àiren yě hái méi lái. His/her spouse hasn't come either.

5.	他/她到了？ Tā dào le ma? Has he/she arrived?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他/她已经到了。 Tā yǐjīng dào le. He/she hasn't already yet.

6.	他/她爱人呢？ Tā àiren ne? And his/her spouse?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她爱人还没到。 Tā àiren hái méi dào. His/her spouse hasn't arrived either.

7.	他/她走了吗？ Tā zǒu le ma? Has he/she left?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她还没走。 Tā hái méi zǒu. He/she hasn't left yet.

8.	他/她哥哥呢？ Tā gēge ne? And his/her older brother?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他/她哥哥已经走了。 Tā gēge yǐjīng zǒu le. His/her older brother hasn't left either.

9.	赵同志到了吗？ Zhào tóngzhì dào le ma? Has comrade Zhào arrived?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	赵同志已经到了。 Zhào tóngzhì yǐjīng dào le. Comrade Zhào has already arrived.

10.	王同志年呢？ Wáng tóngzhì ne? And comrade Wáng?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	王同志也已经到了。 Wáng tóngzhì yě yǐjīng dào le. Comrade Wáng has already arrived too.

11.	他/她父母走了马？ Tā fùmǔ zǒu le ma? Have his/her parents left?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她父母还没走。 Tā fùmǔ hái méi zǒu. His/her parents hasn't left yet.

12.	他们孩子呢？ Tāmen háizi ne? And their children?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他们孩子已经走了。 Tāmen háizi yǐjīng zǒu le. Their children have already left.

13.	他/她爱人来了呢？ Tā àiren lái le ma? Has his/her spouse come?	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他/她爱人已经来了。 Tā àiren yǐjīng lái le. His/her spouse has already come.

14.	他们孩子呢？ Tāmen háizi ne? And his children?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他们孩子还没来。 Tāmen háizi hái méi lái. His children haven't come yet.

Response drill

Table 2.42. Respond according to the clue.

	Question	Cue	Answer

1.	他/她什么时候来？ Tā shénme shíhou lái? When is he/she coming?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她明天来。 Tā míngtiān lái. He/she is coming tomorrow.

2.	李先生什么时候走？ Lǐ xiānsheng shénme shíhou zǒu? When is Mr.Lǐ leaving?	今天 jīntiān today	他今天走。 Tā jīntiān zǒu. He is leaving today.

3.	胡小姐设么时候到？ Hú xiǎojiě shénme shíhou dào? When is Miss Hú arriving?	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	她明天到。 Tā míngtiān dào. She is arriving tomorrow

4.	张个什么时候来 Zhāng xiānsheng shénme shíhou lái? When is Mr.Zhāng coming?	后天 hòutian the day after tomorrow	他后滩来。 Tā hòutiān lái. He is coming the day after tomorrow.

5.	王小姐什么时候到？ Wáng xiǎojiě shénme shíhou dào? When is Miss Wáng arriving?	今天 jīntiān today	她今天到。 Tā jīntiān dào. She is arriving today.

6.	他/她什么时候走？ Tā shénme shíhou zǒu? When is he/she leaving?	后天 hòutiān the day after tomorrow	他/她后天走。 Tā hòutiān zǒu. He/she is leaving the day after tomorrow.

Transformation drill

Table 2.43. For each item, ask "which day..."

	Cue	Answer

1.	他/她lai . Tā lái. He/she is coming.	他/她哪天来？ Tā něitiān lái? What day is he/she coming?

2.	王先生走。 Wáng xiānsheng xǒu. Mr.Wáng is leaving.	王先生哪天走？ Wáng xiānsheng něitiān zǒu? What day is Mr.Wáng leaving?

3.	李太太到。 Lǐ tàitai dào. Mrs.Lǐ is arriving?	李太太哪天道？ Lǐ tàitai něitiān dào? What day is Mrs.Lǐ arriving?

4.	胡太太走。 Hú tàitai zǒu. Mrs.Hú is leaving.	胡太太哪天走？ Hú tàitai něitiān zǒu. What day is Mrs.Hú leaving?

5.	张先生到。 Zhāng xiānsheng dào. Mr.Zhāng is arriving.	张先生哪天到？ Zhāng xiānsheng něitiān dào? What day is Mr.Zhāng arriving?

6.	⻩太太来。 Huáng táitai lái. Mrs.Huáng is coming.	⻩太太哪天来。 Huáng tàitai něitiān lái? What day is Mrs.Huáng coming?

7.	他/她走。 Tā zǒu. He/she is leaving.	他/她哪天走？ Tā něitiān zǒu? What day is he/she leaving?

Transformation drill

Table 2.44. Transform the statement according to the model

	Statement	Answer

1.	他/她是哪么时候来？ Tā shénme shíhou lái? When is he/she coming?	他/她是什么时候来的？ Tā shì shénme shíhou láide? When did he/she come?

2.	王先生什么时候到？ Wáng xiánsheng shénme shíhou dào? When is Mr.Wáng arriving?	王先生是什么时候到的？ Wáng xiánsheng shì shénme shíhou dàode? When did Mr.Wáng arrive?

3.	李太太赛季恩么时候走？ Lǐ tàitai shénme shíhou zǒu? When is Mrs.Lǐ leaving?	李太太是什么时候走的？ Li tàitai shì shénme shíhou zǒude? When did Mrs.Lǐ leave?

4.	胡先生什么时候来？ Hú xiānsheng shénme shíhou lái? When is Mr.Hú coming?	胡先生是什么时候来的？ Hú xiānsheng shì shénme shíhou láide? When did Mr.Hú come?

5.	⻩太太什么时候到？ Huāng tàitai shénme shíhou dào? When is Mrs.Huāng arriving?	⻩太太是什么时候到的？ Huáng tàitai shì shénme shíhou dàode? When did Mrs.Huāng arrive?

6.	林太太什么时候走？ Lín tàitai shénme shíhou zǒu? When is Mrs.Lín leaving?	林太太是什么时候走的？ Lín tàitai shì shénme shíhou zǒude? When did Mrs.Lín leave?

7.	他/她什么时候来？ Tā shénme shíhou lái? When is he/she coming?	他/她是什么时候来的？ Tā shì shénme shíhou láide? When did he/she come?

Transformation drill

Table 2.45. Respond with a shì...de. sentence when the cue makes it appropriate.

	Question	Cue	Answer

1.	他/她来。 Tā lái. He/she is coming.	明天 míngtiān tomorrow	他/她明天来。 Tā míngtiān lái. He/she is coming tomorrow.

2.	他/她来了。 Tā lái le. He/she has come.	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	他/她是昨天来的。 Tā shì zuótiān láide. He/she has come yesterday.

3.	王太太走。 Wáng tàitai zǒu. Mrs.Wáng is leaving.	今天 jīntiān today	王太太今天走。 Wáng tàitai jīntiān zǒu. Mrs.Wáng is leaving today.

4.	⻩太太走了。 Huáng tàitai zǒu le. Mrs.Huáng has left.	前天 qiántiān the day before yesterday	⻩太太是前天走的。 Huáng tàitai shì qiántiān zǒude. Mrs.Huáng left the day before yesterday.

5.	李先生来。 Lǐ xiānsheng lái. Mr.Lǐ is coming.	后天 hòutiān the day after tomorrow	李先生后天来。 Lǐ xiánsheng hòutiān lái. Mr.Lǐ is coming the day after tomorrow.

6.	林先生来了。 Lín xiānsheng lái le. Mr.Lín has come.	昨天 zuótiān yesterday	林先生是昨天来的。 Lín xiānsheng shì zuótiān láide. Mr.Lín came yesterday.

7.	⻢小姐到了。 Mǎ xiǎojiě dào le. Miss Mǎ has arrived.	前天 qiántiān the day before yesterday	⻢小姐是前天到的。 Mǎ xiǎojiě shì qiántiān dàode. Miss Mǎ has arrived the day before yesterday.

Response drill

Table 2.46. Give affirmative responses to the questions.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她是昨天来的？ Tā shì zuótiān láide ma? Did he/she come yesterday?	是的。他/她是昨天来的。 Shìde. Tā shì zuótiān láide. Yes, he/she came yesterday.

2.	王先生是今天道德马？ Wáng xiānsheng shì jīntiān dàode ma? Did Mr.Wáng arrived today?	是的。王先生是今天道德。 Shìde. Wáng xiānsheng shì jīntiān dàode. Yes, Mr.Wáng arrived today.

3.	李同志是前天走的马？ Lǐ tóngzhì shì qiántiān zǒude ma? Did comrade Lǐ leave the day before yesterday?	是的。李同志是前天走的。 Shìde. Lǐ tóngzhì shì qiántiān zǒude. Yes, comrade Lǐ left the day before yesterday.

4.	毛夫人明天来马？ Máo fūren míngtiān lái ma? Is Mrs.Máo coming tomorrow?	是的。毛夫人明天来？ Shìde. Máo fūren míngtiān lái. Yes, Mrs.Máo is coming tomorrow.

5.	他们孩子后天到马？ Tāmen háizi hòutiān dào ma? Are their children arriving the day after tomorrow?	是的。他们孩子后天到。 Shìde. Tāmen háizi hòutian dào. Yes, their children are arriving the day after tomorrow.

6.	他/她父母今天走马？ Tā fùmǔ jīntiān zǒu ma? Are his/her parents leaving?	是的。他/她父母今天走。 Shìde. Tā fùmǔ jīntiān zǒu. Yes, his/her parents are leaving today.

7.	张女士是昨天来的马？ Zhāng nǚshì shì zuótiān láide ma? Did Mrs.Zhāng come yesterday?	是的。张女士是昨天来的。 Shìde. Zhāng nǚshì shì zuótiān láide. No, Mrs.Zhāng did not come yesterday.

Response drill

Table 2.47. Give negative responses to the shì... de questions.

	Question	Answer

1.	他/她是昨天来的马？ Tā shì zuótiān láide ma? Did he/she come yesterday?	不。他/她不是昨天来的。 Bù. Tā bú shì zuótiān láide. No, he/she didn't come yesterday.

2.	蒋先生是今天道德马？ Jiāng xiānsheng shì jīntiān dàode ma? Did Mr.Jiāng arrive today?	不。蒋先生不是今天到的。 Bù. Jiāng xiānsheng bú shì jīntiān dàode. No, Mr.Jiāng didn't arrive today.

3.	张同志是前天走的马？ Zhāng tóngzhì shì qiántiān zǒude ma? Did Comrade Zhāng leave the day before yesterday?	张同志不是前天走的。 Bù. Zháng tóngzhì bú shì qiántian zǒude. No, Comrade Zhāng didn't leave day before yesterday.

4.	他们是昨天来的马？ Tāmen shì zuótiān láide ma? Did they come yesterday?	不。他们不是昨天来的。 Bù. Tāmen bú shì zuótiān láide. No, they didn't come yesterday.

5.	他们孩子是前天到的马？ Tāmen háizi shì qiántiān dàode ma? Did their children arrive the day before yesterday?	不。他们孩子不是前天到的。 Bù. Tāmen háizi bú shì qiántian dàode. No, theit children didn't arrive the day before yesterday.

6.	何同志是今天走的马？ Hé tóngzhì shì jīntiān zǒude ma? Did comrade Hé leave today?	不。何不是今天走的。 Bù. Hé tóngzhì bú shì jīntiān zǒude. No, comrade Hé didn't leave today.

7.	他/她爱人是昨天来的马？ Tā àiren shì zuótiān láide ma? Did his/her spouse come yesterday?	不。他/她爱人不是昨天来的。 Bù. Tā àiren bú shì zuótiān láide. No, his/her spouse didn't come yesterday.

Response drill

Table 2.48. According to the cues, give an affirmative or a negative response to each shì...de question.

	Question	Cue	Answer

1.	他/她是昨天来的马？ Tā shì zuótiān láide ma? Did he/she come yesterday?	affirmative	是的。他/她是昨天来的。 Shìde. Tā shì zuótiān láide. Yes, he/she came yesterday.

2.	他/她是昨天来的马？ Tā shì zuótiān láide ma? Did he/she come yesterday?	negative	不。他/她不是昨天来的. Bù. Tā bú shì zuótiān láide. No, he/she didn't come yesterday.

3.	王同志是前天道德马？ Wáng tóngzhì shì qiántiān dàode ma? Did comrade Wáng arrive the day before yesterday?	negative	不。王同志不是前天到的。 Bù. Wáng tóngzhì bú shì qiántiān dàode. No, comrade Wáng didn't arrive the day before yesterday.

4.	他/她哥哥是今天来的马？ Tā gēge shì jīntiān láide ma? Did his/her older brother come today?	negative	不。他/她哥哥不是今天来的。 Bù. Tā gēge bú shì Jīntiān láide. No, his/her older brother didn't come today.

5.	李先生是今天走的马？ Lǐ xiānsheng shì jīntiān zǒude ma? Did Mr.Lǐ leave today?	negative	不。李先生不是今天走的。 Bù. Lǐ xiānsheng bú shì jīntiān zǒude. No, Mr.Lǐ didn't leave today.

6.	赵夫人是昨天到的马？ Zhào fūren shì zuótiān dàode ma? Did Mrs.Zhào arrive yesterday?	affirmative	是的。赵夫人是昨天到的。 Shìde. Zhào fūren shì zuótiān dàode. Yes, Mrs.Zhào did arrive yesterday.

7.	他们孩子是前天走的马？ Tāmen háizi shì qiántiān zǒude ma? Did their children leave the day before yesterday?	negative	不。他们孩子不是前天走的。 Bù. Tāmen háizi bú shì qiántiān zǒude. No, their children didn't leave the day before yesterday.

8.	孙女士是昨天道德马？ Sūn nǚshì shì zuótiān dàode ma? Did Mrs.Sūn arrive yesterday?	negative	B不。孙女士不是昨天道的。 Bù. Sūn nǚshì bǔ shì zuótiān dàode. No, Mrs.Sūn didn't arrive yesterday

^[7]On occasion, a speaker may omit the shì (which is why it is written in parentheses in these notes).

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