16 Unit 6

16.1 Introduction

16.1.1 Topics covered in this unit

  1. Duration phrases

  2. The marker le for completion.

  3. The “double le” construction.

  4. The marker -guo.

  5. Action verbs.

  6. State verbs.

16.1.2 Material you will need

  1. The C-l and P-1 tapes, the Reference List and Reference Notes.

  2. The C-2 and P-2 tapes, the Workbook.

  3. The 6D-1 tape.

16.2 References

16.2.1 Reference List

1. A: Nǐ zhù duó jiǔ? 你住多久? How long are you staying?
B: Wǒ zhù yìnián. 我住一年。 I’m staying one year.
2. A: Nǐ tàitai zhù duó jiǔ? 你太太住多久? How long is your wife staying?
B: Ta zhù liǎngtiān. 她住兩天。 She is staying two days.
3. A: Nǐ tàitai zài Xiānggǎng zhù duó jiǔ? 你太太在香港住多久? How long is your wife staying in Hong Kong?
B: Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù liǎngtiān. 我想她住兩天。 I think she is staying two days.
4. A: Nǐ xiǎng zhù duó jiǔ? 你想住多久? How long are you thinking of staying?
B: Wǒ xiǎng zhù yìnián. 我想住一年。 I’m thinking of staying one year.
5. A: Nǐ xiǎng zài Táiwān zhù duó jiǔ? 你想在臺灣住多久? How long are you thinking of staying in Taiwan?
B: Wǒ xiǎng zhù báge yüè. 我想住八個月。 I’m thinking of staying eight months.
6. A: Nǐ péngyou xiǎng zhù duó jiǔ? 你朋友想住多久? How long is your friend thinking of staying?
B: Tā xiǎng zhù liǎngge xīngqī. 他想住兩個星期。 He is thinking of staying two weeks.
7. A: Nǐ láile duó jiǔ le? 你來了多久了? How long have you been there?
B: Wǒ láile sāntiān le. 我來了三天了。 I have been here three days.
8. A: Nǐ tàitai zài Xiānggǎng zhùle duó jiǔ? 你太太在香港住了多久? How long did your wife stay in Hong Kong?
B: Tā zhùle liǎngtiān. 她住了兩天。 She stayed two days.
9. A: Tā lái le ma? 他來了嗎? Did he come?
B: Lái le, tā lái le. 來了,他來了。 Yes, he came.
10. A: Tā lái le ma? 他來了嗎? Did he come?
B: Méi lái, tā méi lái. 沒來,他沒來。 No, he didn’t come.
11. A: Nǐ cóngqián láiguo ma? 你從前來過嗎? Have you ever been here before?
B: Wǒ cóngqián méi láiguo. 我從前沒來過。 I have never been here before.

16.2.2 Vocabulary

to go
Niǔ Yüē 紐約 New York
cóngqián 從前 in the past
duó jiǔ 多久 how long
-guo —過 experiential marker
xiǎng to think that, to want to, would you like to
Xiānggǎng 香港 Hong Kong
xīngqī 星期 week
zhù to live somewhere

16.2.3 Reference Notes

16.2.3.1 Notes on №1
1. A: Nǐ zhù duó jiǔ? 你住多久? How long are you staying?
B: Wǒ zhù yìnián. 我住一年。 I’m staying one year.

Expressions like duó jiǔ, “how long,” and yìnián “one year,” called duration phrases, come after the verb.

🛈︎
Note

“One day” is yìtiān. The tone on changes to Falling before a High-tone.

Notice the contrast with time-when phrases, like shénme shíhou, “when,” and jīnnián “this year,” which comes before the verb.

shénme shíhou When are you leaving?
zhù duó jiǔ? How long are you staying?

If a duration phrase is used with the verb zhù, this phrase preempts the position after the verb; and any place phrase, like zài Běijīng, must come before the verb.

zhù zài Běijīng. I’m l living in Běijīng.
zài Běijīng zhù duó jiǔ? How long are you staying in Běijīng?

Yìnián: In telling how many years (giving an amount) no counter is used. The tone on , “one,” changes to Falling before a Rising tone.

16.2.3.2 Notes on №2
2. A: Nǐ tàitai zhù duó jiǔ? 你太太住多久? How long is your wife staying?
B: Ta zhù liǎngtiān. 她住兩天。 She is staying two days.

Liǎngtiān: -tiān, “day,” like -nián, “year,” is used without a counter. When telling how many of something, the number 2 takes the form liǎng. (See Unit 3, notes on Nos. 3–4.)

16.2.3.3 Notes on №3–4
3. A: Nǐ tàitai zài Xiānggǎng zhù duó jiǔ? 你太太在香港住多久? How long is your wife staying in Hong Kong?
B: Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù liǎngtiān. 我想她住兩天。 I think she is staying two days.
4. A: Nǐ xiǎng zhù duó jiǔ? 你想住多久? How long are you thinking of staying?
B: Wǒ xiǎng zhù yìnián. 我想住一年。 I’m thinking of staying one year.

The verb xiǎng, “to think that,” “to want to,” “would like to,” may be used as a main verb or as an auxiliary verb. As a main verb it means “to think that.” It is used this way in the answer of exchange 3 and in the following examples.

Wǒ xiǎng tā míngtián lái. I think he is coming tomorrow.
Wǒ xiǎng tā bú qù. I think he is not going.

When xiǎng is used as a main verb meaning “to think that,” it is not made negative. This may be a special problem for English speakers who are used to saying “I don’t think he is going.”

In Chinese, it is: “I think he is not going,” Wǒ xiǎng tā bú qù.

When xiǎng is used as an auxiliary verb, it means, “to want to,” “would like to.” It is used this way in exchange 4, which could also be translated as, “How long would you like to stay?”

Here are other examples:

Nǐ xiǎng zǒu ma? Would you like to leave? OR Do you want to go?
Wǒ bù xiǎng zǒu. I don’t want to leave.
Nǐ xiǎng zài Táiběi gōngzuò ma?

Do you want to work in Taipei?

16.2.3.4 Notes on №5–6
5. A: Nǐ xiǎng zài Táiwān zhù duó jiǔ? 你想在臺灣住多久? How long are you thinking of staying in Taiwan?
B: Wǒ xiǎng zhù báge yüè. 我想住八個月。 I’m thinking of staying eight months.
6. A: Nǐ péngyou xiǎng zhù duó jiǔ? 你朋友想住多久? How long is your friend thinking of staying?
B: Tā xiǎng zhù liǎngge xīngqī. 他想住兩個星期。 He is thinking of staying two weeks.

You already know that yìnián and yìtiān are used without counters. The words for “month” and “week,” however, are used with counters.

Compare:

sāntiān 3 days
sānnián 3 years
sānge xīngqī 3 weeks
sānge yüè 3 months

16.2.3.5 Notes on №7
7. A: Nǐ láile duó jiǔ le? 你來了多久了? How long have you been there?
B: Wǒ láile sāntiān le. 我來了三天了。 I have been here three days.

le...le, “up until now,” “so far”: The use of completed-action le after the verb and of new-situation le after the duration phrase tells you how long the activity has been going on and that it is still going on. The answer could also have been translated “I have been here three days so far.” This pattern is sometimes called “double le.”

Notice that when le is in the middle of a sentence (in this case, because it is followed by a duration phrase), we write it attached to the verb before it: láile duó jiǔ le.

16.2.3.6 Notes on №8
8. A: Nǐ tàitai zài Xiānggǎng zhùle duó jiǔ? 你太太在香港住了多久? How long did your wife stay in Hong Kong?
B: Tā zhùle liǎngtiān. 她住了兩天。 She stayed two days.

Completion le: Here you see the marker le used to indicate one aspect, completion. Compare a sentence with one le to a sentence with two le’s:

Wǒ zài nàr zhùle sāntiān. I stayed there three days.
Wǒ zài nàr zhùle sāntiān le. I have been here (stayed here) for three days now (so far).

Completion le is used with verbs that describe actions or processes, not with verbs that describe a state or condition, or a continuing situation. The following sentences, describing states or ongoing situations, have past-tense verbs in English but no le in Chinese.

Nèige shíhou tāmen zhǐ yǒu liǎnge háizi. At that time they had only two children.
Tā qǜnián bú zài Shànghǎi, zài Běijīng. He wasn’t in Shànghǎi last year; he was in Běijīng.

Verb types in Chinese: In studying some languages, it is important to learn whether a noun is masculine, feminine, or neuter. In Chinese, it is important to learn whether a verb is an action, state, or process verb. These three verb categories are meaning (semantic) groups. A verb is a member of one group or another depending on the meaning of the verb. For instance, “running” and “dancing” are actions; “being good” and “being beautiful” are states; and “getting sick” and “melting” are processes. In Chinese, grammatical rules are applied differently to each semantic verb category. For the most part, you have learned only action and state verbs in this course; so these comments will be confined to those two verb categories. (See Unit 8 of this module for process verbs,)

Action verbs: These are verbs which describe physical and mental activities. The easiest to classify are verbs of movement such as “walking,” “running,” and “riding”, however, action verbs also include verbs with not too much motion, such as “working” and “writing,” and verbs with no apparent motion, such as “studying.” One test for determining if a verb is an action is asking “What did he do?” “He arrived,” “He spoke,” and “He listened” are answers which contain action verbs. “He knew” “He wanted” and “He is here” are answers which contain state verbs, not action verbs. Some of the action verbs you have learned are:

dào (to arrive) lái (to come)
gōngzuò (to work) zhù (to live, to stay)

State verbs: These verbs describe qualities, conditions, and states. All adjectival verbs, such as hǎo “to be good,” and jiǔ, “to be long (in time),” are state verbs. Emotions, such as “being happy” and “being sad,” are expressed with state verbs. “Knowing,” “liking,” “wanting,” and “understanding,” which may be called mental states, are also expressed with state verbs. Also, all auxiliary verbs, such as xiǎng, “to want to,” “would like to,” are state verbs. Here are some of the state verbs:

to be large shì to be
duì to be correct jiào to be called
xìng to be surnamed zài to be at
xiǎng to want to zhīdào to know

Aspect and verb types: Not every aspect marker in Chinese may be used with all types of verbs. Completion le does not occur with state verbs. It does occur with action verbs.

ACTION Tā yǐjīng dào le. He has already arrived.
Tā gōngzuòle yìnián. He worked one year.
Tā lái le ma? Did he come?
STATE Tā qǜnián bú zài zhèr. He wasn’t here last year.
Tā zuótiān xiǎng qù. Yesterday he wanted to go.
Tā zuótiān bú zhīdào. He didn’t know yesterday.

16.2.3.7 Notes on №9–10
9. A: Tā lái le ma? 他來了嗎? Did he come?
B: Lái le, tā lái le. 來了,他來了。 Yes, he came.
10. A: Tā lái le ma? 他來了嗎? Did he come?
B: Méi lái, tā méi lái. 沒來,他沒來。 No, he didn’t come.

Compare the two possible interpretations of the question Tā lái le ma? and the answers they receive:

Completion le
lái le ma? Did she come?
lái le. She came.
méi lái She didn’t come.
Combined le
lái le ma? Has he come?
lái le. She has come. OR She’s here.
hái méi lái. She hasn’t come yet.

The first question, with completion le, asks only if the action took place. The second question, with combined le asks both whether the action has been completed and whether the resulting new situation still exists.

16.2.3.8 Notes on №11
11. A: Nǐ cóngqián láiguo ma? 你從前來過嗎? Have you ever been here before?
B: Wǒ cóngqián méi láiguo. 我從前沒來過。 I have never been here before.

The aspect marker -guo means literally “to pass over,” “to cross over. The implication is that an event took place and then ceased at some time in the past.

It may help you to conceptualize -guo in terms of a bridge. The whole bridge is the event. The marker -guo stresses the fact that not only have you crossed over the bridge but at present you are no longer standing on it.

The meaning of -guo changes slightly depending on what type of verb it is used with: action or process, (-guo may not be used with state verbs.) With an action verb, -guo means that the action took place and then ceased at some time before the present. With a process verb, -guo means that the process took place and that the state which resulted from the process ended at some time before the present.

Remember that aspect markers like le and -guo are used only when the speaker feels it necessary to stress some feature or aspect of an event. Le is used to stress finishing, or completion, -guo is used to stress that a situation occurred in the past and was “over” or “undone,” before the time of speaking (that is, the absence of that situation followed the situation).

Let’s contrast -guo with completion le: both le and -guo express completion, but -guo stresses that an action is no longer being performed, or that a state resulting from a process no longer exists.

For example, Tā lái le. means “He came,” or “He has come,” not indicating whether or not he is still there.

But Tā láiguo means “He came” with the specification that he is not there anymore–that is, he came and left.

One of the uses of the aspect marker -guo,is in sentences which express experience or having experienced something at least once in the past, that is, “to have had the experience of doing something.” This is how -guo is used in exchange 11. In a question, the marker -guo can he reflected by the English word “ever,” and in a negative statement by “never.”

cóngqiān lái -guo ma? Have you ever been (come) here before?
cóngqián méi lái -guo I have never been (come) here before.
cóngqián lái -guo I have been (come) here before

The negative of Tā lái le. does not include a le, but the negative of Tā láiguo. does have a -guo. The negative adverb méi is used to negate both completion le and -guo.

lái le.
méi lái
lái -guo.
Ta méi lái -guo.

16.3 Drills

16.3.1  Response drill

Table 16.3.1.1 Respond according to the cue.
Question Cue Answer
1.

張先生住多久?

Zhāng xiānsheng zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mr. Zhāng staying?

一個月

yíge yüè

one month

張先生住一個月。

Zhāng xiānsheng zhù yíge yüè.

Mr. Zhāng is staying one month.

2.

王小姐住多久?

Wáng xiǎojiě zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Miss Wáng staying?

兩個星期

liǎngge xīnqī

two weeks

王小姐住兩個星期。

Wáng xiǎojiě zhù liǎngge xīngqī.

Miss Wáng is staying two weeks.

3.

胡太太住多久?

Hú tàitai zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mrs. staying?

三個月

sānge yüè

three months

胡太太住三個月。

Hú tàitai zhù sānge yüè.

Mrs. is staying three months.

4.

他/她住多久?

Tā zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is he/she staying?

四個星期

sìge xīngqī

four weeks

他/她住四個星期。

Tā zhù sìge xīngqī.

He/she is staying four weeks.

5.

他太太住多久?

Tā tàitai zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his wife staying?

兩個星期

liǎngge xīngqī

two weeks

他太太住兩個星期。

Tā tàitai zhù liǎngge xīngqī.

His wife is staying two weeks.

6.

李小姐住多久?

Lǐ xiǎojiě zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Miss staying?

五個月

wǔge yüè

five months

李小姐住五個月。

Lǐ xiǎojiě zhù wǔge yüè.

Miss is staying five months.

7.

她先生住多久?

Tā xiānsheng zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is her husband staying?

六個星期

liùge xīngqī

six weeks

她先生住六個星期。

Tā xiānsheng zhù liùge xīngqī.

Her husband is staying six weeks.

16.3.2  Response drill

Table 16.3.2.1 Respond according to the cue.
Question Cue Answer
1.

張同志住多久?

Zhāng tóngzhi zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade Zhāng staying?

三天

sāntiān

three days

張同志住三天。

Zhāng tóngzhì zhù sāntiān.

Comrade Zhāng is staying three days.

2.

他/她母親住多久?

Tā mǔqin zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her mother staying?

一年

yìnián

one year

他/她母親住一年。

Tā mǔqin zhù yìnián.

His/her mother is staying one year.

3.

他/她父親住多久?

Tā fùqin zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her father staying?

五天

wǔtiān

five days

他/她住五天。

Tā fùqin zhù wǔtiān.

His/her father is staying five days.

4.

王同志住多久?

Wáng tóngzhì zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade Wáng staying?

八天

bātiān

eight days

王同志住八天。

Wáng tongzhì zhù bātiān.

Comrade Wáng is staying eight days.

5.

李姐姐住多久?

Nǐ jiějie zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is your older sister staying.

兩年

liǎngnián

two years

我姐姐住兩年。

Wǒ jiějie zhù liǎngnián.

My older sister is staying two years.

6.

衚同志住多久?

Hú tóngzhì zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade staying?

四天

sìtiān

four days

衚同志之四天。

Hú tóngzhì zhù sìtiān.

Comrade is staying four days.

7.

他/她住多久?

Tā zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is How long is he/she staying?

三年

sānnián

three years

他/她住三年。

Tā zhù sānnián.

He/she is staying three years.

16.3.3  Response drill

Table 16.3.3.1 Respond according to the cue.
Question Cue Answer
1.

他/她母親住多久?

Tā mǔqin zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her mother staying?

兩個月

liǎngge yüè

two months

他/她母親住兩個月。

Tā mǔqin zhù liǎngge yüè.

His/her mother is staying two months.

2.

他/她妹妹住多久?

Tā mèimei zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her younger sister staying?

一個星期

yíge xīngqī

one week

他/她妹妹住一個星期。

Tā mèimei zhù yíge xīngqī.

His/her younger sister is staying one week.

3.

張太太住多久?

Zhāng tàitai zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mrs. Zhāng staying?

九天

jiǔtiān

nine days

張太太住九天。

Zhāng tàitai zhù jiǔtiān.

Mrs. Zhāng is staying nine days.

4.

他/她哥哥住多久?

Tā gēge zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her older brother staying?

四個星期

sìge xīngqī

four weeks

他/她哥哥住四個星期。

Tā gēge zhù sìge xīngqī.

His/her older brother is staying four weeks.

5.

王先生住多久?

Wáng xiānsheng zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mr. Wáng staying?

一個月

yíge yüè

one month

王先生住一個月。

Wáng xiānsheng zhù yíge yüè.

Mr. Wáng is staying one month.

6.

他/她弟弟住多久?

Tā dìdi zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her younger brother staying?

一年

yìnián

one year

他/她弟弟住一年。

Tā dìdi zhù yínián.

His/her younger brother is staying one year.

7.

他/她姐姐住多久?

Tā jiějie zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is his/her older sister staying?

十天

shítiān

ten days

他/她姐姐住十天。

Tā jiějie zhù shítiān.

His/her older sister is staying ten days.

16.3.4  Expansion drill

Table 16.3.4.1 Expand the response according to the model and the cue.
Question Cue Answer
1.

張太太的哥哥 住多久?

Zhāng tàitai de gēge zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mrs. Zhāng’s older brother staying?

香港

Xiānggǎng

Hong Kong

張太太的哥哥在香港住多久?

Zhāng tàitai de gēge zài xiānggǎng zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mrs. Zhāng’s older brother staying in Hong Kong?

2.

江先生的弟弟住多久?

Jiāng xiānsheng de dìdi zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mr. Jiāng’s younger brother staying?

廣州

Guǎngzhōu

Guǎngzhōu

江先生的弟弟住廣州多久?

Jiāng xiānsheng de dìdi zài Guǎngzhōu zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mr. Jiāng’s younger brother staying in Guǎngzhōu

3.

曾小姐的妹妹住多久?

Zēng xiǎojiě de mèimei zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Miss Zēng’s younger sister staying?

中國

Zhōngguo

China

曾小姐的妹妹在中國住多久?

Zēng xiǎojiě de mèimei zài Zhōngguo zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Miss Zēng’s younger sister staying in China?

4.

陳同志的姐姐住多久?

Chén tóngzhì de jiějie zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade Chén’s older sister staying?

上海

Shānghǎi

Shānghǎi

陳同志的姐姐在上海住多久?

Chén tóngzhì de jiějie zài Shānghǎi zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade Chén’s older sister staying in Shānghǎi?

5.

錢同志的愛人住多久?

Qián tóngzhì de àiren zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade Qián’s spouse staying?

美國

Měiguó

America

錢同志的愛人在美國住多久?

Qián tóngzhì de àiren zài Měiguó zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Comrade Qián’s spouse staying in America?

6.

曹小姐的父親住多久?

Cáo xiǎojiě de fùqin zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Miss Cáo’s father staying?

青島

Qīngdǎo

Qīngdǎo

曹小姐的父親在青島住多久?

Cáo xiǎojiě de fùqin zài Qīngdǎo zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Miss Cáo’s father staying in Qīngdǎo?

7.

夏先生的母親住多久?

Xià xiāngsheng de mǔqin zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mr. Xià’s mother staying?

北京

Běijīng

Běijīng

夏先生的母親在北京住多久?

Xià xiāngsheng de mǔqin zài Běijīng zhù duó jiǔ?

How long is Mr. Xià’s mother staying in Běijīng?

16.3.5  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.5.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她幾天?

Tā zhù jǐtiān?

How many days is he/she staying?

他/她想住幾天?

Tā xiǎng zhù jǐtiān?

How many days is he/she planning on staying?

2.

胡先生住幾個月?

Hú xiānsheng zhù jǐge yüè?

How many months is Mr. staying?

胡先生想住幾個月?

Hú xiānsheng xiǎng zhù jǐge yüè?

How many months is Mr. planning on staying?

3.

王太太住幾個星期?

Wáng tàitai zhù jǐge xīngqī?

How many weeks is Mrs. Wáng staying?

王太太想住幾個星期?

Wáng tàitai xiǎng zhù jǐge xīngqī?

How many weeks is Mrs. Wáng planning on staying?

4.

她先生住幾年?

Tā xiānsheng zhù jǐnián?

How many years is her husband staying?

她先生想住幾年?

Tā xiānsheng xiǎng zhù jǐnián?

How many years is her husband planning on staying?

5.

周小姐住幾個月?

Zhōu xiǎojiě zhù jǐge yüè?

How many months is Miss Zhōu staying?

周小姐想住幾個月?

Zhōu xiǎojiě xiǎng zhù jǐge yüè?

How many months is Miss Zhōu planning on staying?

6.

我父親住幾個星期?

Wǒ fùqin zhù jǐge xīngqī?

How many weeks is my father staying?

我父親想住幾個星期?

Wǒ fùqin xiǎng zhù jǐge xīngqī?

How many weeks is my father planning on staying?

7.

他/她妹妹住幾天?

Tā mèimei zhù jǐtiān?

How many days is hi/her younger sister staying?

他/她妹妹想住幾天?

Tā mèimei xiǎng zhù jǐtiān?

How many days is hi/her younger sister planning on staying?

16.3.6  Expansion drill

Table 16.3.6.1 Expand the sentence according to the model.
Statement Answer
1.

他/她住一個星期。

Tā zhù yíge xīngqī.

He/she is staying one week.

我想他/她住一個星期。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù yíge xīngqī.

I think he/she is staying one week.

2.

他/她住兩年。

Tā zhù liǎngnián.

He/she is staying two years.

我想他/她住兩年。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù liǎngnián.

I think he/she is staying two years.

3.

他/她住三個月。

Tā zhù sānge yüè.

He/she is staying three months.

我想他/她住三個月。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù sānge yüè.

I think he/she is staying three months.

4.

他/她住兩個星期。

Tā zhù liǎngge xīngqī.

He/she is staying two weeks.

我想他/她住兩個星期。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù liǎngge xīngqī.

I think he/she is staying two weeks.

5.

他/她七天。

Tā zhù qītiān.

He/she is staying seven days.

我想他/她住七天。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù qītiān.

I think he/she is staying seven days.

6.

他/她住十年。

Tā zhù sìnián.

He/she is staying four years.

我想他/她住十年。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù sìnián.

I think he/she is staying four years.

7.

他/她六個月。

Tā zhù liùge yüè.

He/she is staying six months.

我想他/她住六個月。

Wǒ xiǎng tā zhù liùge yüè.

I think he/she is staying six months.

16.3.7  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.7.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Statement Answer
1.

他/她住一個星期。

Tā zhù yíge xīngqī.

He/she is staying one week.

他/她住了一個星期。

Tā zhùle yíge xīngqī.

He/she stayed one week.

2.

馬同志住一年。

Mǎ tóngzhì zhù yìnián.

Comrade is staying one year.

馬同志住了一年。

Mǎ tóngzhì zhùle yìnián.

Comrade stayed one year.

3.

王同志住四個月。

Wáng tóngzhì zhù sìge yüè.

Comrade Wáng is staying four months.

王同志住了四個月。

Wáng tóngzhì zhùle sìge yüè.

Comrade Wáng stayed four months.

4.

曾同志住五天。

Zēng tóngzhì zhù wǔtiān.

Comrade Zēng is staying five days.

曾同志住了五天。

Zēng tóngzhì zhùle wǔtiān.

Comrade Zēng stayed five days.

5.

我住兩個星期。

Wǒ zhù liǎngge xīngqī.

I’m staying two weeks.

我住了兩個星期。

Wǒ zhùle liǎngge xīngqī.

I stayed two weeks.

6.

他/她孩子住劉天。

Tā háizi zhù liùtiān.

His/her children are staying six days.

他/她孩子住了劉天。

Tā háizi zhùle liùtian.

His/her children stayed six days.

7.

他/她妹妹住兩年。

Tā mèimei zhù liǎngnián.

His/her younger sister is staying two years.

他/她妹妹住了兩年。

Tā mèimei zhùle liǎngnián.

His/her younger sister stayed two years.

16.3.8  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.8.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Statement Answer
1.

他/她住了三天。

Tā zhùle sāntiān.

He/she stayed three days

他/她住了三天了。

Tā zhùle sāntiān le.

He/she has stayed three days.

2.

我住了一個星期。

Wǒ zhùle yíge xīngqī.

I stayed one week.

我住了一個星期了。

Wǒ zhùle yíge xīngqī le.

I have stayed one week.

3.

他/她父親住了兩個月。

Tā fùqin zhùle liǎngge yüè.

His/her father stayed two months.

他/她父親住了兩個月了。

Tā fùqin zgùle liǎngge yüè le.

His/her father has stayed two months.

4.

他/她姐姐住了十一天。

Tā jiějie zhùle shíyītiān.

His/her older sister stayed eleven days.

他/她姐姐住了十一天了。

Tā jiějie zhùle shíyītiān le.

His/her older sister has stayed eleven days.

5.

王先生住了一年。

Wáng xiānsheng zhùle yìnián.

Mr. Wáng stayed one year.

王先生住了一年了。

Wáng xiānsheng zhùle yìnián le.

Mr. Wáng has stayed one year.

6.

王太太住了三個星期。

Wáng tàitai zhùle sānge xīngqī.

Mrs. Wáng stayed three weeks.

王太太住了三個星期了。

Wáng tàitai zhùle sānge xīngqī le.

Mrs. Wáng has stayed three weeks.

7.

胡小姐住了七天。

Hú xiǎojiě zhùle qītiān.

Miss stayed seven days.

胡小姐住了七天了。

Hú xiǎojiě zhùle qītiān le.

Miss has stayed seven days.

16.3.9  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.9.1 Respond by adding xiǎng zhù, or zhùle + duration phrase + le to each statement, according to the cue.
Statement Cue Answer
1.

他/她住一天。

Tā zhù yìtiān.

He/she is staying one day.

還沒來

hái měi lái

didn’t come yet

他/她想住一天。

Tā xiǎng zhù yìtiān.

He/she is planning on staying one day.

2.

他/她住一天。

Tā zhù yìtiān.

He/she is staying one day.

已經走了

yǐjīng zǒu le

already left

他/她住了一天。

Tā zhùle yìtiān.

He/she stayed one day.

3.

他/她住一天。

Tā zhù yìtiān.

He/she is staying one day.

還在這兒

hái zài zhèr

already here

他/她住了一天了。

Tā zhùle yìtiān le.

He/she has stayed one day.

4.

他/她住兩個星期。

Tā zhù liǎngge xīngqī.

He/she is staying two weeks.

已經周了

yǐjīng zǒu le

already left

他/她住了兩個星期。

Tā zhùle liǎngge xīngqī.

He/she stayed two weeks.

5.

他/她住三天。

Tā zhù sāntiān.

He/she is staying three days.

還沒來

hái méi lái

didn’t come yet

他/她想住三天。

Tā xiǎng zhù sāntiān.

He/she is planning of staying three days.

6.

他/她住一年。

Tā zhù yìnián.

He/she is staying one year.

還在這兒

hái zài zhèr

already here

他/她住了一年了。

Tā zhùle yìnián le.

He/she has stayed one year.

7.

他/她住五個星期。

Tā zhù wǔge xīngqī.

He/she is staying five weeks.

已經周了

yǐjīng zǒu le

already left

他/她住了五個星期。

Tā zhùle wǔge xīngqī.

He/she stayed five weeks.

16.3.10  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.10.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Statement Answer
1.

他/她星期一來,星期三走。

Tā xīngqīyī lái, xīngqīsān zǒu.

He/she is coming on Monday, leaving on Wednesday.

他/他想住兩天。

Tā xiǎng zhù liǎngtiān.

He/she is planning on staying two days.

2.

他/她一月來,四月走。

Tā yíyüè lái, sìyüè zǒu.

He/she is coming on January, leaving on April.

他/她想住三個月。

Tā xiǎng zhù sānge yüè.

He/she is planning on staying three months.

3.

他/她五月來,七月走。

Tā wǔyüè lái, qíyüè zǒu.

He/she is coming on May, leaving on September.

他/她想住兩個月。

Tā xiǎng zhù liǎngge yüè.

He/she is planning on staying four months.

4.

他/她一號來,六號走。

Tā yíhào lái, liùhào zǒu.

He/she is coming the first of the month, leaving the sixth.

他/她想住五天。

Tā xiǎng zhù wǔtiān.

He/she is planning on staying five days.

5.

他/她六月來,十月走。

Tā liùyüè lái, shíyüè zǒu.

He/she is coming on June, leaving on October.

他/她想住四個月。

Tā xiǎng zhù sìge yüè.

He/she is planning on staying four months.

6.

他/她一九七六年來,一九七八年走。

Tā yījiǔqīliùnián lái, yījiǔqībānián zǒu.

He/she is coming in 1976, leaving in 1978.

他/她想住兩年。

Tā xiǎng zhù liǎngnián.

He/she is planning on staying two years.

7.

他/她星期五來,下個星期一走。

Tā xīngqīwǔ lái, xiàge xīngqīyī zǒu.

He/she is coming on Friday, leaving next Monday.

他/她想住三天。

Tā xiǎng zhù sāntiān.

He/she is planning on staying three days.

16.3.11  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.11.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Statement Answer
1.

他/她是二號來的,四號走的。

Tā shi èrhào láide, sìhào zǒude.

He/she came on the second, left on the fourth.

他/她住了年天。

Tā zhùle liǎngtiān.

He/she stayed two days.

2.

他/她是一九七一年來的,一九七四年走的。

Tā shi yǐjiǔqīyīnián láide, yījiǔqīsìnián zǒude.

He/she came in 1971, left in 1974.

他/她住了三年。

Tā zhùle sānnián.

He/she stayed three years.

3.

他/她是三月來的,五月走的。

Tā shi sānyüè láide, wǔyüè zǒude.

He/she came in April , left in May.

他/她住了兩個月。

Tā zhùle liǎngge yüè.

He/she stayed two months.

4.

他/她是星期二來的,星期六走的。

Tā shi xīngqīèr láide, xīngqīliù zǒude.

He/she came on Tuesday , left on Saturday.

他/她住了四天。

Tā zhùle sìtiān.

He/she stayed four days.

5.

他/她是九號來的,十一號走的。

Tā shi jiǔhào láide, shíyīhào zǒude.

He/she came on the ninth, left on the eleventh.

他/她住了兩天。

Tā zhùle liǎngtiān.

He/she stayed two days.

6.

他/她是昨天來的,今天走的。

Tā shi zuótiān láide, jīntiān zǒude.

He/she came yesterday , left today.

他/她住了一天。

Tā zhùle yìtiān.

He/she stayed one day.

7.

他/她是上個月三十一號來的, 這個月五號走的。

Tā shi shànge yüè sānshiyíhào láide, zhèige yüè wǔhào zǒude.

He/she came the 31st last month, left on the 5th this month.

他/她住了五天。

Tā zhùle wǔtiān.

He/she stayed five days.

16.3.12  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.12.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Question Cue Answer
1.

他/她明天不來。

Tā míngtiān bù lái.

He/she isn’t coming tomorrow.

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

他/她昨天沒來。

Tā zuótiān méi lái.

He/she didn’t come yesterday.

2.

他/她後天不走。

Tā hòutiān bú zǒu.

He/she isn’t leaving the day after tomorrow.

前天

qiántiān

the day before yesterday

他/她前天沒走。

Ta qiántiān méi zǒu.

He/she didn’t leave the day before yesterday.

3.

他/她明天不來。

Tā míngtiān bù lái.

He/she isn’t coming tomorrow.

去年

qǜnián

last year

他/她去年沒來。

Tā qǜnián méi lái.

He/she didn’t come last year..

4.

他/她下個月不走。

Tā xiàge yüè bù zǒu.

He/she isn’t leaving next month.

上個月

shàngge yüè

last month

他/她上個月沒走。

Tā shàngge yüè méi zǒu.

He/she didn’t leave last month.

5.

他/她下個星期不來。

Tā xiàge xīngqī bù lái.

He/she isn’t coming next week.

上個星期

shàngge xīngqī

last week

他/她上個星期沒來。

Tā shàngge xīngqī méi lái.

He/she didn’t come last week.

6.

他/她後年不來。

Tā hòunián bù lái.

He/she isn’t coming the year after next.

天年

qiánnián

the year before last

他/她天年沒來

Tā qiánnián méi lái.

He/she didn’t come the year before last.

7.

他/她今天不走。

Tā jīntiān bú zòu.

He/she isn’t leaving today.

今天

jintiān

today

他/她今天沒走。

Tā jīntiān méi zǒu.

He/she didn’t leave today.

16.3.13  Transformation drill

Table 16.3.13.1 Transform the sentence according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Did he/she come?

他/她來過嗎?

Tā láiguo ma?

Has he/she ever been here?

2.

他/她愛人來了嗎?

Tā àiren lái le ma?

Did his/her spouse come?

他/她愛人來過嗎?

Tā àiren láiguo ma?

Has his/her spouse ever been here?

3.

他/她母親來了嗎?

Ta mǔqin lái le ma?

Did his/her mother come?

他/她母親來過嗎?

Ta mǔqin láiguo ma?

Has his/her mother ever been here?

4.

衚同志來了嗎?

Hú tóngzhì lái le ma?

Did Comrade come?

衚同志來過嗎?

Hú tóngzhì láiguo ma?

Has Comrade ever been here?

5.

他/她弟弟來了嗎?

Tā dìdi lái le ma?

Has his/her younger brother come?

他/她弟弟來過嗎?

Tā dìdi láiguo ma?

Did his/her younger brother ever been here?

6.

王大年來了嗎?

Wáng Dànián lái le ma?

Did Wáng Dànián come?

王大年來過嗎?

Wáng Dànián láiguo ma?

Has Wáng Dànián ever been here?

7.

趙同志來了嗎?

Zhào tóngzhì lái le ma?

Did Comrade Zhào come?

趙同志來過嗎?

Zhào tóngzhì láiguo ma?

Has Comrade Zhào ever been here?

16.3.14  Response drill

Table 16.3.14.1 Give a negative response to each question.
Question Answer
1.

王小姐來了嗎?

Wáng xiǎojiě lái le ma?

Did Miss Wáng come?

王小姐沒來。

Wáng xiǎjiě méi lái.

Miss Wáng didn’t come.

2.

林先生來了嗎?

Lín xiānsheng lái le ma?

Did Mr. Lín come?

林先生沒來。

Lín xiānsheng méi lái.

Mr. Lín didn’t come.

3.

劉太太來了嗎?

Liú tàitai lái le ma?

Did Mrs. Liú come?

劉太太沒來。

Liú tàitai méi lái.

Mrs. Liú didn’t come.

4.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Did he/she come?

他/她沒來。

Tā méi lái.

He/she didn’t come.

5.

黃先生來了嗎?

Huáng xiānsheng lái le ma?

Did Mr. Huáng come?

黃先生沒來。

Huāng xiānsheng méi lái.

Mr. Huáng didn’t come.

6.

陳小姐來了嗎?

Chén xiǎojiě lái le ma?

Did Miss Chén come?

陳小姐沒來。

Chén xiǎojiě mái lái.

Miss Chén didn’t come.

7.

孫太太來了嗎?

Sūn tàitai lái le ma?

Did Mrs. Sūn come?

孫太太沒來。

Sūn tàitai méi lái.

Mrs. Sūn didn’t come.

16.3.15  Response drill

Table 16.3.15.1 Give a negative response to each question.
Question Answer
1.

他/她來過嗎?

Tā láiguo ma?

Did he/she come?

他/她沒來過。

Tā méi láiguo.

He/she didn’t come.

2.

他/她愛人來過嗎?

Tā àiren láiguo ma?

Did his/her spouse come?

他/她愛人沒來過。

Tā àiren méi láiguo.

His/her spouse didn’t come.

3.

他/她男孩子來過嗎?

Tā nánháizi láiguo ma?

Did his/her son come?

他/她男孩子沒來過。

Tā nánháizi méi láiguo.

His/her son didn’t come.

4.

他們孩子都來過嗎?

Tāmen háizi dōu láiguo ma?

Did his children all come?

他們孩子都沒來過。

Tāmen háizi dōu méi láiguo.

None of his children came.

5.

他/她弟弟來過嗎?

Tā dìdi láiguo ma?

Did his/her younger brother come?

他/她弟弟沒來過。

Tā dìdi méi láiguo.

His/her younger brother didn’t come.

6.

他/她姐姐來過嗎?

Tā jiějie láiguo ma?

Did his/her older sister come?

他/她姐姐沒來過。

Tā jiějie méi láiguo.

His/her older sister didn’t come.

7.

他/她母親來過嗎?

Tā mǔqin láiguo ma?

Did his/her mother come?

他/她母親沒來過。

Tā mǔqin méi láiguo.

His/her mother didn’t come.