14 Unit 4

14.1 Introduction

14.1.1 Topics covered in this unit

  1. Arrival and departure times.

  2. The marker le

  3. The shì … de construction.

14.1.2 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 4D-1 tape.

14.2 References

14.2.1 Reference List

in Běijīng

1. A: Nǐ àiren lái ma? 你愛人來嗎? Is your wife coming?
B: Tā lái. 她來。 She is coming.
2. A: Nǐ àiren lái le ma? 你愛人來了嗎? Has your wife come?
B: Lái le, tā lái le. 來了,她來了。 Yes, she has come.
3. A: Nǐ àiren yě lái le ma? 你愛人也來了嗎? Has your wife come too?
B: Tā hái méi lái. 她還沒來。 She hasn’t come yet.
4. A: Tā shénme shíhou lái? 她什麼時候來? When is she coming?
B: Tā míngtiān lái. 她明天來。 She is coming tomorrow.
5. A: Nǐ péngyou shénme shíhou dào? 你朋友什麼時候到? When is your friend arriving?
B: Tā yǐjīng dào le. 他已經到了。 He has already arrived.
6. A: Tā shi shénme shíhou dàode? 她是什麼時候到的? When did she arrive?
B: Tā shi zuótiān dàode. 她是昨天到的。 She arrived yesterday.
7. A: Nǐ shi yíge rén láide ma? 你是一個人來的嗎? Did you come alone?
B: Bú shi, wǒ bú shi yíge rén láide. 不是,我不是一個人來的。 No, I didn’t come alone.
8. A: Nǐ shénme shíhou zǒu? 你什麼時候走? 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.

14.2.2 Vocabulary

dào to arrive
érzi 兒子 son
érzi 二字 son
hòutiān (hòutian) 後天 the day after tomorrow
jīntiān (jīntian) 今天 today
lái to come
le combined le: new-situation and completion marker
míngtiān (mīngtian) 明天 tomorrow
něitiān 哪天 what day
nǚér 女兒 daughter
qiántiān (qiántian) 前天 the day before Yesterday
shénme shíhou 什麼時候 when
shì de 是的 emphatic agreement
-tiān day
tiāntiān 天天 every day
yíge rén 一個人 singly, alone
yǐjīng (yǐjing) 已經 already
zǒu to leave
zuótiān 昨天 Yesterday
jiéhūn 結婚 to get married, to be married
méi jiéhūn 沒結婚 not to be married
kěshi 可是 but
xiǎng to think, to think that

14.2.3 Reference Notes

14.2.3.1 Notes on №1
1. A: Nǐ àiren lái ma? 你愛人來嗎? Is your wife coming?
B: Tā lái. 她來。 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.

14.2.3.2 Notes on №2
2. A: Nǐ àiren lái le ma? 你愛人來了嗎? Has your wife come?
B: Lái le, tā lái le. 來了,她來了。 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.

14.2.3.3 Notes on №3
3. A: Nǐ àiren yě lái le ma? 你愛人也來了嗎? Has your wife come too?
B: Tā hái méi lái. 她還沒來。 She hasn’t come yet.

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

affirmative lái is coming.
negative 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 , 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?”

hái méiyou lái. He hasn’t come yet.
hái méi lái. He hasn’t come yet.
hái méiyou. Not yet.

14.2.3.4 Notes on №4–5
4. A: Tā shénme shíhou lái? 她什麼時候來? When is she coming?
B: Tā míngtiān lái. 她明天來。 She is coming tomorrow.
5. A: Nǐ péngyou shénme shíhou dào? 你朋友什麼時候到? When is your friend arriving?
B: Tā yǐjīng dào le. 他已經到了。 He has already arrived.

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

14.2.3.5 Notes on №6–7
6. A: Tā shi shénme shíhou dàode? 她是什麼時候到的? When did she arrive?
B: Tā shi zuótiān dàode. 她是昨天到的。 She arrived Yesterday.
7. A: Nǐ shi yíge rén láide ma? 你是一個人來的嗎? Did you come alone?
B: Bú shi, wǒ bú shi yíge rén láide. 不是,我不是一個人來的。 No, I didn’t come alone.

(shi)...de: 1 This is another way to indicate the aspect of completion. The aspect marker le and the pattern (shi...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.

or

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 (shi)...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 (shi)...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 (shi)...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 (shi)...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 emphasized. 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 (shi)...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 (shi)...de construction is bú shi...de. Compare this with the negatives you have already learned:

shi zuótiān lái -de It was YESTERDAY that he came.
zuótiān lái -de It wasn’t YESTERDAY that he came.
lái le. He has come.
hái méi lái. He hasn’t come.
míngtiān lái. He is coming tomorrow.
míngtiān lái. He isn’t coming tomorrow.

Notice that in a (shi)...de construction the negative 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 shi yíge rén láide. Yes, I came alone.
Búshì, wǒ bú shi yíge rén láide. No, I didn’t come alone.

The (shi)...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”

14.2.3.6 Notes on №8–9
8. A: Nǐ shénme shíhou zǒu? 你什麼時候走? 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.

14.3 Drills

14.3.1  Transformation drill

Table 14.3.1.1 Transform the question according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

你愛人來嗎?

Nǐ àiren lái ma?

Is your spouse coming?

你愛人來了嗎?

Nǐ àiren lái le ma?

Has your spouse come?

2.

你父母走嗎?

Nǐ fùmǔ zǒu ma?

Are your parents leaving?

你父母走了嗎?

Nǐ fùmǔ zǒu le ma?

Have your parents left?

3.

你朋友走嗎?

Nǐ péngyou zǒu ma?

Is your friend leaving?

你朋友走了嗎?

Nǐ péngyǒu zǒu le ma?

Has your friend left?

4.

你哥哥走嗎?

Nǐ gēge zǒu ma?

Is your older brother leaving?

你哥哥走了嗎?

Nǐ gēge zǒu le ma?

Has your older brother left?

5.

你姐姐來嗎?

Nǐ jiějie lái ma?

Is your older sister coming?

你姐姐來了嗎?

Nǐ jiějie lái le ma?

Has your older sister come?

6.

你妹妹來嗎?

Nǐ mèimei lái ma?

Is your younger sister coming?

你妹妹來了嗎?

Nǐ mèimei lái le ma?

Has your younger sister come?

7.

你弟弟走嗎?

Nǐ dìdi zǒu ma?

Is your younger brother leaving?

你弟弟走了嗎?

Nǐ dìdi zǒu le ma?

Has your younger brother left?

14.3.2  Transformation drill

Table 14.3.2.1 Transform the question according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Has he/she come?

他/她已經來了嗎?

Tā yǐjīng lái le ma?

Has he/she already come?

2.

毛同志到了嗎?

Máo tóngzhì dào le ma?

Has Comrade Máo arrived?

毛同志已經到了嗎?

Máo tóngzhì yǐjīng dào le ma?

Has Comrade Máo already arrived?

3.

李同志走了嗎?

Lǐ tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade left?

李同志已經走了嗎?

Lǐ tóngzhì yǐjīng zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade already left?

4.

馬同志走了嗎?

Mǎ tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade left?

馬同志已經走了嗎?

Mǎ tóngzhì yǐjīng zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade already left?

5.

張同志來了嗎?

Zhāng tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade Zhāng come?

張同志已經來了嗎?

Zhāng tóngzhì yǐjīng lái le ma?

Has Comrade Zhāng already come?

6.

黃同志到了嗎?

Huáng tóngzhì dào le ma?

Has Comrade Huáng arrived?

黃同志已經到了嗎?

Huáng tóngzhì yǐjīng dào le ma?

Has Comrade Huáng already arrived?

7.

孫同志走了嗎?

Sūn tōngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade Sūn left?

孫同志已經走了嗎?

Sún tóngzhì yǐjīng zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade Sūn already left?

14.3.3  Response drill

Table 14.3.3.1 Answer to the question according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Has he/she come?

他/她還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He/she hasn’t come yet.

2.

王同志走了嗎?

Wáng tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade Wáng left?

他還沒走。

Tā hái méi zǒu.

Comrade Wáng hasn’t left yet.

3.

李同志到了嗎?

Lǐ tóngzhì dào le ma?

Has Comrade arrive yet?

他還沒到。

Tā hái méi dào.

He hasn’t arrive yet.

4.

何同志來了嗎。

Hé tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade come?

他還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He hasn’t come yet.

5.

趙同志來了嗎?

Zhào tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade Zhào come?

他還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He hasn’t come yet.

6.

劉同志走了嗎?

Liú tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade Liú left?

他還沒走。

Tā héi méi zǒu.

He hasn’t left yet.

7.

孫同志來了嗎?

Sūn tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade Sūn come?

他還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He hasn’t come yet.

14.3.4  Response drill

Table 14.3.4.1 Answer to the question according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她走了嗎?

Tā zǒu le ma?

Has he/she left?

走了,他/她已經走了。

Zǒu le, tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

Yes, he/she has already left.

2.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人也已經走了。

Tā àiren yě yǐjīng zǒu le.

His/her spouse has already left too.

3.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Has he/she come?

來了,他/她

Lái le, tā yǐjīng lái le.

Yes, he/she has already come.

4.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人也已經來了。

Tā àiren yě yǐjīng lái le.

His/her spouse has already come too.

5.

他/她到了嗎?

Tā dào le ma?

Has he/she arrived?

到了,他/她已經到了。

Dào le, tā yǐjīng dào le.

Yes, he/she has already arrived.

6.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人也已經到了。

Tā àiren yě yǐjīng dào le.

His/her spouse has already arrived too.

7.

李同志走了走嗎?

Lǐ tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade left?

走了,他已經走了。

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/她哥哥也已經走了。

Tā gēge yě yǐjīng zǒu le.

His older brother has already left too.

9.

王同志來了嗎?

Wáng tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade Wáng come?

來了,他已經來了。

Lái le, tā yǐjing lái le.

Yes, he has already come.

10.

他愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his spouse?

他愛人也已經來了。

Tā àiren yě yǐjīng lái le.

His spouse has already come too.

11.

趙先生到了嗎?

Zhào xiānsheng dào le ma?

Has Mr. Zhào arrived?

到了,他已經到了。

Dào le, tā yǐjīng dào le.

Yes, he has already arrived.

12.

他弟弟呢?

Tā dìdi ne?

And his younger brother.

他弟弟也已經到了。

Tā dìdi yě yǐjing dào le.

His younger brother has already arrived too.

13.

張同志走了嗎?

Zhāng tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade Zhāng left?

走了,他已經走了。

Zǒu le, tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

Yes, he has already left.

14.

陳同志呢?

Chén tóngzhì ne?

And Comrade Chén?

陳同也已經走了。

Chén tóngzhì yě yǐjīng zǒu le.

Comrade Chén has already left too.

14.3.5  Response drill

Table 14.3.5.1 Answer to the question according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Has he/she come?

他/她還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He/she hasn’t come yet.

2.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人也還沒來。

Tā àiren yě hái méi lái.

His/her spouse hasn’t come yet either.

3.

他/她走了嗎?

Tā zǒu le ma?

Has he/she left?

他/她還沒走。

Tā hái méi zǒu.

He/she hasn’t left yet.

4.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人也還沒走。

Tā àiren yě hái méi zǒu.

His/her spouse hasn’t left yet either.

5.

他/她到了嗎?

Tā dào le ma?

Has he/she arrived?

他/她還沒到。

Tā hái méi dào.

He/she hasn’t arrived yet.

6.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人也還沒到。

Tā àiren yě hái méi dào.

His/her spouse hasn’t arrived yet either.

7.

方女士來了嗎?

Fāng nǚshì lǎi le ma?

Has Ms. Fāng come?

方女士還沒來。

Fāng nǚshì hái méi lái.

Ms. Fāng hasn’t come yet.

8.

她弟弟呢?

Tā dìdi ne?

And her younger brother?

她弟弟也還沒來。

Tā dìdi yě hái méi lái.

Her younger brother hasn’t come yet either.

9.

李先生到了嗎?

Lǐ xiānsheng dào le ma?

Has Mr. arrived?

李先生還沒到。

Lǐ xiānsheng hái méi dào.

Mr. hasn’t arrived yet.

10.

他父母呢?

Tā fùmǔ ne?

And his parents?

她父母也還沒到。

Tā fùmǔ yě hái méi dào.

His parents haven’t come yet either.

11.

陳同志走了嗎?

Chén tóngzhì zǒu le ma?

Has Comrade Chén left?

陳同志還沒走。

Chén tóngzhì hái méi zǒu.

Comrade Chén hasn’t left yet?

12.

江同志呢?

Jiāng tóngzhì ne?

And Comrade Jiāng?

江同志也還沒走。

Jiāng tóngzhì yě hái méi zǒu.

Comrade Jiāng hasn’t left yet either.

13.

他/她母親到了嗎?

Tā mǔqin dào le ma?

Has his/her mother arrived?

他/她母親還沒到。

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/她姐姐也還沒到。

Tā jiějie yě hái méi dào.

His/her older sister hasn’t arrived yet either.

14.3.6  Response drill

Table 14.3.6.1 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/她走了嗎?

Tā zǒu le ma?

Has he/she left?

他/她已經走了。

Tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

He/she has already left.

2.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人還沒走。

Tā àiren hái méi zǒu.

His/her spouse hasn’t left yet.

3.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Has he/she come?

他/她已經來了。

Tā yǐjīng lái le.

He/she has already come.

4.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人還沒來。

Tā àiren hái méi lái.

His/her spouse hasn’t come yet.

5.

他/她到了嗎?

Tā dào le ma?

Has he/she arrived?

他/她已經到了。

Tā yǐjīng dào le.

He/she has arrived.

6.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人還沒到。

Tā àiren hái méi dào.

His/her spouse hasn’t arrived yet.

7.

王先生走了嗎?

Wáng xiānsheng zǒu le ma?

Has Mr. Wáng left?

王先生已經走了。

Wáng xiānsheng yǐjīng zǒu le.

Mr. Wáng has already left.

8.

他母親呢?

Tā mǔqin ne?

And his mother?

她母親還沒走。

Tā mǔqin hái méi zǒu.

His mother hasn’t left yet.

9.

錢同志來了嗎?

Qián tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade Qián come?

錢同志已經來了。

Qián tóngzhì yǐjīng lái le.

Comrade Qián has already come.

10.

江同志呢?

Jiāng tóngzhì ne?

And Comrade Jiāng?

江同志還沒來。

Jiāng tóngzhì hái méi lái.

Comrade Jiāng hasn’t come yet.

11.

毛女士到了嗎?

Máo nǚshì dào le ma?

Has Ms. Máo arrived?

毛女士已經到了。

Máo nǚshì yǐjīng dào le.

Ms. Máo has already arrived.

12.

她妹妹呢?

Tā mèimei ne?

And her younger sister?

他妹妹還沒到。

Tā mèimei hái méi dào.

Her younger sister hasn’t arrived yet.

13.

曾夫人走了嗎?

Zēng fūren zǒu le ma?

Has Mrs. Zēng left?

曾副人已經走了。

Zēng fūren yǐjīng zǒu le.

Mrs. Zēng has already left.

14.

他母親呢?

Tā mǔqin ne?

And his mother?

他母親還沒走。

Tā mǔqin hái méi zǒu.

His mother hasn’t left yet.

14.3.7  Response drill

Table 14.3.7.1 Respond to the question according to the model.
Question Answer
1.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lái le ma?

Has he/she come?

他/她還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He/she hasn’t come yet.

2.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And is/her spouse?

他/她愛人已經來了。

Tā àiren yǐjīng lái le.

His/her spouse has already come.

3.

他/她走了嗎?

Tā zǒu le ma?

Has he/she left?

他/她還沒走。

Tā hái méi zǒu.

He/she hasn’t left yet.

4.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人已經走了。

Tā àiren yǐjīng zǒu le.

His/her spouse has already left.

5.

他/她到了嗎?

Tā dào le ma?

Has he/she arrived?

他/她還沒到。

Tā hái méi dào.

He/she hasn’t arrived yet.

6.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

他/她愛人已經到了。

Tā àiren yǐjīng dào le.

His/her spouse has already arrived.

7.

曹同志來了嗎?

Cáo tóngzhì lái le ma?

Has Comrade Cáo come?

曹同志還沒來。

Cáo tóngzhì hái méi lái.

Comrade Cáo hasn’t come yet.

8.

孫同志呢?

Sūn tóngzhì ne?

And Comrade Sūn?

孫同志已經來了。

Sūn tóngzhì yǐjīng lái le.

Comrade Sūn has already come.

9.

張先生來了嗎?

Zhāng xiānsheng lái le ma?

Has Mr. Zhāng come?

張先生還沒來。

Zhāng xiānsheng hái méi lái.

Mr. Zhāng hasn’t come yet.

10.

他弟弟呢?

Tā dìdi ne?

And his younger brother?

他弟弟已經來了。

Tā dìdi yǐjǐng lái le.

His younger brother has already come.

11.

他/她母親到了嗎?

Tā mǔqin dào le ma?

Has his/her mother arrived?

他/她母親還沒到。

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/她妹妹已經到了。

Tā mèimei yǐjīng dào le.

His/her younger sister has already arrived.

13.

王女士走了嗎?

Wáng nǚshì zǒu le ma?

Has Ms. Wáng left.

王女士還沒走。

Wáng nǚshì hái méi zǒu.

Ms. Wáng hasn’t left yet.

14.

張女士呢?

Zhāng nǚshì ne?

And Ms. Zhāng?

張女士已經走了。

Zhāng nǚshì yǐjīng zǒu le.

Ms. Zhāng has already left.

14.3.8  Response drill

Table 14.3.8.1 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/她走了嗎?

Tā zǒu le ma?

Has he/she left?

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

他/她已經走了。

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/她愛人也已經走了。

Tā àiren yě yǐjīng zǒu le.

His/her spouse has already left too.

3.

他/她來了嗎?

Tā lǎi le ma?

Has he/she come?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她還沒來。

Tā hái méi lái.

He/she hasn’t come yet.

4.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她愛人也還沒來。

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/她已經到了。

Tā yǐjīng dào le.

He/she hasn’t already yet.

6.

他/她愛人呢?

Tā àiren ne?

And his/her spouse?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她愛人還沒到。

Tā àiren hái méi dào.

His/her spouse hasn’t arrived either.

7.

他/她走了嗎?

Tā zǒu le ma?

Has he/she left?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她還沒走。

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/她哥哥已經走了。

Tā gēge yǐjīng zǒu le.

His/her older brother hasn’t left either.

9.

趙同志到了嗎?

Zhào tóngzhì dào le ma?

Has Comrade Zhào arrived?

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

趙同志已經到了。

Zhào tóngzhì yǐjīng dào le.

Comrade Zhào has already arrived.

10.

王同志呢?

Wáng tóngzhì ne?

And Comrade Wáng?

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

王同志也已經到了。

Wáng tóngzhì yě yǐjīng dào le.

Comrade Wáng has already arrived too.

11.

他/她父母走了嗎?

Tā fùmǔ zǒu le ma?

Have his/her parents left?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她父母還沒走。

Tā fùmǔ hái méi zǒu.

His/her parents hasn’t left yet.

12.

他們孩子呢?

Tāmen háizi ne?

And their children?

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

他們孩子已經走了。

Tāmen háizi yǐjīng zǒu le.

Their children have already left.

13.

他/她愛人來了呢?

Tā àiren lái le ma?

Has his/her spouse come?

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

他/她愛人已經來了。

Tā àiren yǐjīng lái le.

His/her spouse has already come.

14.

他們孩子呢?

Tāmen háizi ne?

And his children?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他們孩子還沒來。

Tāmen háizi hái méi lái.

His children haven’t come yet.

14.3.9  Response drill

Table 14.3.9.1 Respond according to the clue.
Question Cue Answer
1.

他/她什麼時候來?

Tā shénme shíhou lái?

When is he/she coming?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她明天來。

Tā míngtiān lái.

He/she is coming tomorrow.

2.

李先生什麼時候走?

Lǐ xiānsheng shénme shíhou zǒu?

When is Mr. leaving?

今天

jīntiān

today

他今天走。

Tā jīntiān zǒu.

He is leaving today.

3.

胡小姐設麼時候到?

Hú xiǎojiě shénme shíhou dào?

When is Miss arriving?

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

她明天到。

Tā míngtiān dào.

She is arriving tomorrow

4.

張個什麼時候來

Zhāng xiānsheng shénme shíhou lái?

When is Mr. Zhāng coming?

後天

hòutian

the day after tomorrow

他後天來。

Tā hòutiān lái.

He is coming the day after tomorrow.

5.

王小姐什麼時候到?

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/她什麼時候走?

Tā shénme shíhou zǒu?

When is he/she leaving?

後天

hòutiān

the day after tomorrow

他/她後天走。

Tā hòutiān zǒu.

He/she is leaving the day after tomorrow.

14.3.10  Transformation drill

Table 14.3.10.1 For each item, ask “which day...”
Cue Answer
1.

他/她來。 .

Tā lái.

He/she is coming.

他/她哪天來?

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. is arriving?

李太太哪天道?

Lǐ tàitai něitiān dào?

What day is Mrs. arriving?

4.

胡太太走。

Hú tàitai zǒu.

Mrs. is leaving.

胡太太哪天走?

Hú tàitai něitiān zǒu.

What day is Mrs. leaving?

5.

張先生到。

Zhāng xiānsheng dào.

Mr. Zhāng is arriving.

張先生哪天到?

Zhāng xiānsheng něitiān dào?

What day is Mr. Zhāng arriving?

6.

黃太太來。

Huáng táitai lái.

Mrs. Huáng is coming.

黃太太哪天來。

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?

14.3.11  Transformation drill

Table 14.3.11.1 Transform the statement according to the model
Statement Answer
1.

他/她什麼時候來?

Tā shénme shíhou lái?

When is he/she coming?

他/她是什麼時候來的?

Tā shi shénme shíhou láide?

When did he/she come?

2.

王先生什麼時候到?

Wáng xiánsheng shénme shíhou dào?

When is Mr. Wáng arriving?

王先生是什麼時候到的?

Wáng xiánsheng shi shénme shíhou dàode?

When did Mr. Wáng arrive?

3.

李太太什麼時候走?

Lǐ tàitai shénme shíhou zǒu?

When is Mrs. leaving?

李太太是什麼時候走的?

Li tàitai shi shénme shíhou zǒude?

When did Mrs. leave?

4.

胡先生什麼時候來?

Hú xiānsheng shénme shíhou lái?

When is Mr. coming?

胡先生是什麼時候來的?

Hú xiānsheng shi shénme shíhou láide?

When did Mr. come?

5.

黃太太什麼時候到?

Huáng tàitai shénme shíhou dào?

When is Mrs. Huāng arriving?

黃太太是什麼時候到的?

Huáng tàitai shi shénme shíhou dàode?

When did Mrs. Huāng arrive?

6.

林太太什麼時候走?

Lín tàitai shénme shíhou zǒu?

When is Mrs. Lín leaving?

林太太是什麼時候走的?

Lín tàitai shi shénme shíhou zǒude?

When did Mrs. Lín leave?

7.

他/她什麼時候來?

Tā shénme shíhou lái?

When is he/she coming?

他/她是什麼時候來的?

Tā shi shénme shíhou láide?

When did he/she come?

14.3.12  Transformation drill

Table 14.3.12.1 Respond with a shi...de. sentence when the cue makes it appropriate.
Question Cue Answer
1.

他/她來。

Tā lái.

He/she is coming.

明天

míngtiān

tomorrow

他/她明天來。

Tā míngtiān lái.

He/she is coming tomorrow.

2.

他/她來了。

Tā lái le.

He/she has come.

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

他/她是昨天來的。

Tā shi zuótiān láide.

He/she came 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.

黃太太走了。

Huáng tàitai zǒu le.

Mrs. Huáng has left.

前天

qiántiān

the day before yesterday

黃太太是前天走的。

Huáng tàitai shi qiántiān zǒude.

Mrs. Huáng left the day before yesterday.

5.

李先生來。

Lǐ xiānsheng lái.

Mr. is coming.

後天

hòutiān

the day after tomorrow

李先生後天來。

Lǐ xiánsheng hòutiān lái.

Mr. is coming the day after tomorrow.

6.

林先生來了。

Lín xiānsheng lái le.

Mr. Lín has come.

昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

林先生是昨天來的。

Lín xiānsheng shi zuótiān láide.

Mr. Lín came yesterday.

7.

馬小姐到了。

Mǎ xiǎojiě dào le.

Miss has arrived.

前天

qiántiān

the day before yesterday

馬小姐是前天到的。

Mǎ xiǎojiě shi qiántiān dàode.

Miss arrived the day before yesterday.

14.3.13  Response drill

Table 14.3.13.1 Give affirmative responses to the questions.
Question Answer
1.

他/她是昨天來的嗎?

Tā shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did he/she come yesterday?

是的。他/她是昨天來的。

Shìde. Tā shi zuótiān láide.

Yes, he/she came yesterday.

2.

王先生是今天到的嗎?

Wáng xiānsheng shi jīntiān dàode ma?

Did Mr. Wáng arrived today?

是的。王先生是今天到的。

Shìde. Wáng xiānsheng shi jīntiān dàode.

Yes, Mr. Wáng arrived today.

3.

李同志是前天走的嗎?

Lǐ tóngzhì shi qiántiān zǒude ma?

Did Comrade leave the day before yesterday?

是的。李同志是前天走的。

Shìde. Lǐ tóngzhì shi qiántiān zǒude.

Yes, Comrade left the day before yesterday.

4.

毛夫人明天來嗎?

Máo fūren míngtiān lái ma?

Is Mrs. Máo coming tomorrow?

是的。毛夫人明天來。

Shìde. Máo fūren míngtiān lái.

Yes, Mrs. Máo is coming tomorrow.

5.

他們孩子後天到嗎?

Tāmen háizi hòutiān dào ma?

Are their children arriving the day after tomorrow?

是的。他們孩子後天到。

Shìde. Tāmen háizi hòutian dào.

Yes, their children are arriving the day after tomorrow.

6.

他/她父母今天走嗎?

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.

張女士是昨天來的嗎?

Zhāng nǚshì shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did Ms. Zhāng come yesterday?

是的。張女士是昨天來的。

Shìde. Zhāng nǚshì shi zuótiān láide.

Yes, Ms. Zhāng did come yesterday.

14.3.14  Response drill

Table 14.3.14.1 Give negative responses to the shi... de questions.
Question Answer
1.

他/她是昨天來的嗎?

Tā shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did he/she come yesterday?

不。他/她不是昨天來的。

Bù. Tā bú shi zuótiān láide.

No, he/she didn’t come yesterday.

2.

江先生是今天道德嗎?

Jiāng xiānsheng shi jīntiān dàode ma?

Did Mr. Jiāng arrive today?

不。江先生不是今天到的。

Bù. Jiāng xiānsheng bú shi jīntiān dàode.

No, Mr. Jiāng didn’t arrive today.

3.

張同志是前天走的嗎?

Zhāng tóngzhì shi qiántiān zǒude ma?

Did Comrade Zhāng leave the day before yesterday?

不。張同志不是前天走的。

Bù. Zháng tóngzhì bú shi qiántian zǒude.

No, Comrade Zhāng didn’t leave day before yesterday.

4.

他們是昨天來的嗎?

Tāmen shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did they come yesterday?

不。他們不是昨天來的。

Bù. Tāmen bú shi zuótiān láide.

No, they didn’t come yesterday.

5.

他們孩子是前天到的嗎?

Tāmen háizi shi qiántiān dàode ma?

Did their children arrive the day before yesterday?

不。他們孩子不是前天到的。

Bù. Tāmen háizi bú shi qiántian dàode.

No, their children didn’t arrive the day before yesterday.

6.

何同志是今天走的嗎?

Hé tóngzhì shi jīntiān zǒude ma?

Did Comrade leave today?

不。何 不是今天走的。

Bù. Hé tóngzhì bú shi jīntiān zǒude.

No, Comrade didn’t leave today.

7.

他/她愛人是昨天來的嗎?

Tā àiren shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did his/her spouse come yesterday?

不。他/她愛人不是昨天來的。

Bù. Tā àiren bú shi zuótiān láide.

No, his/her spouse didn’t come yesterday.

14.3.15  Response drill

Table 14.3.15.1 According to the cues, give an affirmative or a negative response to each shi...de question.
Question Cue Answer
1.

他/她是昨天來的嗎?

Tā shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did he/she come yesterday?

affirmative

是的。他/她是昨天來的。

Shìde. Tā shi zuótiān láide.

Yes, he/she came yesterday.

2.

他/她是昨天來的嗎?

Tā shi zuótiān láide ma?

Did he/she come yesterday?

negative

不。他/她不是昨天來的.

Bù. Tā bú shi zuótiān láide.

No, he/she didn’t come yesterday.

3.

王同志是前天到的嗎?

Wáng tóngzhì shi 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 shi qiántiān dàode.

No, Comrade Wáng didn’t arrive the day before yesterday.

4.

他/她哥哥是今天來的嗎?

Tā gēge shi jīntiān láide ma?

Did his/her older brother come today?

negative

不。他/她哥哥不是今天來的。

Bù. Tā gēge bú shi jīntiān láide.

No, his/her older brother didn’t come today.

5.

李先生是今天走的嗎?

Lǐ xiānsheng shi jīntiān zǒude ma?

Did Mr. leave today?

negative

不。李先生不是今天走的。

Bù. Lǐ xiānsheng bú shi jīntiān zǒude.

No, Mr. didn’t leave today.

6.

趙夫人是昨天到的嗎?

Zhào fūren shi zuótiān dàode ma?

Did Mrs. Zhào arrive yesterday?

affirmative

是的。趙夫人是昨天到的。

Shìde. Zhào fūren shi zuótiān dàode.

Yes, Mrs. Zhào did arrive yesterday.

7.

他們孩子是前天走的嗎?

Tāmen háizi shi qiántiān zǒude ma?

Did their children leave the day before yesterday?

negative

不。他們孩子不是前天走的。

Bù. Tāmen háizi bú shi qiántiān zǒude.

No, their children didn’t leave the day before yesterday.

8.

孫女士是昨天到的嗎?

Sūn nǚshì shi zuótiān dàode ma?

Did Ms. Sūn arrive yesterday?

negative

不。孫女士不是昨天到的。

Bù. Sūn nǚshì bú shi zuótiān dàode.

No, Ms. Sūn didn’t arrive yesterday