Grammar: L16-18 Flashcards
Descriptive complement
i.e. 孩子笑得很可爱 (The kid gave a very cute smile)
Potential complements
得 or 不 can be placed between a verb & a resultative/directional complement to convey if a result can be realized
Typically appears in negative form (less often in affirmative)
i.e. 六点半回不来 (I can’t make it back by 6:30 pm)
我看得懂 (I’m able to understand)
Both 得 and 不 can be used in the same sentence to pose a question
i.e. 五十个饺子你吃得完吃不完? (Can you eat fifty dumplings or not?)
Potential complements are more often effective than 不能 at conveying the absence of a condition preventing the result. CANNOT combine with 把
就 (only)
When placed before a noun/pronoun, often followed by a numeral-measure word combination
i.e. 我们班人很少，就七个学生 (Our class is small, with just seven students)
Simple directional complements
Subj. + v. + place word/n. + 来/去
Subj. + v. + 来/去 + noun
Subj. + v. + 上/下… + place/n.
Subj. + 把 + obj. + v. + 来/去
Compound directional complements
Subj. + v. + 上/下… + place word/n. + 来/去
Subj. + v. + 上/下… + 来/去 + n.
Subj. + 把 + obj. + v. + 上/下…(+ place) + 来/去
…了…了 for duration of time
On its own:
Action has been continuing, and expected to continue
他病了三天: He was sick for 3 days; recovered on the 4th
他病了三天了: He’s been sick for 3 days; still sick
If followed by another clause:
Action has been continuing, and may end
衣服我已经买了三件了，够了: I’ve already bought three pieces of clothing. That’s plenty.
Using 连
Intensifier always used with 都 or 也. 连 Represents an extreme case (i.e. biggest/smallest, best/worst, hardest/easiest)
他很聪明，连日本话都会说。
He’s really smart. He can even speak Japanese.
Potential complement
不下
v. + 不下 suggests location/container can’t hold something
这张纸写不下八百个字。
This piece of paper isn’t big enough to write 800 characters on.
多 indicating approximate #
多 can be placed after a # to indicate a numeric range.
If noun isn’t divisible into smaller units = # + 多 + mw
(二十多个人: more than twenty people)
If noun is divisible into smaller units then there’s 2 options
1. If # isn’t a multiple of 10 = # + mw + 多
(七块多钱: more than $7, less than $8)
- If # is a multiple of 10 can either # = # + 多 + mw
OR # + mw + 多
十多块钱: more than $10, less than $20
十块多钱: more than $10, less than $11
Question pronouns with 都/也
Question pronouns don’t have to appear only in questions (i.e. 什么, 谁, 哪, 几). When 都/也 appears after, it means ‘all’ or ‘none’
什么都不想喝: I don’t feel like drinking anything
我谁都没认识: I didn’t get to know anybody
你明天几点跟我见面都行: You can meet with me any time tomorrow
这些公寓我哪套都不租: I am not renting any of these apartments
Duration of non-action
Time expression + 没 + v + (了)
An action hasn’t been or wasn’t performed for a period of time
他三天没上网了: He hasn’t gone online for three days
好/难 + v
Some verbs preceded by 好/难 can become a compound adj. meaning: easy/difficult to v.
好懂/难懂: easy to understand/hard to understand
In some cases, pleasant/unpleasant
好看/难看: pretty/ugly
下去
Signifies continuation of an action already in progress
你别念下去了: please stop reading
我想学下去: I’d like to continue learning
Duration of actions
When sentence contains both time expression that indicates duration of action and an object, use one of two structures:
1. Repetition of v
2. Time expression before object (often with 的)
She listens to recordings for an hour every day:
1. 她每天听录音听一个小时
2. 她每天听一个小时(的)录音
The 着 particle
Used between 2 verbs to indicate continuation of action/state (unlike 在 that’s used at the beginning). 1st verb is the accompanying action and has to be monosyllabic, while 2nd is the main action
老师站着教课，学生坐着听课: While the teacher stood lecturing, the students sat listening
