vault update: 2024-05-27 16:30:00

Affected files:
Aspect.md
Existence and Identification Sentences.md

Aspect.md

@@ -9,4 +9,80 @@ Regardless of when the action occurred, it may always be characterised with an e
 1. *Past*: "What were you doing yesterday when he called?"
 2. *Present*: "What are you doing now?"
 3. *Future*: "What will you be doing this time tomorrow morning?"
+In this case, in English, the progressive aspect is marked with the verb: "were doing", "are doing", "will be doing". 
 
+Chinese, however, doesn't have any way of forming tenses with verbs. If necessary, time markers are used to specify the time context, but the verb is not conjugated:
+1. 我**去年**在北京大学学习汉语。
+   **Last year**, I studied Chinese at Beijing University. *(past)*
+2. 我**现在**在北京大学学习汉语。
+   I am **now** studying Chinese at Beijing University. *(present)*
+Thus one can consider Mandarin as having no tenses. However, Mandarin does have multiple aspects. 
+
+# Progressive Aspect
+#在 #呢 
+
+The progressive aspect marks an ongoing aspect of an action. In Chinese, we may place the verb 在zài before the predicate, and/or the particle 呢ne after it. In forming this pattern, there are three options to choose from - the choice of the three renders almost no difference in meaning, however.
+```
+(A) 在 + predicate + 呢
+(B) 在 + predicate
+(C)      predicate + 呢
+```
+For example:
+ 1. (A) 我**在**看报**呢**。
+    (B) 我**在**看报。
+    (C) 我看报**呢**。
+    I'm in the midst of reading a newspaper.
+
+> [!warning] Questions
+> When forming questions, option (C) is the least stylistically preferred of the three. Just use (A) or (B):
+> (A) 你在看报呢吗？
+> (B) 你在看报吗？
+> "Are you in the process of reading the newspaper?"
+
+## Negation
+#没有
+
+When negating a progressive sentence, we need to use 没有 instead of 不, before the verb unit - with or without 在. The final 呢 has to be dropped. 没有 can be shortened to 没 when standing before a verb, but it has to be in the full form in a short answer.
+Examples:
+1. **Question**
+   你在看电视呢吗？
+   Are you in the midst of watching TV?
+   **Answer**
+   没有，我没(有)在看电视。
+   Nope, I'm not in the midst of watching TV.
+2. **Question**
+   早上八点中的时候，你在打电话呢吗？
+   Yesterday at 8AM, were you on the phone?
+   **Answer**
+   没有，我没(有)(在)打电话，我在听新闻呢。
+   Nope, I wasn't on the phone - I was listening to the news.
+3. **Question**
+   他在睡觉呢吗？
+   Is he taking a nap?
+   **Answer**
+   他没(有)(在)睡觉，他在整理房间呢。
+   Nope, he isn't taking a nap - he's in the midst of cleaning his room.
+在 is only optional is (2) and (3) - where the negative answer is followed by a positive description of what actually took/is taking/will take place.
+
+What about when we want to use 在 to give a location? It can do both at the same time - you *should not* duplicate it. However, it makes sense to use 呢 to make it clear we are employing the progressive aspect:
+> 我们在花园里玩儿呢。
+> We're in the midst of playing in the garden.
+
+## 正在zhèngzài
+#正在 
+
+In English, we can emphasise that there is a disturbance, interception, or interruption like so:
+1. I was in the middle of cooking when he dropped in.
+2. I was *right* in the middle of cooking when he dropped in.
+Sentence (2) is a bit more vivid, and emphasises the interruption.
+
+In Chinese, the equivalent is putting 正zhèng before 在zài when using the progressive aspect:
+```
+正在 + verb (+ object) + 呢
+```
+
+The inclusion of 正 pinpoints an ongoing action to a specific point in time, which may be explicitly expressed by a time word (as in the following example (1)), a time clause (as in (2)), or implicitly inferred (as in (3)):
+1. 他们现在正在上课呢。
+   They are in class right now.
+2. 你昨天来找他的时候，他*正*在洗澡呢。
+   When you came to look for him yesterday, he was *right* in the middle of taking a shower.

Existence and Identification Sentences.md

@@ -63,5 +63,4 @@ Take for example the following two questions:
    Is there any one in front of you?
    (maybe you are on a phone call or something - you don't know if anyone is in front of them)
 2. 你前边是谁？
-   Who is that in front of you?
-
+   Who is that in front of you?