diff --git a/Aspect.md b/Aspect.md index dff851c..cb8f8aa 100644 --- a/Aspect.md +++ b/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. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/Existence and Identification Sentences.md b/Existence and Identification Sentences.md index 2b4bf36..ae7e258 100644 --- a/Existence and Identification Sentences.md +++ b/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? \ No newline at end of file