HSK 2Lesson 8 of 13 · 7 grammar points

Conversation and information structure

Open-ended lists, advice and impending events are common discourse tools. Chinese can also put an affected thing first and build identifying clauses before nouns. These structures help speakers start with what is already under discussion.

Learning goals (7)

Et cetera with 什么的.
Advice with 还是…吧.
An approaching event.
Already beyond expectation.
Patient as subject.
Nominal phrase predicates.
Clause modifiers.

什么的

Et cetera with 什么的

Put 什么的 after examples to leave a conversational list open-ended.

我买了水果、牛奶什么的。

Wǒ mǎi le shuǐ guǒ, niú nǎi shén me de.

I bought fruit, milk and things like that.

Pitfall: This is not a literal question asking what.

还是…吧

Advice with 还是…吧

还是 before a proposal and 吧 at the end often recommends the preferable option after considering alternatives.

我们还是明天去吧。

Wǒ men hái shì míng tiān qù ba.

We'd better go tomorrow.

Pitfall: This 还是 recommends; a choice question's 还是 asks between options.

要/快要/就要…了

An approaching event

要、快要 or 就要 before an event, with final 了, indicates it is about to happen.

火车就要来了。

Huǒ chē jiù yào lái le.

The train is about to arrive.

Pitfall: Do not interpret this 要 as wanting the train.

都…了

Already beyond expectation

都…了 highlights that a time or state has already been reached, often with surprise or urgency.

都十点了，你还不睡？

Dōu shí diǎn le, nǐ hái bù shuì?

It's already ten; aren't you going to bed?

Pitfall: The word expresses stance rather than universal quantity here.

作业

Patient as subject

The topic or subject can be the thing affected without an explicit passive marker, when the context supports that reading.

作业已经做完了。

Zuò yè yǐ jīng zuò wán le.

The homework has already been finished.

Pitfall: The affected homework is the subject; the person who did it need not be named.

一百块钱

Nominal phrase predicates

A noun-like phrase can predicate an age, price or date in a suitable context.

这件衣服一百块钱。

Zhè jiàn yī fu yī bǎi kuài qián.

This item of clothing costs one hundred yuan.

Pitfall: An amount predicate is not a general rule allowing omission of 是 everywhere.

我昨天买的

Clause modifiers

A verb phrase or subject–predicate phrase can precede 的 and a noun to identify which one.

这是我昨天买的书。

Zhè shì wǒ zuó tiān mǎi de shū.

This is the book I bought yesterday.

Pitfall: Put the entire identifying clause before the head noun.

Source details (official syllabus)

Et cetera with 什么的
Syllabus item
什么的
Category
其他
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-041
PDF page
390 (printed 387)
Advice with 还是…吧
Syllabus item
还是……吧
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-042
PDF page
390 (printed 387)
An approaching event
Syllabus item
要/快要/就要……了
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-043
PDF page
390 (printed 387)
Already beyond expectation
Syllabus item
都……了
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-044
PDF page
390 (printed 387)
Patient as subject
Syllabus item
受事主语
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-045
PDF page
390 (printed 387)
Nominal phrase predicates
Syllabus item
名词性短语作谓语
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-046
PDF page
390 (printed 387)
Clause modifiers
Syllabus item
动词或动词性短语、主谓短语作定语
Grammar ID
grammar-L2-047
PDF page
390 (printed 387)