The Chinese language employs
heavy usage of particles to modify the meaning of characters
and sentences. Since Chinese has neither inflections nor
tense, the mastery of particles is an absolute must if one is
to fully comprehend both written and spoken Chinese. Below,
you will find some of the most common particles in everyday
Chinese.
The De [的] particle as
possessive
|
The particle de [的]
can be used to indicate possession. It is roughly
equivalent to the contraction "X's" in English, where X is
the subject. |
1. 她的名字是金妮。
- Tā de míngzi shì Jīnní.
- Her name is Ginny.
The Le/Liăo particle
Perfect Particle,
Completive Particle The 了 particle
is used mainly to indicate a completed action (in
English, this is the perfect aspect).
Example: 他 走 了。 Tā zŏu le.
He has gone.
The "le" here is used to modify 走 (zŏu, to go) into an
action which has already been completed.
了 can also be used as an
imperative, that is, a command which is issued by the
subject
Example: 别 再 打扰 我 了! Bié zài dărăo wŏ le! Do not bother me
again!
In this instance, le is used in conjunction with bié ("do
not") to form an imperative. Note: most imperatives are
not formed using this construction.
Finally, 了, as in Liăo (a
homographic variant) can be used to indicate the subject's
capability in doing such and such.
Example: 我 实在 吃 不 了 了。 Wŏ
shízài chī bù liăo le. I cannot possibly eat any more.
At first glance, this sentence may seem a bit daunting as it
includes two instances of the le particle, paired
side-by-side. However, the first le is understood to be liăo
given its placement (bù + le is a nonsensical pairing).
Therefore, liăo serves to indicate the capability of eating
any further and le emphasizes this assertion.
The Zhe [着] particle showing continuation
|
The particle Zhe [着]
is used after a verb to show that the action is in
progress or that the results from that action are
continuing. |
1. 他睡着觉时有人敲门。
- Tā shuìzhe jiào shí
yŏurén qiāomén.
- While he was sleeping,
someone knocked on the door.
The Zháo [着] particle indicating accomplishment
|
The particle Zháo
[着] is used after a verb to show accomplishment or result.
Note: It is not to be
confused with the identically written particle Zhe, which
shows continuation (Lesson 3). |
1. 我终于把东西买着了!
- Wŏ zhōngyú bă dōngxī măi
zháo le.
- I've finally
been able to buy this item!
And another word, dào
[到], can be seen as a substitution for 着, in most cases they
are interchangeable.
2. 他在行窃时被当场抓到。
- Tā zài xíng qìe shí beì
dāng chǎng zhuā dào.
- He was(is) caught in the
act of stealing.
The 把 + N + V + 着(到)了
construction is particularly useful and should be studied.
The De [得] particle indicating degree
|
The particle de [得]
is used in few special constructs to indicate degree of
complement (how fast, how early, how expensive, etc). It
has no equivalent in English but must be used to indicate
the meanings below. |
1. 我说得很好.
- Wŏ shūo de hěn hăo.
- I speak very
well.
This construct often
requires a context to gain its full meaning.
If you wish to speak more
specifically about an action, the two constructs below
demonstrate the use of 得 with a direct object.
|
S + V + O + V + 得 +
adjective |
2. 我说中文说得很好.
- Wŏ shūo zhōngwén shūo de
hěn hăo.
- I speak Chinese
very well.
Note the dual-use of the
verb.
|
O + S + V + 得 + adjective |
3. 中文我说得很好.
- Zhōngwén wŏ shūo de hěn
hăo.
- I speak Chinese
very well.
This construct emphasizes
the object (here being "Chinese").
|
S + O + V + 得 + adjective |
4. 我中文说得很好.
- Wŏ zhōngwén shūo de hěn
hăo.
- I speak Chinese
very well.
This expression is the
simplification of the 2nd expression by eliminating the 1st
verb. This form is even more frequently used than the 2nd
expression above. |
