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Title: Translation Questions for Non-Chinese


Ghost_of_Han - August 30, 2004 10:31 PM (GMT)
Well I started this thread cause I just started Chinese again in School, and some how forgot that is was very hard. We are working on sentences with the "Ni zenme" being used. I tryed these traslations and got caught on a few, and was hoping you could just confirm them for me. I probaley will have alot of questions in the future.

昨天的电影很好你怎么没去看?
Yesterday's movie was very good, how come you didn't watch?

十点上课你怎么十点半才来?
Class is at 10:00, how come you came at 10:30?

昨天是小高的生日你怎么没有来
Yesterday was little Gao's birthday, how come you weren't there?

今天的考试很容易你怎么考的这么不好
Today's test was very easy, how come this test is no good?

明天有考试 你怎么没有复习
Tomorrow you have a test, how come you haven't reviewed?

高小音在图书馆工作你怎么不认识她
Gao lives and works at a library, how come you can't understand her?
I am pretty sure this translation is wrong.

八点半才上课你怎么七点就 来了
Class is at 8:30, how come you are here at 7:00?
could someone explain this one, I felt I translated it right, but I kinda
guess just by the structure of the sentence.

今天是星期一你怎么没去上课
Today is monday how come we have to go to class?


Any thing at all I would love to know about the translations.

Kulong - August 30, 2004 10:36 PM (GMT)
I assume you're supposed to translate from Chinese to English as all the Chinese sentences are perfect.

QUOTE
今天的考试很容易你怎么考的这么不好
Today's test was very easy, how come this test is no good?

Today's test was very easy, how come you didn't do (考 / to take the test) so well?

考試 is a VO (Verb Object), so when you're talking about the action, you only use the verb part.

QUOTE
高小音在图书馆工作你怎么不认识她
Gao lives and works at a library, how come you can't understand her?
I am pretty sure this translation is wrong.

Close.

Gao Xiaoyin works at the library, how come you don't know (认识 / to know someone) her?

QUOTE
八点半才上课你怎么七点就 来了
Class is at 8:30, how come you are here at 7:00?
could someone explain this one, I felt I translated it right, but I kinda
guess just by the structure of the sentence.

You got it right, what do you not understand?

QUOTE
今天是星期一你怎么没去上课
Today is monday how come we have to go to class?

Today is Monday, how come you didn't go to class?

---

BTW, don't be afraid to ask questions (not that I'm saying you are). I used to be a Chinese tutor at my university and I love helping others. :)

Ghost_of_Han - September 2, 2004 07:59 PM (GMT)
1. This is use of de/得,

Verb + de/得 + compliment. Is how they say it is supposed to be used.

他考得很好
He takes tests very well
小高昨天睡得很晚
Little Gao went to sleep very late? I don't see how the de/得 is used in
this sentence.
那个学生预习得不错
That student reviews pretty good? Again I don't see where the de/得 come
in.
我弟弟吃得很多
My little brother eats a lot.
老师来得很早
My teacher comes very early.

I understand this sentence the best cause, the "ly" on early makes sense,
cause that is an adverb. Its been explained to me that de/得 makes an adverb, am I looking at the translation to literal?

2.
Verb + Object + Verb + de/得 + Complement

王朋说话说得很快
Wang Peng speaks quickly
小白喝啤酒喝得很多
Little Bai drinks beer oftenly
他念课文念得不错
He reads the lesson well
我写中国字写得不太好
I write Chinese Characters pretty bad
你妹妹唱歌唱得很好
Your sister sings songs very well


Over all I'm not really sure what De/得 does can anyone explain?


Kulong - September 2, 2004 10:27 PM (GMT)
Simple, you always use 得 after a verb.

"Subject Verb 得 Adverb" would be a typical formula.

look at all the examples you provided.

Ghost_of_Han - September 2, 2004 11:18 PM (GMT)
My trasnaltions are right? And also the reason I get confused is alot of my tranlstions aren't ending in an Adverb.

老师来得很早
老师来很早

How are these sentences different?

Kulong - September 2, 2004 11:25 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (Ghost_of_Han @ Sep 2 2004, 11:18 PM)
老师来得很早
老师来很早

How are these sentences different?

老师来得很早 is grammatically correct.

老师来很早 isn't.

Similar to how "I ate the cookies" is grammatically correct in English but "I ate cookies" isn't, although understandable.




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