Answers for Revision on Question Words

Here is the answers for the exercise posted end of last week on Revision for Question words.
1. Whose car are you driving?

你开谁的车？

Nǐ kāi shuí de chē?

 2. Whom will go with you to Paris?

你跟谁去巴黎？

Nǐ gēn shuí qù bāli?

 3. What is she looking at?

她在看什么？

Tā zài kàn shénme?

 4. Why can't she stay behind?

她为什么不能留下来？

Tā wèishénme bùnéng liúxiàlái?

 5. What do you want to do?

你要做什么？

Ni yào zuò shénme?

 6. When does the TV show start?

电视节目什么时候开始？

Diànshì jiémù shénme shíhòu kāishi?

 7. Where is my pen?

我的笔在哪儿？
wǒ de bǐ zài nǎr?

 8. Who see my mathematic textbooks?

谁看到我的数学课本？

Shuí kàndào wǒde shùxué kèběn?

 9. Which month will the spring start?

春节几月开始？

Chūnjié jǐyuè kǎishi?

 10. Why do you laugh so loudly?

你为什么笑得那么大声？

Nǐ wèishénme xiàode nàme dàshēng?


Translation from Mandarin to English/Bahasa Indonesia:
1. 他为什么不打电话给我？
Tā wèishěnme dǎdiànhuà gěi wǒ?
Why does he call me?

2. 你什么 时候毕业？
Nǐ shénme shíhòu bìyè?
When do you graduate?

3. 你的家人住哪里？
Nǐ de jiārén hù nǎlǐ?
Where does your family live?

4. 你在哪儿工作？
Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?
Where do you work?

5. 你的朋友几号去香港？
Nǐde péngyǒu jǐhào qù xiānggǎng?
What date does your friend go to Hong Kong?

6. 昨天你几点起床？
Zuótiān nǐ jǐdiǎn qǐchuáng?
What time did you wake up yesterday?

7. 那个女子是谁？
Nàgènǚzi shìshuí?
Who is that girl?

8. 谁帮你报名？
Shuí bāng ni bàomíng?
Who helps you to register?

9. 谁的车坏了？
Shuí de chē huài le?
Whose car is broken?

10. 那个孩子在看什么卡通片？
Nàgè háizi zài kàn shénme kǎtōngpiàn?
what cartoon is that kid watching?

Try to digest it realllll slow and see if you have already understood it well. Come up with certain sentences and try to convey it in Chinese. Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

There won't be any new post for the upcoming week. Will introduce new lesson on 22 Nov. So stay updated by subscribing.

Happy reviewing,
Linda Tan
Thank you

Revision on Question Words

Here is the revision that covers the last 3 posts on various question words.

Remember not to translate word by word, but look for the purpose of the words in the sentence. Also, try to look simplify words but looking at similarity in meaning. For example, instead of looking up for the words "would like" in Pleco, try "want" when possible. Be wise though, see if the meaning remain the same by interchanging those words.

Translate from English to Mandarin:
1. Whose car are you driving?
2. Whom will go with you to Paris?
3. What is she looking at?
4. Why can't she stay behind?
5. What do you want to do?
6. When does the TV show start?
7. Where is my pen?
8. Who see my mathematic textbooks?
9. Which month will the spring start?
10. Why do you laugh so loudly?

Translate from Mandarin to English/Bahasa Indonesia:
1. 他为什么不打电话给我？
Tā wèishěnme dǎdiànhuà gěi wǒ?
2. 你什么 时候毕业？
Nǐ shénme shíhòu bìyè?
3. 你的家人住哪里？
Nǐ de jiārén hù nǎlǐ?
4. 你在哪儿工作？
Nǐ zài nǎr gōngzuò?
5. 你的朋友几号去香港？
Nǐde péngyǒu jǐhào qù xiānggǎng?
6. 昨天你几点起床？
Zuótiān nǐ jǐdiǎn qǐchuáng?
7. 那个女子是谁？
Nàgènǚzi shìshuí?
8. 谁帮你报名？
Shuí bāng ni bàomíng?
9. 谁的车坏了？
Shuí de chē huài le?
10. 那个孩子在看什么卡通片？
Nàgè háizi zài kàn shénme kǎtōngpiàn?

Tips: You have to be familiar with the question words first, means you should be able to recall what is "WHEN" in Chinese, What is "Where" in Chinese and so on.

Again, slowly but sure! Refer to the pattern of sentence when necessary.

Remember that you don't become fluent in a new language overnight. I have known this language for almost 20+ years and still learning. :) Hope it motivates you.


Have fun!
Linda Tan

Question Words "WHAT" & "WHY"

Here are another 2 commonly used question words, WHAT and WHY

WHAT 什么 shénme

Unlike English, question words are mostly used in front of the sentences. In Chinese, that's hardly the case, when you are asking a full sentence question. Here is the sentence structure:

S + Verb +  什么 + Noun (if any)?

For example:
Example: What do you drink?

S = you 你
Verb = drink 喝

你喝什么？

Nǐ hē shénme?

When there is existence of a noun, for example you want to know about the beverages (饮料 yǐnliào(n) that he/she drinks, then you add it after 什么 shénme

What beverage do you drink?
你喝什么饮料？ 

Nǐ hē shénme yǐnliào?

Example: What are you listening to?
(To describe the present continuous tense, that the action is on going at the moment of speaking, in Chinese we often use the word 在 Zài)

你在听什么？
Nǐ zàitīng shénme?

What music are you listening to?
你在听什么音乐？

Nǐ zàitīng shénme yīnyuè?

WHY 为什么 Wèishénme

Here is the structure for WHY:
S + 为什么 Wèishénme + Verb?

Example: Why does she cry?
她为什么哭？

Tā wèishénme kū?

Example: Why does your mom go to the hospital?
你妈妈为什么去医院？
Nǐmāma wèishénme qù yīuàn?

Just like in English, we answer WHY question with "Because... " in Chinese, we use “因为 Yīnwèi。。。”

 

After the word "because", then the sentence follows can be simple sentence that we have learnt before, either in Positive form or in Negative form.

 

For example:

Why does she cry?

她为什么哭？

Tā wèishénme kū?

 

Answer 1, followed by negative sentence:

Because her mom hasn't come to pick her up yet.

因为她妈妈还没接她

Yīnwèi tāmāma háiméi lái jiē tā

 

Answer 2, followed by positive sentence:

Because her stomach hurts.

因为她的肚子痛

Yīnwèi tāde dùzi tòng

 

 

Again, Video can only be played on a desktop, not handheld.

 

Next post we will be reviewing all the WH questions introduced. Let's see how much that you have grasped, before moving on to the next lesson.

 

Good Week Ahead,

Linda Tan