Grammar and sentence structure explanation needed

[renzhe]

The answer is 对.

The 是 doesn't answer the question, it explains the answer, the answer being 对.

The 是 means that the traffic light is the crossing they are talking about.

[yonglin]

B: 对，那个红绿灯就是。

So still the same old problem.. why last sentence has 是 instead of 在?

I would think about this sentence as

Right, [at the place of] that traffic light just is [the place where you need to turn].

[Sebasti]

new problem yet again... i would need little more info about grammar with directions.

i came across these two: 往右拐 and 向东拐. When i use directions such as front, back, left and right should i use 往 ... 拐 and when north, south east and west it should be 向 ... 拐? Or are they exactly same or totally different? what is the usage difference between 往 and 向?

Does 再 in this 向北走100米，再向东拐 sentence mean “then”? Or something else? If it is "then", in what kind of situations it can be used?

[renzhe]

Does 再 in this 向北走100米，再向东拐 sentence mean “then”? Or something else? If it is "then", in what kind of situations it can be used?

Yes, it means "then", it can be used when you're describing an action which directly follows the previous one.

[HashiriKata]

Yes, it means "then", it can be used when you're describing an action which directly follows the previous one.

再 as "then" is correct in some situations but it could mislead new comers to use it in sentences such as "do A, then do B". 再 doesn't mean that, and should therefore be safer to translate as "and again": "do A, and again do A ".

(Even in this sense of "and again", remember to use 再 only for future actions)

[studentyoung]

Does 再 in this 向北走100米，再向东拐 sentence mean “then”? Or something else? If it is "then", in what kind of situations it can be used?

I think it means “then” in this sentence.

If 再means “again”, it must be used to describe sb. is going to repeat or sb. repeats the same action he has done before. For example. 请再说一遍吧。Please say that again.

If 再means “then”, usually it used to describe sb. is going to do / does another thing which is different to his previous action. 他先去学校接孩子，再把孩子带到公园去玩。He picked up his child from school and then took her to a park.

Cheers!

[HashiriKata]

Studentyoung is right. Somehow I completely forgot the 2nd usage at the time of posting.

[Sebasti]

Thanks again for all the helpful replies

1) i'm still looking for help with these two: 往右拐 and 向东拐. When i use directions such as front, back, left and right should i use 往 ... 拐 and when north, south east and west it should be 向 ... 拐? Or are they exactly same or totally different? what is the usage difference between 往 and 向?

2)她又找了新男朋友

Could the 了 be placed also after the whole sentence? Would this change the diffecence?

Could 再 be used instead of 又 to tell this is happening again?

3)我结婚以后不想要孩子

What is the meaning of double wants? I've understood that 想 is "would like to" and 要is "want" and also indicating more powerful "want" than 想. Does this "double want" 想要indicate even more radical "want" than using just 要?

4)我们谈恋爱两年了

What does 谈 mean in this sentence? The translation is "We have been in love for two years". Why 谈 is used? Doesn't that word mean "talk"?

5) I've also learned that 吧 is used also to indicate questions. From written text it is easy to understand is it a suggestion or question since the ? is used with questions. When used in spoken language is there some sort of tonal difference?

[renzhe]

1) I think they are the same, in other words, I don't know about any difference between them. But I can't be 100% sure about that.

2) See this thread for a discussion about the difference between sentence 了 and verb 了.

3) 想要 is a verb meaning "want", "would like". I'm not sure where exactly to put it in terms of strength, probably somewhere between 想 and 要. You can't always use 想 because 想 also means "to miss" and "to think", so it can sometimes be ambiguous. 想 + person often means "miss someone".

4) 谈恋爱 is a set phrase. "恋爱" actually means a relationship, and always comes with "谈". The implication is that a relationship is built on communication, at least according to my girlfriend.

5) No tonal difference I'm aware of. It depends on the context.

[Sebasti]

恋爱 is a set phrase. "恋爱" actually means a relationship, and always comes with "谈".

In my study book "恋爱" is translated to a verb "fall in love". Is this incorrect translation then? Do you mean that I can't use just "恋爱" but should always use "谈恋爱" when i want it to translate as "relationship"?

[renzhe]

My dictionary defines it as "love, be in love". 谈恋爱 is "to court". So yeah, I'd say "谈恋爱" if I meant relationship. What I said was a bit confusing, they don't ALWAYS have to come together, it's just that 谈 is the verb that comes with 恋爱. If you want to say "We are in a relationship", you say "我们谈恋爱", not "有恋爱", or "做恋爱" or whatever.

"爱" alone is too general, you can 爱 your wife, but you can also 爱 your country or your parents. You can't 恋爱 your country or your parents. And as soon as 谈 is there, it implies a relationship.

"To fall in love" is "爱恋" or "爱上".

[skylee]

If you want to say "We are in a relationship", you say "我们谈恋爱", not "有恋爱", or "做恋爱" or whatever.

I would say 我們在談戀愛 for "We are in a relationship".

"To fall in love" is "爱恋" or "爱上".

Also consider 墮入情網.

[dsrguru]

On the subject of 想 vs. 要 vs. 想要, I asked in a thread a little while ago, and the general consensus seemed to be:

1. 要 means "to want" and can precede either a verb or a noun

e.g. 我要吃飯 (I want to eat) or 我要筷子 (I want chopsticks)

2.想 means "would like" when preceding an action verb.

e.g. 我想吃飯 (I would like to eat)

3. 想要 means "would like" and can precede either a verb or a noun. If it precedes a verb, it's basically the same as when 想 precedes a verb, although maybe slightly closer in meaning to "want." If it precedes a noun, it means "would like [to have]."

e.g. 我想要吃飯 (I would like to eat) or 我想要筷子 (I would like [to have] chopsticks)

.

Note that 想 by itself or before a subordinate clause means "to think" (e.g. 我想我父母是昨天到的 - I think [that] my parents came yesterday) and that it can mean "to miss" before a noun (e.g. 我想我女朋友 - I miss my girlfriend). Also note that 想 can mean "to be thinking of" or "to plan on" (e.g. 我想明天走 - I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow / I plan on leaving tomorrow).

[Sebasti]

Could someone explain grammar of this sentece

我门一家五口人 "there are five people in my family"

Why 一 is needed before 家? Why there is no measure word between them? Why 有 is not needed?

This sentence was preceeded by question "你门家有几口人?", why there is no question word used in it? does 几 in some cases include question itself?

[renzhe]

几 in this case means "how many", and is indeed a question word.

Another example: "几点钟?", or "What's the time?"

[dsrguru]

我门一家五口人

I think 門/门 should be 們/们 by the way.

[Sebasti]

yes, just a typo.. so:

我们一家五口人 "there are five people in my family"

The question still stand;s Why 一 is needed before 家? Why there is no measure word between them? Why 有 is not needed?

[renzhe]

家, being a measure word itself (e.g. 一家饭店) doesn't need a measure word. Same goes for 天 and some others.

The rest, I don't know, sorry. It looks like a set phrase. Think of it as "a five-person household". It's not really a grammar rule you can apply to other things, it's just how you express this particular thing.

[dsrguru]

Sorry, Sebasti. Like renzhe, I didn't know the grammatical explanation. An alternative would be to say "there are five people in my family" more literally with 我家裡有五個人/我家里有五个人 (wǒ jiāli yǒu wǔge rén), which could be the answer to a question like 你家裡有幾個人/你家里有几个人？(nǐ jiāli yǒu jǐge rén?).

[Sebasti]

More question:

1)

- 星期天我们开个生日晚会

- 那我们星期六准备一下

1A)

on the first sentence, why 个is used after a verb? Is it because I can count birthday partys like 一个生日晚会? I could as well say 开一个生日晚会 but in these cases the 一 can simply be dropped out?

1B)

in this case does the word 那 in the beginning of the second phrase refer to the birthday party? Basicly "On saturday we'll have birthday party preparation" ("Birthday party we saturday have a preparation")? Could 那 be placed on somewhere else in the second sentence, or if it were replaced with 生日晚会 could it then be placed for example in the end of the sentence?

2)

时间过得真快

This is propably a fixed phrase? What function 得 has in this sentence? Does it mean something itself or is it used together with 过 to form some new meaning or change meaning of 过 some how?