請問﹐你等甚麼﹖

[xuechengfeng]

請問﹐你等甚麼﹖

Is this the correct way to say "What are you waiting for?"

In both the context of maybe..

"What are you waiting for (maybe at the park for a friend or something, and I'm inquiring why you are standing around)"

or

"What are you waiting for (get the hell outta here, leave!!)"

[skylee]

I would say "你在等甚麼?"

You may make reference to these two songs' titles -

"你知道我在等你嗎?" (Do you know I am waiting for you?)

"我等著你回來" (I am waiting for your to come back)

[高可文]

Is there a difference in meaning between 我在等... and 我等著,,, ?

[Quest]

Is there a difference in meaning between 我在等... and 我等著,,, ?

在 kind of adds the "ing" aspect.

[xuechengfeng]

我可以不可以回答?

我在都不等誰。

我在不都等甚麼。

if i wanted to say i'm not waiting for nething or anyone?

i have a feeling i screwed that up

[Adam]

我可以不可以回答?

just wondering is this gramatically correct?

can you write 可以不可以。。

or do you need to write it like 可不可以。。

I havent seen the first way written before, is it common?

[xuechengfeng]

u lost me

[Quest]

Quote:

我可以不可以回答?

just wondering is this gramatically correct?

can you write 可以不可以。。

or do you need to write it like 可不可以。。

I havent seen the first way written before, is it common?

可不可以 should be used here. 可以不可以 is not all wrong, but it is rarely used, and it sounds weird here.

[Quest]

我可以不可以回答?

我在都不等誰。

我在不都等甚麼。

if i wanted to say i'm not waiting for nething or anyone?

i have a feeling i screwed that up

should be: 我没（在）等什么。 我没（在）等谁。

[shibo77]

Sorry for using Simplified Chinese.

你在等什么? Ni zai deng shenme? (You) (here and now) (wait) (for) (what)?

What are you waiting for?

你等什么? Ni deng shenme? (You) (wait) (for) (what)?

What are you waiting for? (more emphatic, I think)

我在等...Wo zai deng.. (I) (here and now) (wait)...

I am waiting (for)...

我等着...Wo deng zhe.. (I) (wait) (progressive/continuous particle)...

I am waiting (for)...

They are the same. "我在等..." seems more common to me than "我等着...", but both are used.

But in isolation. "我等着." as in "I will be waiting here./ I will wait here." is used. and "我等着." would be incorrect for "I will wait here./ I will wait here."

可. Ke Can. (Classical Chinese)

可以. Keyi. Can. (Modern Chinese)

可不可以? Ke bu keyi? (Can 'classical') (no can)? contraction of modern form "可以不可以? Keyi bu keyi?"

可以不可以? Keyi bu keyi? (Can 'modern') (no can)? Full modern form.

-Shibo