"的 时候" - meaning?

[Kessha]

Hello!

I need a little help with the word constellation "的 时候".

For example:

• 我 六 岁 的 时候。
  
• 我 到 他 宿舍 的 时候。
  
• 你 来 的 时候，他 在 什么 呢?
  

Can anyone explain to me what meaning "的 时候" has?

I am used to 有时候 and 时候, but I don't know what to do if there is a 的.

My Chinese teacher explained it to us, but I was sick this week so I was not able to attend class when she discussed the grammar part.

Thank you!

[adrianlondon]

It kind of means "when". Just stick "when" in front of the English translations of the rest of the sentence and you've got it.

1. When I was 8

2. When I got to his dorm room

3. When you arrived, ... umm, "where was he" or "what was he up to?" - is the Chinese right?

[renzhe]

Just keep in mind that it's not a question. It just specifies a point in time.

[Kessha]

Thank you for the answers! I understand know how to use it.

3. Yes the sentence is right, it is a sample from my Chinese book. Actually there

is an answer to the question so maybe this is why it sounds so odd.

* 你 来 的 时候，他 在 什么 呢?

Answer: 我 来 的 时候，他 正在看 电视呢。

Hopefully it is correct and my book does not tell me nonsense.

Thank you again!

[Lu]

I think 他在作什么 (what was he doing) is better, but perhaps it doesn't fit in the structure of the book.

[Shadowdh]

Would this work for the question in the book?

你 来 的 时候，他 正在 什么 呢?

我 来 的 时候，他 正在看 电视呢。

[Kessha]

I took a picture from the sentence in my book. This is just a little exercise where we had to replace the underlined part with the words from the box.

The structure is pretty easy because I am still a beginner

[imron]

1. When I was 8

6 even

[renzhe]

See, the book actually says "他 在做 什么 呢". The 做 was missing, that's why the sentence sounded wrong.

[HerrPetersen]

Are you by any chance using the old "Practical Chinese Reader"- (as opposed to the New Practical Chinese Reader-) books, the ones with Gubo and Palanka?

[Don_Horhe]

Looks more like the white and blue BLCU books to me.

[Kessha]

@ renzhe sorry for the mistake, but thank you for your help!

Yes my Chinese course does use the blue and white BLCU books "Hanyu jiaocheng"

[Flying Pigeon]

I took a picture from the sentence in my book.

Kessha, can you give me the page number? Curious to know if I have the same book.

I have BLCU's 汉语听力教程, 第一册.

Thanks in advance.

Edited April 26, 2009 at 12:53 PM by Dean A. Swanson

[Kessha]

Sure!

It's page 50, Lesson 20.

But it's 汉语教程, 第一册, 下.

Do you have this book and/or the listening course book (汉语听力教程, 第一册) ?

[Flying Pigeon]

Thanks, Kessha.

I have 汉语教程, 第一册, 上 and 汉语听力教程, 第一册. But I have been using other books for my studies.

[Kessha]

May I ask what other books do you use for your studies?

Personally I don't think that the BLCU books alone are sufficient

(e.g. the grammar explanation parts are way to superficial and don't go into detail.)

So I am looking for some other accompanying books.

[Flying Pigeon]

Hi Kessha,

I'm in Japan, so the book that I'm using for my weekly class is in Japanese and Chinese. It's called 中国語をはじめよう. (Let's begin Chinese).

The New Practical Chinese Reader is mentioned quite a bit here, so you might want to consider that. It's available from amazon.com.

Hope that helps.

Dean