How to translate "這場雨要下到什麼時候呢?"

[xifbk]

Problem is I understand what all the words mean individually, however the meaning eludes me. Can anyone assist?

I suspect my issues are with understanding 場 in this context.

Thanks!

[chrix]

場 is a classifier for rain here, so 這場雨 would mean "this rain".

My suggestion as follows:

Until what time will this rain keep falling

[xifbk]

Thanks! Do you know if 场 is second or third tone here? cedict/mdbg shows two tones and I cant work out which one makes it the measure word for rain (:

I find rain able to be referred to with (要) and that rain can arrive (到) instead of start/stop so interesting (:

[chrix]

Well, it looks like we have a difference between the two standards here: in TW, it seems that the 2nd and 3rd tone readings are basically in free variation. My BJ dictionaries, on the other hand, suggest that cháng would be the classifier for processes (including rain), while chǎng the classifier for sport matches and the like.

到 isn't used in the sense of "arrive" here, it's a co-verb meaning "until", 下 "fall" being the full verb here, in the sense of "the rain falling until X".

要 also can have future meaning and does not necessarily need to express volition.

[Guoke]

How long is this rain going to last?

一场雨 yìchángyǔ

[anonymoose]

lit. This spell of rain will continue falling until what time?

-> How long will this (spell of) rain last?

[HeWei2]

I think a more idiomatic translation might be "When will it stop raining?"