(transitive verb needing 和)过.............with

[歐博思]

Forgive the topic title -- I really couldn't describe it succinctly, so just straight to examples to illustrate my question:

 

 

我有生以来收到过最珍惜的礼物 ：The most precious gift I've ever received in my life

 

My question is, how would you frame this 收到过 if it's a transitive verb such as, say: 聊天. 聊天 needs the preposition 和 ordinarily to say who are we talking with. (notice my preposition stranding here in English )

 

Would I be right in saying something like: 我 ***和他****聊过天的最讨厌的一个人？

 

or how about: 我和谁聊过天的。。。。。idk

 

I think my English habit of preposition stranding is getting the best of me here. But is my question semi-understandable now?

[roddy]

So what are you actually trying to say? She's the most irritating person you've ever spoken with?

[歐博思]

Right

[tooironic]

Ahem, 聊天 is not a transitive verb. You can't 聊天 someone. The fact that it requires a preposition like 和, 跟, etc. implies it is intransitive. Same as English. (Though in informal English, "We chatted politics" is possible.)

 

I would just say 她是我最討厭的人. I don't see why 聊天 is so important that it needs to be put in the sentence.

[skylee]

Consider 和我聊過天的人(之)中，數他最討厭。 or 和我聊過天的人(之)中，我最討厭他。

[歐博思]

Ah, thank you Skylee. I never considered flipping the frame of reference so the 和谁 is 和我。

 

 

Tooironic, I was under the impression that In 聊天, the direct object of 聊 Is 天, i.e. 聊了几个小时天之后，我就发现他人挺不错。Following, would not the indirect object be the 和谁 part, making 聊 a ditransitive verb?

[陳德聰]

Not quite... 聊天 is an intransitive verb-object compound. That's why you need the preposition. Tooironic is correct, though I'd say it's not just implied that it's intransitive. Can you think of any "objects" other than 天 for 聊?

[tooironic]

聊天 and 聊 are two different words. But they are both intransitive. A transitive verb is a verb that can take a direct object. E.g. He killed the man. (transitive) The man died. (intransitive) Afterwards we chatted about it. (intransitive - you don't say "we chatted it")

 

陳德聰 is right in saying that 聊 does not collocate with any object other than 天 (it doesn't).

 

EDIT: 聊天 is, however, a separable verb (离合词). You may find this forum discussion illuminating.

[歐博思]

Thanks to everybody for their input, and doubly to tooironic for the interesting link.