Uses of 是 before verbs

[Bird in a Forest]

Hi there! 

 

This has been bugging me for a while, I always see 是 being used before a verb in Chinese writing but without 的.

 

For example:

 

我不是很了解他。I don't know him well.

 

Would you prefer that I come on Monday instead of on Tuesday?

你是喜欢让我星期一来而不是星期二来吗?

 

She must like you and your work, Marilyn.

她一定是喜欢你和你的工作， Marilyn。

 

Why are there 是s in these sentence? Would it not be grammatically correct even without the 是? I thought that 是 was only ever used to say that one noun is another.

 

Another use of 是 that I've seen that confuses me is 

 

你是不是喜欢他？

 

I guess this means the same as 你喜不喜欢他？But I'm not sure, and I don't see the above sentence structure that often.

 

When is one allowed to put 是 in front of verbs, and what exactly does it do to the sentence? 

 

Furthermore, would a correct answer to the above sentence be just 我喜欢他 or 我是喜欢他。

 

Lastly, wouldn't 的 be required at the end of the following sentence?

 

The same goes for software.

软件 也 是 一样 。

 

Sincerely,

Bird in a Forest

[tooironic]

These are examples of the 是......(的) structure, where 是 is used for emphasis, and 的 is often omitted.

 

Some translations to give you a sense of this:

 

我不了解他。I don't understand him.

我不是很了解他。I don't really understand him.

你喜不喜欢他？Do you like him?

你是不是喜欢他？Could it be that you like him? / Is it true that you like him?

 

See here for more information about this common grammatical feature.

[Bird in a Forest]

Thank you tooironic,

I was aware of the 是......的 structure but was not aware that 的 could be omitted. According to the website, apparently 是 can be omitted as well.

 

Which part of the 是......的 is more commonly omitted? 是 or 的.

[anonymoose]

These are examples of the 是......(的) structure, where 是 is used for emphasis, and 的 is often omitted.

 

Some translations to give you a sense of this:

 

我不了解他。I don't understand him.

我不是很了解他。I don't really understand him.

你喜不喜欢他？Do you like him?

你是不是喜欢他？Could it be that you like him? / Is it true that you like him?

 

I don't think you have used 是 in the same way as you explained. How is "I don't really understand him" more emphatic than "I don't understand him"?

 

If your original sentence is 我不了解他, then a more emphatic version should be 我是不了解他.

 

And as for the second pair of sentences, again, I don't think 是 is emphasising 喜欢, but rather adding a tone of impatience.

[tooironic]

To employ italics for emphasis as is the convention in written English:

我不是很了解他。I don't really understand him. (emphasising the degree to which I do not understand him)
我是不了解他。I don't understand him. (emphasising that I indeed do not understand him)

Both examples show you how 是 creates emphasis in a sentence, albeit in different ways.

 

Which part of the 是......的 is more commonly omitted? 是 or 的.

 

They are both commonly omitted. There may be a rule, but I doubt it would be practical to read up about it. Just learn through examples.

[Guest realmayo]

I want to disagree that these are definitely uses of 是......(的) for emphasis.

 

(Also are there any grammar sources that say you can omit the 的? The ones I see say you can omit the 是 but don't say anything about leaving out the 的.)

 

 

She must like you and your work, Marilyn.

她一定是喜欢你和你的工作， Marilyn。

 

What's being emphasised by 是 here? Would the fact that "she" likes Marilyn be less emphasised without the 是? I don't think it is that kind of emphasis at all.

 

 

To my ears what 是 is doing is saying: 'this is the situation', 'this is the case'.

 

So: the question of whether or not she likes Marilyn and Marilyn's work has been raised. And I'm saying it definitely (一定) is the case (that she likes).

[Guest realmayo]

Thinking about this more:

 

 

他是想去美国

他想去美国

 

For me, the 是 in the first sentence calls attention to the state of this guy's wanting to go to America ... and all that this might entail, i.e. it might be offered by way of explaining why he turned down a job offer in France. Without 是 it's more immediate?

[陳德聰]

是 does work on focus. The word "emphasis" is not terribly useful.

 

It can be used to focus any following words, but usually defaults to the immediately following one, which usually if not always gives a feeling of "this thing instead of other things", a feeling of singling out one thing from a group of options. The word carrying the focus will generally get a spike in pitch range, intensity or duration or all three in speech. "It" clefts in English usually can be used to capture this type of construction.

 

I'll underline the words being focused and bold the contrasted alternatives:

我不是很了解他

I don't really understand him. (It's not that I really understand him. I just understand him a little bit.)

 

你是喜欢让我星期一来而不是星期二来吗?

Do you prefer to have me come on Monday and not Tuesday? (Is it that you like to have me come on Monday, and not Tuesday? here the alternative is overtly stated, using "而不是")

 

她一定是喜欢你和你的工作， Marilyn。

She definitely likes you and your work. (It's definitely the case that she likes you and your work, and not that she hates or is unsatisfied with your work.)

 

你是不是喜欢他？

Do you like him? (Is it that you like him? and not not like him? ) This one is a bit different to me, but I would rather someone point out how and why than have myself have to think about it.

 

我是喜欢他

I like him as opposed to hate him.

 

我是喜歡他

I do so like him, as opposed to not liking him.

 

Emphasis is a wishy-washy idea. I like to see this 是 as being used to denote alternatives and select from them.

 

But it's relatively clear from the last four examples that there is also a different function which is just to push the affirmative. The "Marilyn" example could be read with "emphasis" on the 是 and it would just be "It definitely is the case that she likes you and your work, Marilyn".

[Guest realmayo]

The word carrying the focus will generally get a spike in pitch range, intensity or duration or all three in speech.

 

 

The thing is that for me, on the occasions where there isn't that spike, I don't get that added focus.

For instance I can easily hear something like: 他的事情我不是很明白，可是．．．．

.... and sure, if you hit the 很 hard then I get it, it's added focus.

But if it gets neutral pronunciation, I don't get that.

 

 

I wonder if it's sometimes more just functioning as an attributive, simple as that.

Perhaps turning a verb into a stative verb.

[Tiana]

是 does work on focus. The word "emphasis" is not terribly useful.

 

But "focus" on its own is equally abstract: focus of what?

The term "focus of contrast" may be of some use here. Try going through the examples above with this in mind, some sense of contrast brought out by the 是 in the sentences should be more apparent.

[Guest123]

It seems to be one of those things that are difficult, or even impossible, to put into a determinate rule...

 

In some cases the function of 是 looks similar to "do" in english, for ex.: "I do know him!"  As a sort of response to a doubt or negation. So  我是喜欢他 (I do like him) sounds like a reaction when someone thinks you do not like the person.

 

我不是很了解他。 I'd say here 不是 negates 很了解, not only 很. In other words, it rather negates the whole statement, and not a particular word. Well, I'm not sure, it's only my 语感... 

Sometimes a "negative" way can be hepful, I mean, if you think when 是 is not used. Anyway don't often hear chinese using expressions like 不很了解, though it seems to be grammatically correct. Usually, as a negation  of 很, they say 不太了解 .

[Guest realmayo]

I don't get a sense of contrast all the time. Maybe just me...

 

How about this: it draws attention to the verb as describing a pre-existing state, rather than a current action. And it is often explanatory.

 

我不是说你错了 - I'm not saying you're wrong

vs

我不说你错了 - I don't say you're wrong

[Guest123]

 

我不是说你错了 - I'm not saying you're wrong

vs

我不说你错了 - I don't say you're wrong

 

Both indicate a current action. This is the case I mentioned in my previuos reply: a response to a doubt or a misunderstanding.

I would translate:

我不说你错了 - "I'm not saying you are wrong." It can mean that the person is wrong, but I don't say it. The verb 说 is negated.

我不是说你错了 - "I didn't mean that you are wrong..." The idea of this sentence is that the person probably felt that I am blaming him/her, but in fact it's not what I meant to say. 你以为我说你错了？ 不是！！

Another example: 

我不问你 - "I'm not asking you." or "I don't ask you." The exact meaning would depend on context, but in general it's the most simple negation of the verb 问.

我不是问你，(我问他) - "I'm not asking you, (but him)." The idea is:The person I am asking is not you. Even if the second part is absent, it can still be understood that the speaker wanted to adress his question to somebody else, and not you.

[Bird in a Forest]

Thanks for the responses everyone

 

Are all the uses of 是 explained above uses of 是......的, but with 的 omitted. As with realmayo, I have never seen any sources that says you can omit 的, only that you can omit 是. If it is the 是......的 construction, would the 是 or 的 only be omitted in speech, or can this be done in formal writing as well?

 

So if 是 is being used here to offer an explanatory tone (that something is or isn't the case), would it be something like the の particle in Japanese?

 

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/nounparticles

The 「の」 particle as explanation

 

Also, one more use of 是 of seen that I can't seem to explain, is the use of 害怕是 to mean even instead of even if.

 

Even a child sees the fairness of reasonable penalties.

哪怕 是 孩子 也 都 清楚 合理 处罚 之 公正 。

Even the simplest points were disputed.

哪怕 是 最 简单 的 事情 ，也 是 有 争议 的 。

 

Compared to:

 

I will not give up even if there is only a gleam of hope.

哪怕 只有 一线希望 我 也 不会 放弃 。

No way! Not if you were the last person on earth.

算了 吧 。哪怕 全世界 其他 人 都 死绝 了 ，你 还是 没戏 。

[Altair]

 

Are all the uses of 是 explained above uses of 是......的, but with 的 omitted. As with realmayo, I have never seen any sources that says you can omit 的, only that you can omit 是. If it is the 是......的 construction, would the 是 or 的 only be omitted in speech, or can this be done in formal writing as well?

 

I also believe that the 的 cannot be omitted, at least with reference to past or concrete present events.

 

I also think that the core meanings of 是 and 的 actually bring different things to the so-called  是......的 construction as a whole.  The word  是 brings the "explanatory" part, and  的 indicates that what is being referenced is considered concrete and basically factual.  I think this use of 的 is quite related to its use in constructions with 会 to indicate assurance of future events.  It also accounts for its presence in constructions describing past (i.e., concrete) events, and its general absence from projected present and future events.

 

Compare:

 

我是昨天来的。  I came yesterday.  It was yesterday that I came.

我是明天来。      I am coming tomorrow.  It'll be tomorrow that I come.

 

 

So if 是 is being used here to offer an explanatory tone (that something is or isn't the case), would it be something like the の particle in Japanese?

 

http://www.guidetoja...r/nounparticles

The 「の」 particle as explanation

 

I think this is correct if your recognize that the two phenomena may have started at the same place, but extend to different places in their respective languages.

 

Beyond adding an explanatory tone, 是 is also available to simplify question or negation structures that might otherwise be awkward to express.  This is not necessary in Japanese.

 

Consider:

 

我不是很了解他。I don't know him very well.

 

vs.

 

我不了解他。I don't know him.

 

I think the presence of 很 makes adding a bare 不 before it awkward, so 不是 comes to the rescue.

 

Japanese also uses the 「の」 particle as a way of making a sentence less assertive and therefore more polite.  是 does not have this usage.

 

你是不是喜欢他？

 

I guess this means the same as 你喜不喜欢他？But I'm not sure, and I don't see the above sentence structure that often.

 

When is one allowed to put 是 in front of verbs, and what exactly does it do to the sentence? 

 

Furthermore, would a correct answer to the above sentence be just 我喜欢他 or 我是喜欢他。

 

 

你是不是喜欢他？ is structurally equivalent to "Is it that you like him?" and puts more emphasis on the entire "predicate" as stated, rather than just questioning the verb. 

 

Compare:

 

你喜欢他，是不是？  Let me get this straight, do you like him?

 

Correct answers would normally chose one of the alternatives presented, i.e. 是 or 不是.

[陳德聰]

The thing is that for me, on the occasions where there isn't that spike, I don't get that added focus.

For instance I can easily hear something like: 他的事情我不是很明白，可是．．．．

.... and sure, if you hit the 很 hard then I get it, it's added focus.

But if it gets neutral pronunciation, I don't get that.

I'm not sure what you mean by neutral pronunciation here.

 

If you don't stress the 很, you will definitely stress the 明白, which as someone noted above would be the most likely "default" reading. Spike perhaps was not the right word to use, stress is probably more correct. Either way, the focus with your "neutral" pronunciation will land squarely on 明白, which makes sense given that's what you're actually negating.

[tooironic]

As Tiana pointed out, the term "focus" is equally abstract as the term "emphasis". In Chinese dictionaries 是...的 is translated as explained as 表示强调. Again, as long as you understand the example sentences you shouldn't have too much trouble with it.

 

[陳德聰]

Focus.

[Guest realmayo]

If you don't stress the 很, you will definitely stress the 明白

 

I'm not sure I will, if anything a slight stress on the 不 sounds more natural to my ears: I'm sure I'll hear one of the guys on the 锵锵三人行 TV show saying something like that soon, if so I'll link to it here.

 

The basic definitions of course all agree that stress should fall on the word or phrase to be emphasized.

 

But where there's no stress, that's a clue that we could be talking about two different types of grammar. That is, you're trying to impose the 'emphasis' definition of a 是……的 construction on to every usage of 是……的.

 

Looking online, several sources actually say that this is a mistake. John Pasden's wiki refers to the classic "shi... de" construction of emphasis, but also says: don't be tempted to think that the "official" 是……的 (shì... de) pattern is the only way that 是 and 的 can work together in a sentence!

 

Indicating Purpose or Intent Using 是……的

When explaining "what you came for" or "what you want to do," it's common to use yet another type of 是……的 construction. Fortunately, this one is pretty easy for any intermediate learner. For this usage, you place the verb that you want to perform after the "是". You could think of the "是" as being the "am" in the sentence "I am here to study." When expressing a purpose, "是" and "的" are often used together with "用来", especially when the complement isn't a person.

 

Allset learning: http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Uses_of_%22shi..._de%22

 

Remember that just because a sentence uses 是 and 的 doesn’t mean it’s emphasizing something. Far from it, in fact. 是 and 的 are a very common way to attach attributes to things. For example:

这辆车是红色的。

Zhè liàng chē shì hóngsè de.

This car is red.

The sentence above is not ‘a 是 … 的 construction’ as described in this article. It’s just a bog-standard descriptive sentence. The 是 … 的 construction emphasises additional information about an action rather than just modifying things.

 

eastasiastudent: http://eastasiastudent.net/china/mandarin/shi-de-construction

 

In addition ~

“shì …de”~ clarifies the truth: to be or not, as a objective standard in general contexts.

Ex: zhè zhāng zhǐ shì báide, búshì huáng de.(to differentiate/distinguish)

This piece of paper is white, not yellow. (objetive)

Ex: zhè zhāng zhǐ hěn bái. (very white, not the average kind)

This piece of paper is very white. (whiter than others: subjective)

 

chinesegrammar.info: (in comments) http://www.chinesegrammar.info/constructions/shi4-de/)

 

So to answer the OP, I would repeat that I don't think these are necessarily examples of “shì …de” used for emphasis.

[陳德聰]

Note that I expressly disagree with any notion of "emphasis". Theoretically there is no such thing as a sentence without stress.