在 vs. 要

[gabbklein]

Never mind! I looked again, and the boy is in the act of swimming. But I can't figure out how to delete this post. :-(

 

I'm studying Mandarin using Rosetta Stone, which shows grammar, but doesn't explain it. I'm confused by one grammar "lesson", which compares 在 and 要.

 

I think the distinction is to use 在 for actions in progress and to use 要 for actions you hadn't started yet, but I'm confused by one picture.

 

There were 4 pictures in the lesson. Each had a sentence with a choice between 在 and 要. Here are the 4 answers with a description of the picture:

 

1. A calendar shows a boy swimming today.

今天我在游泳。

 

2. A calendar shows a boy studying tomorrow.

明天我要学习。

 

3. A man is holding out cash to a woman who is holding out a ticket.

我在买票。

 

4. A girl holds a lunch tray in front of her.

我要吃午饭了。

 

I understand that in #2 the boy has not started studying yet, and in #4 the girl has not started eating yet (she's still holding the tray). Also, in #3, the man is in the act of purchasing the ticket. My confusion is that in #1, the boy *plans* to swim today, but he is not currently *in the act* of swimming.

 

If I correctly understand the distinction, why didn't they show a picture of the boy swimming now? Am I missing something?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Edited February 9, 2017 at 08:21 PM by gabbklein
I answered my own question.

[Shelley]

I strongly suggest that you choose another text book/course to learn from. As you yourself said there are no explanations.

 

IMHO Rosetta Stone is not suitable as a stand alone learning tool, I would go so far as to say it is useless on its own.

 

Try using New Practical Chinese Reader, I use and like it. Or one of the many others out there.

Or if you like using apps try HelloChinese.

Have a look at my blog for more info on all these things and more. https://www.chinese-forums.com/blogs/blog/108-my-chinese-learning-blog/

You might try edX there is a good free course there. More info also on my blog.

 

23 minutes ago, gabbklein said:

1. A calendar shows a boy swimming today.

今天我在游泳。

 

Literal translation - Today I at swimming. Here the at means in the middle of doing it. So Today I am swimming or I am swimming today.

 

The man is also in the middle of buying a ticket.

 

Without seeing the pictures its hard to know if I am right.

 

Someone else may correct me.

[Publius]

Hmm, why are you so against Rosetta Stone?

I think they're fine. Just a different approach. You figure out the grammar on your own like a baby figuring out his mother tongue. May work for some people. Plus it's very speaking oriented, which I think is a good thing.

[roddy]

1 hour ago, gabbklein said:

But I can't figure out how to delete this post.

 

No need to delete it, it might still be interesting for someone...

[Shelley]

@Publius I tried Rosetta Stone, and really didn't like the fact that there are no explanations for things.

 

I just found it hard going on its own and I feel it might put new comers to learning chinese off.

It's not bad as part of a learning strategy including textbooks and or courses.

 

There was whole discussion awhile ago about the pros and cons and if I remember correctly it was disliked by quite a lot of people.

[gabbklein]

@Shelley I read that post, and there are certainly weak spots with Rosetta Stone. While I am a novice at Chinese, I'm not new to learning languages, and I supplement Rosetta Stone with other resources as necessary. (Like this one... )

I've been using it for a while, and I'm satisfied with it. It certainly fits my scheduling needs right now -- it's easy to pop in for one short screen whenever I can take a quick break from work. And that's about all I have time for currently!

[Shelley]

Good, glad you like it and it's not your only resource. Also as you are not new to learning languages you shouldn't get put off.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

If you haven't a lot of time I would recommend HelloChinese because it is a bit like Rosetta stone but with more detail and explanations. Have a look here https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/49944-hellochinese-–-new-chinese-mandarin-learning-app-learn-chinese-speak-chinese/