MC Emma: Sentence question 1

[gena0411]

Hello,

 

I am reading now Mandarin Companion graded reader "Emma".

 

Could you please help with the following sentence?

 

这样做对吗？

 

I guessed it to mean something like "What's the right thing to do in this situation?" Is it correct?

I don't understand the structure though.

这样 - such, this way

做 - to do

对 - correct

 

Thanks

     Genady

[889]

Think of it as (我)这样做对吗? That is, you're asking for confirmation that you're doing something the right way.

 

[gena0411]

Ah, so it's not a question "what to do?", but a confirmation question.

 

Thanks 889,

   Genady

[hoshinoumi]

@gena0411 Yes, questions asked with 吗 would be the English equivalent of Yes/No questions.

[Publius]

（我、你、他、人们）这样做 <-- this is the TOPIC, or what is  being talked about, "to do like this"

很对／不对 <-- this is the COMMENT, or what is being said about the topic, "it is right/wrong"

Topic-comment structure is very common in Chinese. Chinese is a topic-prominent language.

There should be a pause, either audible or psychological, between the topic and the comment.

And 吗 simply turns the whole sentence into a yes-no question.

 

 

[gena0411]

Understood.

Thanks guys.