都, adverbs,

[freefall]

Some more questions from a Chinese learner: ;)

1) 沒有 and 不是: different adverbs for different verbs--is this just idiomatic or is there some logic to it?

2) 不都有: 不 and 都 still modify 有 but you can't use 沒. So does that mean that the adverb to use does not depend on what it's logically modifying, but what it's next to in the sentence? (phonetic?)

3) What about 不 and 也? 我也不是中國人。= I'm also not Chinese. What if you say 我不也是中國人? I asked my teacher, and she said you can't use it that way. Apparently it doesn't mean "I'm not also Chinese." How does that work? Why doesn't it mean that?

3) 李小姐，朋先生和我媽媽都是侓師。

a. Do you need the 和 in that sentence? E.g. in english, you can take it out and it still looks okay albeit more list-like, but people leave it in during normal speech. What about in Chinese?

b. Do you need the 都? E.g in English it's only necessary for emphasis.

c. Could I have added another series comma after 朋先生 like one can do in English?

Thanks again, you guys are very helpful.

[ameliasj]

My answers to your questions:

1)没有and 不是can be translated as haven't/hasn't and isn't

e.g. 今天不是星期六，所以学校没有放假。(Obviously, 没有and 不是in this sentence can not interchange.)

2)With regard to 不都有, 不 is used because of 都，没 can't modify 都。

3)我也不是中国人--I am not a Chinese, either.

不也是could used as "我不也是中国人吗？", which means" I am also a Chinese, aren't I?"

So 不也是 is positive, while 也不是is negative.

4)李小姐，朋先生和我妈妈都是律师。This sentence is correct.

It CAN'T be “李小姐，朋先生，和我妈妈都是律师。”

And I think, 都and 和in this sentence is necessary.

Hope it helps:mrgreen:

[Miaoer0808]

1)

is this just idiomatic or is there some logic to it?

I think both. i think 没有more like a verb when we use it. I give you some examples:

---你是中国人吗？（Are you Chinese?）

我不是。 （No，I'm not.)

---你有孩子吗？（Do you have children?)

我没有。 （No，I haven't.)

---我没有做过。（I didn't do that.)

---我不是做那件事情的人。（I'm not the person who did that.)

3) 我不也是中國人? it is same mean as 我也是中国人。（I'm also Chinese)。I think 不

use in here similar to this kind of English: I'm Chinese, am I not?

4）

李小姐，朋先生和我媽媽都是侓師。

a. I think same with English.

b. I think same for emphasis, but if you use 都，people will easy to understand that all of those 3 people are lawyers. Because in English, speakers can use plural-noun "are"and "lawyers" (李小姐，朋先生, 我媽媽 are lawyers) make sure listerners can understand, but Chinese haven't got plural noun.

c. yes, you can.

That's my opinion, I'm a Chinese, but not a professional Chinese teacher. hope you can get some ideas.

[elfking]

Hey, here's my answer,

1) They're different verbs and have logic to them. Basically they could translate to.

没有： do not have, not have. eg. somebody没有something, 我没有房子, 他也没有（房子）。

不是： be not. eg. 今天不是星期六。 Today is not Sat..

4) 李小姐，朋先生和我妈妈都是律师。

In one sentence, we use the interpunction "、" （顿号）to divide noun such as李小姐and 朋先生。“李小姐、朋先生和我妈妈都是律师。” means three of them are lawyer.

If you use a "，" here, the sentence will divide to two parts, the meaning of this sentence will change to, just like somebody is introduce Mr. Peng and his/her Mother to 李小姐, “Ms. Li, (you know), both Mr. Peng and My Mom are lawyer”.

[weiming]

不都(是/有)/不也是---I have only seen these used rhetorically.

也 means also, 不 means not. x也不是y means: x is also not y. In Enlish it is mostly found more convenient to say 'x is not y either'. Chinese doesn't have 'either/neither', only 'also' and it's negated form.

不也 would literally be 'not also' which makes no sense logically in either language [but I'd bet someone could dig up a reference...], I found it strange that you would suggest that.

//Could I have added another series comma after 朋先生 like one can do in English?//

The answer has already been given, but the reason is that the 'this和that' structure can never be separated by any punctucation.

A better understanding of 和 (it doesn't mean 'and', exactly) will help you understand why.

[tanhql]

1) 有 means possessiveness('i got something' or 'i did that before(the action belongs to you)'). so 没有 means you don't have something or didn't do something.

是 means is, am, are, etc. so 不是 simply means am not, is not, are not, etc.

2)都 (not as a noun) means everyone in this set you've mention. so 'everyone is sick' means ‘大家都生病了。' so the 都 in this case means not one person is feeling well.

不都 is often used in question, and is used to 'question' the 都, like:

我们不都是华人吗？是的话，就应该精通华文华语。

aren't we all chinese? if we are, we should be fluent in chinese.

another way to write this sentence without 不都 will be:

我们都是华人，所以应该精通华文华语。

we are all chinese, so we should be fluent in chinese.

so after all this explanation, i believe that you know 没 can't replace 不都.

3)elfking is right. a difference in a tiny punctuation mark makes the entire difference. in chinese, comma is different from 顿号(、). 顿号 is the 'punctuation mark version' of and(和). so saying 'my family is comprised of my father, mother, brother and sister' must use 顿号, like: 我的家庭里有爸爸、妈妈、哥哥和姐姐。you can replace the 顿号 with 和 and everything's still correct. for other purposes, use the normal comma.