How to translate sentences with predicates?

[1%homeless]

According to Yip Po-Ching's book, Chinese can't seem to form predicate sentences without a degree adverb. Example sentence:

na tiao jiedao hen ganjing (the street is very clean)

If you use a predicate without an adverb, it seems that it's used in a stressed or emphasized context. Also, using shi would be something similar as well.

jiedao shi ganjing (the street is clean)

How can I just plainly state that the street is clean? The shoes are red. The music is loud. Etc.

[Quest]

鞋是红色的。

街道是干净的。

音乐是响亮的。

It's just different grammar. Not that Chinese is incapable of expressing something.

[smithsgj]

I don't think 很 hen means very in sentences like these. Jiedao hen ganjing just means the streets are clean, right? Not that they're "very" clean".

[Quest]

I don't think 很 hen means very in sentences like these. Jiedao hen ganjing just means the streets are clean, right? Not that they're "very" clean".

right. 非常or十分 can be used to denote "very". 比较，挺，很，非常，十分 etc function as linking-verb+adverb.

[1%homeless]

I don't think 很 hen means very in sentences like these. Jiedao hen ganjing just means the streets are clean, right? Not that they're "very" clean".

I my book it can mean either one and the listener has to guess at the context.

鞋是红色的。

街道是干净的。

音乐是响亮的。

shi....de. This is great. I wonder what kind of terminology do you use to describe this sentence pattern? This seems like a posessive contruction, but I'm just guessing. I wonder if you can just use "you". Like: jiedao you ganjing ...?

[ananda]

I don't think 很 hen means very in sentences like these. Jiedao hen ganjing just means the streets are clean' date=' right? Not that they're "very" clean".[/quote']

I my book it can mean either one and the listener has to guess at the context.

鞋是红色的。

街道是干净的。

音乐是响亮的。

shi....de. This is great. I wonder what kind of terminology do you use to describe this sentence pattern? This seems like a posessive contruction, but I'm just guessing. I wonder if you can just use "you". Like: jiedao you ganjing ...?

I think it's (有...) always used by Hokkiens.

[ala]

It's just different grammar. Not that Chinese is incapable of expressing something.

It has huge problems expressing tense without resorting to aspect particles or words （正在、現在、） that take the subtlety out the window.

How do you say "I was eating" (past progressive) in Mandarin Chinese? You have to say 我剛剛正在吃飯, not very subtle at all; rather 我剛剛正在吃飯 is equivalent to "I was just in the process of eating."

[Quest]

It has huge problems expressing tense without resorting to aspect particles or words （正在、現在、） that take the subtlety out the window.

So why does it have to express tense without resorting to aspect particles or words?

[ala]

I think it's (有...) always used by Hokkiens.

Really? that's quite interesting. so they say: 街道有干净 for the street is clean, so what about the negative? 街道没（末）干净？or 街道不干净 still?

in Shanghainese we often use the construction: 街道浪安静勒细额 (kaado-raN eujin leishi e) to mean the streets are peaceful. To say the streets are clean, we usually say 马路浪清爽勒细额 (mwuru-raN chiNsaN leishi e)。 Apparently "leishi e" is a neutral emotional suffix. For something specifically in the negative (like the streets are dirty), we would use 扒拉额, as in: 马路浪恶畜扒拉额 (mwuru-raN ottsoch palla e), though we could also say 马路浪恶畜勒细额。

I think the Mandarin usage for -扒拉的 (like 小气扒拉的) comes from Wu.

[smithsgj]

> so they say: 街道有干净 for the street is clean

can someone from taiwan or fujian confirm this? sounds funny to me but there's no-one in the office to ask at the moment.

taiwanese do use 有 in a special way:

你有沒有吃飯? 有. On another thread somewhere.

[ananda]

> so they say: 街道有干净 for the street is clean

can someone from taiwan or fujian confirm this? sounds funny to me but there's no-one in the office to ask at the moment.

taiwanese do use 有 in a special way:

你有沒有吃飯? 有. On another thread somewhere.

I think it's(有) always followed by a verb, seldom or never by an adjective,

very similar with 'have' in english. (I HAVE done ...)