“de hua” usually adds an “if” meaning. Compare the two:
1. Zhè yàng, péngyǒu lái de shíhòu, huì gǎnjué bǐjiào shūfu.
(This way, when friends come over, it will feel more comfortable.”
2. Zhè yàng de huà, péngyǒu lái de shíhòu, huì gǎnjué bǐjiào shūfu.
(If this was the case, then when friends come over, it will feel more comfortable.”
Regarding shuō dehuà, that literally means “speech that they say” or simply “what they said”. You couldn’t say kěshì wǒ bù tài xiāngxìn tāmen shuō, because that sounds incomplete. In Chinese you often have to employ a verb object pair, and where there is none, there are generic ones that are used. Eg.
Tāmen shuō de huà (The speech they said).
Tāmen chī de fàn (The rice they ate).
Tāmen hē de shǔi (The water they drank).
Etc.
Adam’s reply to my question of the combination rúguǒ.. + dehuà .. + jiù..
and now your above info(verb object pair) and examples > it’s all beginning to sink in
In this lesson there is the following sentence: “… zhǐ yǒu yīge fángjiān éryǐ”
On lesson 26, there was the following: “Wǒmen liǎngge rén yào zhù yī jiān fángjiān”
In the second one, jiān (used by itself) was explained as:
“Adam: We then have yī jiān fángjiān. Jiān is a high tone and is the same jiān from fángjiān. By itself, it functions as a measure word for rooms. So yī jiān fángjiān means “one room.” ”
So, could I assume that it is possible to use both “一个房间” and “一间房间”?
It’s in your explanation (8:34 in the lesson)! You originally defined it as “bedroom,” but then called it “bathroom” when you gave the loose translation of that sentence.
Oh looks like the button to switch to traditional characters is missing on the mobile site. Let me get this fixed, thanks. If you’re able to access it from a laptop or desktop site, or from the mobile app it should work.
@Luise,
what is the significance of ‘huà’ in ‘zhè yàng de huà’ > this way
i have seen ‘dehua’ after adjective&noun but just can’t get it’s use&meaning >
wǒ nǎozi hùaile
@Luise,
i found one of your sentence in regards to my above question.
kěshì wǒ bù tài xiāngxìn tāmen shuō dehuà
what does ‘dehuà’ do to the verb ‘shuō’
Hi Ruide,
“de hua” usually adds an “if” meaning. Compare the two:
1. Zhè yàng, péngyǒu lái de shíhòu, huì gǎnjué bǐjiào shūfu.
(This way, when friends come over, it will feel more comfortable.”
2. Zhè yàng de huà, péngyǒu lái de shíhòu, huì gǎnjué bǐjiào shūfu.
(If this was the case, then when friends come over, it will feel more comfortable.”
Regarding shuō dehuà, that literally means “speech that they say” or simply “what they said”. You couldn’t say kěshì wǒ bù tài xiāngxìn tāmen shuō, because that sounds incomplete. In Chinese you often have to employ a verb object pair, and where there is none, there are generic ones that are used. Eg.
Tāmen shuō de huà (The speech they said).
Tāmen chī de fàn (The rice they ate).
Tāmen hē de shǔi (The water they drank).
Etc.
Let me know if you would like more examples!
Adam’s reply to my question of the combination rúguǒ.. + dehuà .. + jiù..
and now your above info(verb object pair) and examples > it’s all beginning to sink in
thank you both for excellent explanation.
Hi all.
I have a question for you.
In this lesson there is the following sentence: “… zhǐ yǒu yīge fángjiān éryǐ”
On lesson 26, there was the following: “Wǒmen liǎngge rén yào zhù yī jiān fángjiān”
In the second one, jiān (used by itself) was explained as:
“Adam: We then have yī jiān fángjiān. Jiān is a high tone and is the same jiān from fángjiān. By itself, it functions as a measure word for rooms. So yī jiān fángjiān means “one room.” ”
So, could I assume that it is possible to use both “一个房间” and “一间房间”?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Matteo,
个 tends to be used as a generic measure word so while “一间房间” is more grammatically correct, you will also hear “一个房间” being used.
Hi Adam; love the site; I believe in this lesson you made a mistake in the dialogue calling wo shi a bathroom rather than a bedroom.
Hi Frank,
I took a look and couldn’t find the reference to bathroom in this lesson. Can you tell me where it is?
It’s in your explanation (8:34 in the lesson)! You originally defined it as “bedroom,” but then called it “bathroom” when you gave the loose translation of that sentence.
Ah, thanks John. Should be fixed now!
How can I get traditional characters in the sentence builder activity?
I‘m using an iPhone, in case this is of any significance.
Thanks!
Oh looks like the button to switch to traditional characters is missing on the mobile site. Let me get this fixed, thanks. If you’re able to access it from a laptop or desktop site, or from the mobile app it should work.
Thanks. If I‘m not mistaken, it is also missing from the „Fill in the blanks“ activity.
Ok thanks. I believe this should be fixed now.