Chinese Grammar-A1:Confused about when to use or skip是Shi？

↑ Click “SN Mandarin” to get more resource

To be or not to be? 

It's really confusing when you use “”是shi“” in Chinese.

This article will help you get it clearly

The verb to be is not used in Chinese the same way as it is in English. In Chinese, 是 (shì) is for connecting nouns, and is generally not used with adjectives.

Basic Usage:

Structure

The structure for connecting nouns with 是 (shì) is:

Noun 1 + 是 + Noun 2

This is equivalent to "Noun 1 is Noun 2" in English.

Chinese does not conjugate verbs. That is, the form of the verb is the same no matter who is doing it. In this case, it is always 是 (shì) and never changes. As you can see, it's easy to form simple sentences expressing to be in Chinese. The only tricky thing about 是 (shì) in Chinese is that it's used to link two nouns, so you can't rely too much on translating directly from English when it comes to expressing the English verb "to be" in Chinese.

Examples

• 我 是 学生。Wǒ shì xuésheng.I am a student.

• 你 是 John 吗？Nǐ shì John ma?Are you John?

• 他们 是 有钱 人。Tāmen shì yǒuqián rén.They are rich people.

• 你是 老板 吗？Nǐ shì lǎobǎn ma?Are you the boss?

• 这 是 我 男朋友。Zhè shì wǒ nánpéngyou.This is my boyfriend.

• 那 是 你们 公司 吗？Nà shì nǐmen gōngsī ma?Is that your company?

• 你 妈妈 是 老师 吗？Nǐ māma shì lǎoshī ma?Is your mother a teacher?

• 这 都 是 你 的 钱。Zhè dōu shì nǐ de qián.This is all your money.

• 那 是 什么 菜？Nà shì shénme cài?What food is that?

• 我 也 是 他 的 朋友。Wǒ yě shì tā de péngyou.I am also his friend.

Other Uses of 是 (shì)

Be careful and take note. As you can see above, 是 (shì) is only used to link two nouns. It cannot be used to link a noun and an adjective. This is a very common mistake for people just beginning to learn Chinese. For that kind of sentence, you'll want to use a different structure with the linking word 很 (hěn).

In Chinese it is also possible to use the phrase "是不是 (shì bu shì)?" It can be used at the beginning or end of a sentence. It's meaning is quite similar to the English expressions "right" and "aren't you?" This is very useful if you want to express concern for a person, or if you want to mix up your sentence structure a bit and make it more interesting. The 是不是 (shì bu shì) pattern is also part of affirmative-negative questions.

Another way to use 是 (shì) is to use it as a tag question. You can add “是吗?” (shì ma?) to the end of a question to mean the English equivalent of: "is it" or "yeah?" Using this in a question usually allows the speaker to get a confirmation answer.

Examples

• 他 没 听到，是 不 是 ？Tā méi tīngdào, shì bu shì?He didn't hear you, right?

• 你 是 不 是 还 没 吃饭？Nǐ shì bu shì hái méi chīfàn?Haven't you eaten yet?

• 你们 是 不 是 中 国 人？Nǐmen shì bu shì Zhōngguó rén?Are you Chinese?

• 你 到 了，是 吗 ？Nǐ dào le, shì ma?You have arrived, yeah?

• 你 有 两 个 孩子，是 吗 ？Nǐ yǒu liǎng gè háizi, shì ma?You have two kids, yeah?

Source:Chinese Grammar Wiki 

©2011-2020 AllSet Learning

---

Want to learn and improve your Chinese online?

Book a Free class with real teacher online now!

Click Read More at the bottom or use the Code below to book

What's your opinion? Comment Now

How do you feel about the training material? Let us know! Comment below(click “评论” at the bottom of the page)! 

Don’t forget to share this article with friends by pressing ”…” in the top right corner.




You might also be interested in:





Click the title or reply the number to get related articles

01 Those Chinese Secrets02 Download Your HSK Papers Level 1-603 The origin of Chinese characters04 9 ancient makeup artifacts in China fit for summer05 Bamboos in China 中国的竹06 5 Old Expressions with New Meanings07 How to Get Money Back When You Transfer to Wrong WeChat Account?08 90% off: $9.9/66RMB for a One-Year Online Chinese Course 
09 Do you know him?10: Somethings you might not know about Kuaizi (chopsticks)11.You Won't Get it Until You Start Learning Chinese…12. Chinese Grammar - A1: Expressing close possession without "的de"

ChinesePal

ChinesePal, our Chinese teacher and friend always by your side to help and it's Free! Press the QRCode below to scan and follow.

SN Mandarin, which is able to issue 2-12  Month Student visas, 

has been providing the best and most effective Chinese language education services and learning experiences since 2007!

If you want to learn Chinese, contact us to book a free trial now!

Tel:  [phone] 

Web: www.snmandarin.com

Email:  [e-mail]

Address:  Room1201-1202, F12, Universal Mansion, No. 172, Yuyuan Road, Jing'an District Shanghai

上海市静安区愚园路172号环球世界大厦12楼1201-1202