Sentence pattern · Band 1
A is B: the 是 sentence
A 是 B
是 is Mandarin's equals sign: you are a student, this is a book, that is a teacher. It only joins nouns. English also lets am, is and are carry adjectives, as in I am tall, but Mandarin refuses: an adjective stands alone as a complete sentence, so 是 is not needed there and not allowed.
Hear it in a sentence
我是一个大学生。Wǒ shì yí gè dàxuéshēng.I am a college student.
这是我哥哥的手机。Zhè shì wǒ gēge de shǒujī.This is my older brother's phone.
你是汉语老师吗？Nǐ shì Hànyǔ lǎoshī ma?Are you a Chinese teacher?
这是你的书吗？Zhè shì nǐ de shū ma?Is this your book?
Mistakes people make
Not this我是很忙。Wǒ shì hěn máng.Say this我很忙。Wǒ hěn máng.
Adjectives take 很 rather than 是.
Not this我是十六岁。Wǒ shì shí liù suì.Say this我十六岁。Wǒ shí liù suì.
Age is stated without 是: just say the number and 岁.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 是字句 mean?
是 is Mandarin's equals sign: you are a student, this is a book, that is a teacher. It only joins nouns. English also lets am, is and are carry adjectives, as in I am tall, but Mandarin refuses: an adjective stands alone as a complete sentence, so 是 is not needed there and not allowed.
How do you build it?
A 是 B
What is the most common mistake?
我是很忙。 → 我很忙。
Adjectives take 很 rather than 是.
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