Sentence pattern · Band 1
Time and place come before the action
主语 + 时间 + 地点 + 动词
English bolts time and place onto the end: I will study at school tomorrow. Mandarin lines them up in front of the verb, biggest news first: person, then time, then place, then action. Me, tomorrow, at school, study. Once you stop waiting for the where and when at the end, listening gets far easier.
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
Chinese states the place before the action; English parks at school at the end, Mandarin does not.
The line is person, time, place, action; time never trails behind the place.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 时间、地点的位置 mean?
English bolts time and place onto the end: I will study at school tomorrow. Mandarin lines them up in front of the verb, biggest news first: person, then time, then place, then action. Me, tomorrow, at school, study. Once you stop waiting for the where and when at the end, listening gets far easier.
How do you build it?
主语 + 时间 + 地点 + 动词
What is the most common mistake?
我学习在学校。 → 我在学校学习。
Chinese states the place before the action; English parks at school at the end, Mandarin does not.
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