Language/Yue-chinese/Grammar/Sentence-Pattern-Changes
As a language teacher with 20 years of experience teaching Yue Chinese, I've seen that many students struggle with switching between different sentence patterns. That's why in this lesson, we'll cover advanced sentence pattern changes in Yue Chinese.
Passive Voice Sentences
Passive voice sentences in Yue Chinese can be tricky for English speakers to understand at first. In a passive voice sentence, the object of the sentence becomes the subject of the sentence, and the subject of the sentence becomes the focus.
For example,
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 那個蛋糕被我吃了。 | Na go daan gou bei ngoh sik le. | That cake was eaten by me. |
To form a passive voice sentence, use the following pattern:
Object + 被 + Subject + Verb + (其他成分)
Make sure to use 被 (bèi) plus the subject of the sentence to indicate the passive voice. Other elements of the sentence can be added as necessary.
Question-Answer Sentences
In Yue Chinese, question-answer sentences are commonly used in conversation. These are sentences where the question is indicated by a verb or particle at the end of the sentence. For example:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好嗎？ | Lei hou ma? | How are you? |
| 我很好。 | Ngoh han hou. | I'm doing well. |
To form a question-answer sentence, use the following pattern:
Statement + 吗 (ma)?
The answer is either a positive or negative response to the question.
Using 向 (xiàng) to Express Direction
向 (xiàng) is a common preposition in Yue Chinese that can be used to express direction. For example:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我往南走。 | Ngoh wóhng naam jáu. | I am walking towards the south. |
To form a sentence using 向 (xiàng), use the following pattern:
Subject + 向 + Direction + Verb + (其他成分)
Keep in mind that the word order can be switched around, as long as the meaning remains clear.
Using 把 (bǎ) to Change Sentence Structure
把 (bǎ) is a helpful word in Yue Chinese that can change the sentence structure. In particular, it allows the object of the sentence to come before the verb. For example:
| Yue Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我把作業交了。 | Ngoh baa jok yip gaau le. | I turned in my homework. |
To form a sentence using 把 (bǎ), use the following pattern:
Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + (其他成分)
This pattern is particularly useful when emphasizing the object of the sentence.
Sources
Related Lessons
- Conditional Mood
- Plurals
- 0 to A1 Course
- Particles
- Negation
- Nouns
- Verb Tense
- Adverbs
- Hello and Goodbye
- How to Use Have