Prepositions and Sentence Structures

Prepositions (介词)

  • Definition: Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They often indicate relationships in terms of time, place, direction, and manner.

Basic Usage of Prepositions

  1. Beijing Example:
  • Chinese: 我住在北京。
  • Translation: I live (at) Beijing.
  • Key Concept: "在" indicates a specific location where one resides.
  1. Returning From Abroad:
  • Chinese: 她从中国回来了。
  • Translation: She returned from China.
  • Key Concept: "从" indicates the place of origin or departure.
  1. Showing Relationships:
  • Chinese: 他对我很好。
  • Translation: He is very good to me.
  • Key Concept: "对" expresses a relational direction toward someone.
  1. Comparative Constructs:
  • Chinese: 我比他高。
  • Translation: I am taller than he is.
  • Key Concept: "比" signifies comparison between two subjects.
  1. Direction Indicators:
  • Chinese: 向左走。
  • Translation: Walk to the left.
  • Key Concept: "向" indicates a direction in which to move.
  1. Distance Descriptions:
  • Chinese: 学校离我家很近。
  • Translation: The school is very close (in distance) to my home.
  • Key Concept: "离" explains spatial distance between two entities.
  1. Suggestions Involving Companionship:
  • Chinese: 你跟我们一起去吧。
  • Translation: You come with us together.
  • Key Concept: "跟" denotes companionship or joint action.
  1. Expressions of Concern:
  • Chinese: 不要为我担心。
  • Translation: Don’t worry about me.
  • Key Concept: "为" suggests concern directed toward someone.
  1. Purpose Clauses:
  • Chinese: 为了解决环境问题，人们想了很多办法。
  • Translation: In order to solve environmental problems, people thought of many methods.
  • Key Concept: "为了解决" shows intent or purpose.
  1. Concerning Knowledge:
    • Chinese: 关于这段历史，我知道得很少。
    • Translation: Regarding this period of history, I know very little.
    • Key Concept: "关于" indicates the topic or subject matter being discussed.

Important Tips for Language Learning

  • Mistakes Are Okay:
  • Chinese: 学外语的时候不要害怕出错。
  • Translation: When studying foreign languages, don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
  • Advice: Embrace errors as part of the learning process.

Additional Actions

  • Discoveries:

  • Chinese: 我发现附近没有火车站。

  • Translation: I found that there are no train stations nearby.

  • Courage to Speak Up:

  • Chinese: 他不敢告诉经理自己的看法。

  • Translation: He doesn’t dare to tell the manager his views.

  • Polite Requests:

  • Chinese: 请把手机关上。

  • Translation: Please turn off your cell phones.

  • Decision-Making:

  • Chinese: 那位司机还没决定怎么解决这个问题。

  • Translation: That driver still hasn’t decided how to solve this problem.