2 · Aspect: le, guo, zhe and zai
Shì … de: when, where and how it happened
the focus frame for past events
When both speakers know that something happened, shì … de puts the spotlight on a detail: when, where, how, or with whom.
Once it is known that something has happened, the interesting question is no longer whether, but when, where, how or with whom. For this Chinese uses a frame: 是 before the detail and 的 at the end. 你是什么时候来的？ — 我是昨天来的。 “When did you come?” — “I came yesterday.” Both sides of the conversation take it for granted that I came.
This is why 了 is out of place here. 了 reports an event as news; once the event is known, reporting it again sounds odd. English uses the same past tense for “I came” and “I came yesterday”, so English speakers ask 你什么时候来了 — and miss the frame Chinese expects.
Almost any circumstance can be the focus: a time, a place (在北京), a means of transport (坐飞机), a companion (跟朋友), a purpose, or the person who did it (这是谁做的？). In a positive sentence 是 is often dropped (我昨天来的); in a negative it must stay: 我不是坐飞机来的.
When the verb has an object, 的 usually comes before it in speech: 我是在网上买的票, “I bought the ticket online”. Putting 的 at the very end is also correct, and is the only choice when the object is a pronoun: 我是在车站遇到他的. The frame is used for events that have already happened.
The form
| asking when | 你是什么时候来的？ |
| telling when | 我是昨天来的。 |
| how | 我是坐飞机来的。 |
| negative: shì must stay | 我不是坐飞机来的。 |
| with an object | 我是在网上买的票。 |
| shì left out | 我昨天来的。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Use shì … de when the event is known and the question is about a detail of it.
你是怎么来的？How did you get here?
Shì goes right before the detail in focus; de goes at the end.
我是跟朋友一起去的。I went with a friend.
With an object, de usually comes before the object.
他是在大学学的中文。He learned Chinese at university.
Shì may be left out in a positive sentence, but never after bù.
这个蛋糕不是我做的。I didn’t make this cake.
A closer look
Old news, new detail
Chinese grammar is sensitive to what the listener already knows. 了 brings an event into the conversation; 是…的 takes it as given and shines a light on one part of it. The frame works much like the English “It was yesterday that I came” — except that English keeps that form for emphasis, while Chinese uses it in every ordinary conversation.
A typical exchange moves from one to the other: 你去过长城吗？ — 去过。 — 你是什么时候去的？ The first question establishes that it happened; from then on, the details come in 是…的.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the sentence describes what something is or whose it is, not how an event happened
the shì and de are the ordinary verb “to be” and a noun phrase with de, not the focus frame.
这本书是我的。This book is mine.
这本书是我的, “this book is mine”, looks the same on the surface, but there is no event in it. The focus frame always has an event inside.
How to spot it
- 是…的
- 什么时候…的
- 怎么…的
- 在哪儿…的
- 谁…的
Example sentences
你是在哪儿出生的？Where were you born?
我是在广州出生的。I was born in Guangzhou.
这件衣服你是在哪儿买的？Where did you buy this top?
我们是上个月认识的。We met last month.
他不是开车来的，是走路来的。He didn’t drive here; he walked.
这些菜是谁做的？Who cooked these dishes?
8 more example sentences
你是怎么知道的？How did you find out?
我是来出差的，不是来旅游的。I came on business, not as a tourist.
这段视频是在海边拍的。This video was filmed at the seaside.
他昨天晚上十一点才回来的。He didn’t get back until eleven last night.
你是一个人去的吗？Did you go on your own?
我是坐地铁来的。I came by underground.
这封信是用中文写的。This letter was written in Chinese.
他们是为了孩子才搬到这儿来的。They moved here for the children’s sake.
Worth knowing (1)
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Short answers keep the de
In a quick answer almost everything can go except the detail and 的: “How did you get here?” — 打车来的, “by taxi”.
你怎么来的？——打车来的。“How did you get here?” “By taxi.”
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The arrival is already known — the person is standing in front of you. What you are asking about is the time, and a known event with a detail in focus takes 是…的. 了 would report the arrival as news.
Le says it happened; shì … de says when, where or how it happened.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.