LEARN + CHINESE / 2 of 300 HSK 1
What Something Is 是
You introduce someone at school: 她是我的老师. Here 是 connects a person to a role. It also labels or identifies a thing—这是茶, 前面是学校. When the next word is an adjective, though, Chinese usually lets the adjective describe the subject directly without 是.
Examples
她是我的老师。
Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.
She is my teacher.
这是茶。
Zhè shì chá.
This is tea.
前面是学校。
Qiánmiàn shì xuéxiào.
The school is up ahead.
Hint · 힌트
Use 是 with nouns and noun phrases. With a simple adjective, say 天气很好, not 天气是很好.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
shì | to be; identify |
tā | she; her |
wǒ de | my; mine |
lǎoshī | teacher |
zhè shì | this is |
chá | tea |
qiánmiàn | in front; ahead |
xuéxiào | school |
tóngxué | classmate |
xuéshēng | student |
yīshēng | doctor |
péngyou | friend |
jiā | home; family |
jiārén | family member |
bú shì | is not |
zhíyè | occupation |
chéngshì | city |
dōngxi | thing; object |
tā | he; him |
shénme | what |
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