Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

toPiC, FoCUS, aNd emPhaSiS

57.3

Neutral With emphasis

我们在小王家吃饭。 我们是在小王家吃饭。

我們在小王家吃飯。 我們是在小王家吃飯。

Wǒmen zài Xiǎo Wáng jiā chī fàn. Wǒmen shì zài Xiǎo Wáng jiā chī fàn.

We are eating at Little Wang’s house. We are eating at Little Wang’s house.

C10, 11.4

57.3.2 emphasizing the time when a situation occurs

To emphasize the time when a situation occurs, you can also put the ‘time when’ expression

before the subject. This phrase order is typically used to contrast one time phrase with another

time phrase.

昨天他很忙。今天他不忙。

Zuótiān tā hěn máng. Jīntiān tā bù máng.

Yesterday he was very busy. Today he is not busy.