Really confused about tenses and use of participles,the conditional and subjunctive?

EmmaLouise1
March 29, 2010, 11:09 AM posted in General Discussion

I've trying for aaaages to grasp the concepts of tenses in Chinese but I just honestly cannot understand at all >.< In European languages, I can get that fine. I mean, I've just completed making a verb/tense table in Spanish of (I think) all the possible tenses in Spanish (there's about 18 entries). I then tried to do the same for Chinese, using the same tense headings. I know what you're thinking, I was perhaps stupid trying to compare Chinese alongside a romance language :P So needless to say I've been totally stuck >.<

To help, I also used the sentences that xiaophil posted in his post The Final Grammar Result but I'm still finding things hard to grasp >.< From my understanding, what determines a tense is a particle in each sentence. So this is what I've got so far:

Present

  • 我看
  • I read
  • No particle needed
Present Continuous
  • I am reading
  • 在 indicates an action is ongoing at that time
Present Perfect
  • I have read
  • 过 indicates the action has been experienced in the past
Present Perfect  Continuous
(I wasn't really sure what to put for this one)
Past
  • 我看了
  • I read ('red' not reed' - past)
  • 了 indicates a completed action
So are those tenses right? Because after I got to past I really coudln't figure out any particular particle I was meant to use :/ From what I saw in various books, you just pick a word, like when forming the future, just add in 'tonight'/'tomorrow' or something. So do you basically make up the rest of the tenses or is there a set way that I've missed?
I'd be really really really grateful if someone could help me out ^_^ these tenses have been driving me insane for ages and I can't work them out >.<
Another quick question, is there such thing as the conditional, subjunctive, present participles or past participles as there are in Spanish? Also the imperative, would you form it just like 看 and then an exclamation mark to show the order? 
I'd be really grateful for any help on tenses! 
Doodlemonster

Profile picture
user76423
March 29, 2010, 12:34 PM

Forget about "tenses" in the Western sense. In Chinese verbs do not express tense.

Verbs are linked with an aspect marker to indicate completion, experience, continuation, etc.

With the exception of (正)在, all aspect markers are placed behind the verb.

了 = completed action

过/過 = past experience

(正)在 = an action in progress

着/著 = a continuous state resulting from an action

起来/起來 = an action/a state which has just started

下去 = an action which is to be continued

下来/下來 = an action which is gradually changing into non-action

To express future, you say 明天我......, etc.

Profile picture
suansuanru
April 13, 2010, 03:18 PM

hehe,明天要下雨,对的。

Profile picture
user76423
March 29, 2010, 12:53 PM

You may buy

Ross/Ma: Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar, ISBN 0-415-70010-8

LINK

The grammar is more around Situations and Functions"

Look into the "Contents"-Tab, interesting chapters are...

30 Talking About the Present

31 Talking About Habitual Actions

32 Talking About the Future

33 Indicating Completion and Talking About the Past

34 Talking About Change, New Situations, and Changing Situations

35 Talking About Duration and Frequency

 

Profile picture
EmmaLouise1
March 29, 2010, 01:02 PM

Oh, I have that book already! I guess I should have read it a bit better... whoops I think I dismissed it a bit too quickly first reading, thinking it was too difficult :/ But I'll re-read it with new found eyes and definitely check out those chapters.

Profile picture
trevorb
March 29, 2010, 08:21 PM

啊哟, Now you've gone and made me buy another book, I am going to need a new book shelf!

Anything that can help me get a handle on this bit is worth a shot!   I'm currently working on the principle if I listen enough and read enough eventually it will penetrate even my thick skull :-)

Profile picture
RJ
March 29, 2010, 08:59 PM

Claudia Ross also wrote the schaums outline on Chinese grammar which is a concise and readable summary of the way things work. Both books are great.

Profile picture
trevorb

I have the Schaums book, it is one of my tattyiest books having been carried about with me for so long!

I know also have the Ross book and am finding that useful too, but less portable :-)

Profile picture
EmmaLouise1
March 29, 2010, 12:43 PM

Ah, thanks so much Hape! That makes more sense then what I was trying to look for ^_^ So I think I'll give up on my Chinese verb table and instead just learn the aspect markers. 

Profile picture
chenierd
March 29, 2010, 10:47 PM

会 and 要 are also often used to indicate a future event when the time isn't explicit.

Profile picture
trevorb

as in 明天要下雨 ?

seems weird as I kinda translate 要as want and I soooo don't want rain tomorrow!

Profile picture
suansuanru

hehe,明天要下雨,对的。

Profile picture
hanana1408
April 11, 2010, 07:28 AM

ahhhhhhhhhhh!! :D

Profile picture
trevorb
April 11, 2010, 08:34 AM

I have the Schaums book, it is one of my tattyiest books having been carried about with me for so long!

I know also have the Ross book and am finding that useful too, but less portable :-)

Profile picture
trevorb
April 11, 2010, 08:35 AM

as in 明天要下雨 ?

seems weird as I kinda translate 要as want and I soooo don't want rain tomorrow!

Profile picture
chenierd
March 29, 2010, 09:28 PM

I think your example, “我过看” should be “我看过”.  That sentence would indicate a past completed experince.  Like the completion of a book.