laser2302 Posted July 16, 2007 at 09:12 AM Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 at 09:12 AM Hi guys, i've been learning Chinese for sometime now and I don't understand the proper usage of 如果...的话, like in the sentence given below: 那你拿去吧,如果你一定要用的话 and 所以如果你在生意交往中遇到,啊,有少数民族的朋友的话 Can anyone please tell me what's the point of putting 的话 after 如果 and in what situation you use 的话 with 如果. I know that 如果 means "if", but what is 的话 and can't we only use 如果 every time (that is without 的话) Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted July 16, 2007 at 10:08 AM Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 at 10:08 AM As far as I know: - you can always put 的話 on the end of a 如果 sentence. - there is not really a point, that's just what people say, part of the language. 如果 means if, 如果...的話 also means if. 的話 in itself can also mean if, if I'm not mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotherighthing Posted July 16, 2007 at 11:18 AM Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 at 11:18 AM 如果。。。的话 very close to if ..... then normally that can be only used at composite sentences, for example, if you like this labtop, then you can take it with you 如果你喜欢这个笔记本电脑(的话),你可以带走 Here, you can use 的话 or just ignore it, both are fine and proper. among our native speakers, with 的话, it seems more informal and casual. in written, we normally will not use 的话. of course there are always different preferences. hope that will help u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashiriKata Posted July 16, 2007 at 11:53 AM Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 at 11:53 AM 如果 and 的话, either can be used to mean "if". When used together, they re-inforce each other but mean just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanhql Posted July 16, 2007 at 01:26 PM Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 at 01:26 PM sometimes 的话 is used without 如果, especially in conversation, but still means the same thing. 如果你喜欢这个笔记本电脑的话,你可以带走 如果你喜欢这个笔记本电脑,你可以带走 你喜欢这个笔记本电脑的话,你可以带走 你喜欢这个笔记本电脑,你可以带走 the last example requires the context to show that it is a conditional sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zozzen Posted July 16, 2007 at 01:33 PM Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 at 01:33 PM I often omit either one to reduce redundancy. 如果你喜歡, 大可省略那個冗字. But my favorite one is 要是. 要是你喜歡, 大可省略「如果」這句式. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laser2302 Posted July 20, 2007 at 10:44 AM Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 at 10:44 AM Thanks a lot everyone, now I understand very well about it's usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari 桑 Posted July 29, 2007 at 07:10 AM Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 at 07:10 AM Its a good informal thing, often filling a nice space at the end of the sentance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ofriendragon Posted July 31, 2007 at 04:47 PM Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 at 04:47 PM In written Chinese, delete "的话"。 如果你不喜欢我(的话),咱们分手吧。 In most cases, "的话" is redundant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipponman Posted August 1, 2007 at 01:09 PM Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 at 01:09 PM Also, whenever I used 如果 to mean if, my teacher would agree but look at me funny. Then she told me it is more colloquial to use yao4 shi5 instead. Just thought u should know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinsonTan Posted August 9, 2007 at 06:30 PM Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 at 06:30 PM 如果"的话"不跟在"如果"后面的话那也还是"如果...的话",haha In fact, "如果...的话"="如果" you can use any of them when you mean " if " . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dani_man Posted August 26, 2007 at 06:43 PM Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 at 06:43 PM One day I was talking with a Chinese guy about Mandarin, he said something like 如果你学普通话的话... In the middle of the sentence he realized that it would sound funny like that, but it was too late... so his 的话 was in a kind of low voice, tried to dim it on the spot... Just saying - -It's very very much of 口语 to use it. They use it automatically. -Sometimes you shouldn't t use it! (like in the example above ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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