Sentence Structure (Beginner question)

[AlexanderH]

Hey all -- I've taken a semester of chinese at the local community college, so I'm right now getting into complex sentence structures.

I'm still having a hard time formulating sentences when time, an adverb/place, or multiple places are involved.

E.g. At 6 oclock this weekend we'll watch a movie at your place. Is the following correct?

Women zhe ge zhoumo liu dian ni jia qu kan dian ying.

So is the general order:

Subject, Time/Place/Manner, Verb, Object?

What if I want to say:

At 6 o clock I will slowly walk to your house?

(Arranged in English: I, at 6 o clock, slowly will walk to your house) -- Is this correct?

Still trying to work things out -- thank you!

[Guoke]

Women zhe ge zhoumo liu dian ni jia qu kan dian ying.

women zhege zhoumo liudian（zhong） zai nijia kan dianying

我们 这个周末 六点（钟） 在你家 看电影

Subject/我们 + (adverbial) + verb/看 + Object/电影

(adverbial): time + place 这个周末六点钟 + 在你家

or

women zhege zhoumo liudianzhong qu nijia kan dianying.

我们这个周末六点钟去你家看电影。

(Arranged in English: I, at 6 o clock, slowly will walk to your house) -- Is this correct?

我 六点钟 会慢慢地 走去你的家。

I + at 6 o'clock + will + slowly + walk + to your house

Edited December 29, 2009 at 06:21 AM by Guoke

[Guoke]

So is the general order:

Subject, Time/Place/Manner, Verb, Object?

Exactly. And it's opposite to English if you've noticed.

E: I + saw him + at the park + yesterday. (place+time)

M: I + yesterday + at the park + saw him. (time+place)

E: I + got up + early + this morning. (manner+time)

M: I + this morning + early + got up. (time+manner)

E: She + sleeps + soundly + in the craddle. (manner+place)

M: She + in the craddle + soundly + sleeps. (place+manner)

The logic is the same though:

Adverbs of manner are the closest to the verb, followed by adverbs of place and finally adverbs of time.

Edited December 29, 2009 at 08:07 AM by Guoke

[crazy-meiguoren]

Adverbs of manner are the closest to the verb, followed by adverbs of place and finally adverbs of time.

In the example of "at 6:00 will slowly walk", what determines the placement of the helping verb "will" between time+manner?

[Guoke]

what determines the placement of the helping verb "will" between time+manner

Sorry, I don't know how to explain it because I've never studied Chinese grammar.

I think words such as 将，会，可以，在，已经，...function like (modal) auxiliary verbs in English. Similar to English, adverbs can be placed after these words and before the main verbs.

Examples:

我 会+慢慢地+告诉 你

他 在+努力地+工作

她 已经+悄悄地+离开了

我们 可以+早点儿+起身

Edit:

Sorry, 已经 is also an adverb and shouldn't be on the list.

Other examples:

喜欢 - 我 喜欢+静静地+喝咖啡

能- 它 能+快速地+进行jiagong

应该 - 你 应该+好好地+对待他

......

Edited December 29, 2009 at 11:39 PM by Guoke

[chrix]

Whenever I say 先要看看 I keep being corrected that I should say 要先看看.

So according to what you write above it would indeed be 先要看看, and not 要先看看... But if an adverb modifies a modal verb, the adverb is usually placed before it, as in 我很想去...

Google is not a reliable tool for this kind of thing, but 先要看看 gets 1.5 million and 要先看看 1.2 million. Do you see any subtle difference between the two?