'I want to eat lunch with you later, ok?' translation help

[adamnhms]

Nihao,

I need some help and understanding of where time words go (guòyīhuìr or xiànzài)

For example:

"I want to eat later"

wǒ xiǎng guòyīhuìr chī

Why does the 'guòyīhuìr' come between the two verbs and not after the two verbs?

Using the same thought with that sentence, how would I translate the following sentence:

"I want to eat lunch with you later, okay?"

Is it "wǒ xiǎng guòyīhuìr gēn nǐ yìqǐ fàndiàn, hǎo ma?

Notice how the 'guòyīhuìr' comes after the first verb. Help is very appreciated!

Please respond in pinyin if you can. xièxie nǐ!

[skylee]

"I want to eat lunch with you later, okay?"

Is it "wǒ xiǎng guòyīhuìr gēn nǐ yìqǐ fàndiàn, hǎo ma?

I think the pattern is right. However I don't know why you use fàndiàn. What does it mean? Could you explain?

As to "Why does the 'guòyīhuìr' come between the two verbs and not after the two verbs?", could you explain why the "later" in the English sentence "I want to eat later." comes after the two verbs and not between the two verbs?

[adamnhms]

Skylee,

I mean't to say 'wǔfàn' instead of 'fàndiàn'. The new sentence should be 'wǒ xiǎng guòyīhuìr gēn nǐ yìqǐ wǔfàn, hǎo ma'. In response to your question, in english that's just the way it is. The 'later' comes after the two verbs, because that makes sense. In english if it were 'I want to later eat', then that wouldn't make sense. Could you tell me "Why does the 'guòyīhuìr' come between the two verbs and not after the two verbs?". I'm a little confused about the grammar structure in Mandarin regarding timing words such as 'guòyīhuìr' and 'xiànzài'

[Ruben von Zwack]

Hello, in my opinion the trick is that you have to think this way: guòyīhuìr comes before chī. The time comes before the verb to which the time refers to (usually, unless you are intentionally trying to make an "unusual" sentence pattern. But that's not the case here, and doesn't happen in general, most of the times, anyway).

Can you already make up other sentences with time and activity? Like:

Yesterday I read a book. Tomorrow, I will study. Right now, I (am) eat(ing). Everyday, I eat breakfast. Etc. etc.

Try, and you will see: time before verb!

Yes in your sentence it's technically between those two verbs, but that is more or less an accident because it is a complex (well, sort of) sentence.

In your last sentence, it seems you forgot the verb? If you add it, you will again see that guòyīhuìr comes *before* that one missing verb.

Edit: cross-post. You included the verb, and voilà, like I predicted, right?

Edit-edit: no, wait, you didn't, you added "lunch" but the verb is still missing!

[skylee]

First, consider chī wǔfàn instead of just wǔfàn. Unlike in English, in Chinese lunch is not a verb. It is a noun and people have to eat it.

As to why the 'guòyīhuìr' come between the two verbs and not after the two verbs, I suggest you consider your own answers "that's just the way it is" and "because that makes sense".

PS - I need to clarify here that I don't know and can't explain Chinese grammar as I have not studied it.

[roddy]

in english that's just the way it is

Same in Chinese.

[adamnhms]

chī wǔfàn

I realized my mistake, thanks to you and Ruben.

The time comes before the verb to which the time refers to

Makes sense now, thank you Ruben!

[Ruben von Zwack]

Well, in English, you cannot separate the auxiliary verb from the full verb. If you want to add extra information, add it after the verb(s), or even before, but don't squeeze it in between auxiliary verb and full verb.

In other languages you can do that, often you even have to, to make it correct in that language. Different habits of structuring a sentence, that's all.

[skylee]

Well, in English, you cannot separate the auxiliary verb from the full verb. If you want to add extra information, add it after the verb(s), or even before, but don't squeeze it in between auxiliary verb and full verb.

Cannot? Really? Why?

PS - You wrote "Can you already make up other sentences with time and activity? " What is the already doing there between can and make up?

[Ruben von Zwack]

Cannot? Really? Why?

Because if I do that, the English or American or Australian native speaker will know I'm a bloody German!

[adamnhms]

Well, in English, you cannot separate the auxiliary verb from the full verb. If you want to add extra information, add it after the verb(s), or even before, but don't squeeze it in between auxiliary verb and full verb.

I see, are you implying that this rule applies to Mandarin as well?

[Ruben von Zwack]

PS - You wrote "Can you already make up other sentences with time and activity? " What is the already doing there between can and make up?

hhhhhh... there goes my theory... gotta re-think!

[imron]

guòyīhuìr

Not sure where you're getting your pinyin, but this should be guòyīhuǐr

[adamnhms]

Not sure where you're getting your pinyin, but this should be guòyīhuǐr

过一会儿guòyīhuìr

later / after a while

Mandarin dictionary definition

[陳德聰]

should be guòyīhuǐr

I generally say 待会／等下 rather than 过一会 but I don't think that I have ever seen it written that way in pinyin or say it that way either...

Am I missing something here?

[tooironic]

My understanding is guò yīhuì[r] is the standard pronunciation, but in many northern dialects, and especially in Beijing, it is pronounced yīhuǐr.

I think the answer to the OP's question is quite simple: in Chinese, time always goes towards the beginning of the sentence (either before or directly after the subject), whilst in English it doesn't matter, time can go almost anywhere in the sentence, including at the end.

[SuEn]

I always thought it was yīhuìr, but I googled it and found this:

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_43c7ba310102efv6.html

"4.一会儿

《现汉》第5版注音为yīhuìr（1596页）。第6版括注口语读音为“yīhuìr（口语中也读yīhuǐr）”（1525页）。"

[adamnhms]

My pimsleur audio book stated 'later' had a falling, level, then a falling tone which matches up to guòyīhuìr. Its what I was taught, which one should I use?

[pheasant]

Actually is very simple. 过一会儿（er) sound is in northern part dialect. You can also use 过会儿 、 过一会。 Those meaning is same. Do not worry on how to speak. If you used to in guoyihuir. Then just go with it.