Your favourite conjunctions/adverbs

[js6426]

I am trying to make both my spoken and written Chinese more interesting, and so I am looking for a good selection of conjunctions/adverbs to use.  Things like 何必，究竟，何况 etc.  What are some of your favourite ones to use?  Perhaps with each one listed people could give an example sentence, so that the usage is clear for anyone who wants to use them!  Thanks!

[889]

再说 、 我的意思是、也就是说、 換言之。

 

All are very useful.

[LuDaibola]

4 hours ago, js6426 said:

Perhaps with each one listed people could give an example sentence

 

Could you do that with those that you've listed?  I'd appreciate it, as I've never run across these whereas 889's selections are all familiar to me.  Thanks.

[js6426]

I can try, but I can't promise they will be correct!  I have only just discovered these ones and I have made some practice sentences and asked my teacher to check them, but I haven't heard back from him yet. 

 

哥们儿，只是开玩笑，你何必生气呢？

 

我知道你不太喜欢她，但是你别这样说，她究竟是你的妹妹。

 

我没有钱买充电，何况手机啊！

 

[abcdefg]

17 hours ago, js6426 said:

I am trying to make both my spoken and written Chinese more interesting, and so I am looking for a good selection of conjunctions/adverbs to use.  Things like 何必，究竟，何况 etc. 

 

Spoken language and written language are not the same. Your speech is going to come off sounding unnatural and "bookish" if you dig too deep and get too obscure. 书面语

[js6426]

6 hours ago, abcdefg said:

 

Spoken language and written language are not the same. Your speech is going to come off sounding unnatural and "bookish" if you dig too deep and get too obscure. 书面语

So these three are primarily for written language?  Thanks for the heads up!

 

I have to write a thesis for 4th year so these will still be useful for me, I will just be sure not to use them in day-to-day speech! 

[Beelzebro]

11 hours ago, js6426 said:

我知道你不太喜欢她，但是你别这样说，她究竟是你的妹妹。

 

毕竟 would be a better fit for this sentence than 究竟. 究竟 has a somewhat different feeling (very similar to 到底) and is mostly used in writing. 

 

To answer your original question, I like the word 反正 because it comes in handy really often.

[陳德聰]

I have always liked 反之, not sure why.

 

E.g.

越容易理解的事物，越容易保存於記憶之中；反之，越難理解的事物，越容易忘記。

 

Also like 反之亦然 for same reason.

[889]

I also like 反正, when I remember to use it.

 

I've a tendency to fall back too often on 可是 and 但是, and find 然而 a useful variation. Again, when I remember to use it.

[tooironic]

Unlike English, Chinese does not use conjunctions that much, especially in spoken speech, beyond very simple ones like 如果 因為 所以 etc. In Chinese, it is customary to jump topics with no explicit connectors between them. Thus if you use a lot of these connectors in Chinese you run the risk of sounding either too bookish or like translatese, unless you know how to use them well.

[js6426]

40 minutes ago, tooironic said:

unless you know how to use them well.

 

This is pretty much the point of me asking... 

[abcdefg]

On 5/29/2018 at 5:12 PM, js6426 said:

I am trying to make both my spoken and written Chinese more interesting, and so I am looking for a good selection of conjunctions/adverbs to use. 

 

3 hours ago, js6426 said:

This is pretty much the point of me asking... 

 

I'm kind of reluctant to even talk about this topic, because it is something I myself don't do well, despite wanting to. Furthermore, I'm not sure how best to explain it. Your interest in improving your Chinese is definitely commendable. Plus I can understand your frustration at this matter being somewhat elusive. Please don't think I am trying to discourage you from trying to get better. And I understand the urge to not get into a rut by using the same few fixed linking expressions over and over.

 

But this, using appropriate connecting words (and phrases), is a really difficult matter to calibrate; to adjust and fine tune. Doing this in a native-sounding way takes a whole lot of time and practice; an immense amount of feedback. It takes developing a "feel" for the context; it takes developing an "ear" for the setting and the intent. It involves lots of nuances; it isn't always black or white. For example, it can even change according to the person to whom you are speaking; their level of formal education and sophistication. It can change according to whether you are scolding or pleading, and so on. 

 

It will gradually get better over time, but I would humbly suggest not getting fixated on it, not trying too hard. The more native material you read and the more native speech you hear, the easier it will become. It's not an improvement that happens fast. Often improvement comes through selective imitation. Would encourage you to imitate a lot.

 

And, I could be wrong, but I also think this is one of the last areas in which a foreigner who has learned Chinese as an adult will ever be able to truly master and sound completely native and natural. It will probably always be a subtle "tell" that he or she is not a native speaker, even on the telephone where there are no visual cues. 

 

[js6426]

Thank you, that's actually really helpful advice.  I guess I will just keep cracking away and try to imitate the way my teachers speak even more!  In the articles we have to write for homework I like to experiment, as it's a good way to find out if I am using things correctly or not.  Unfortunately my level isn't nearly good enough to read native content yet, and so although I am getting daily native content when it comes to listening, I have found myself a bit stuck when it comes to finding decent conjunctions and adverbs to use to spice my writing up a bit.  This probably all comes from writing stories in English class at school, and constantly being told how we shouldn't repeat the same things over and over as it sounds boring hah!  Anyway, I can keep experimenting with my written stuff as I will get feedback from my teachers, and then if I want feedback on a new word or whatever I can always ask my teachers if it would sound natural/be appropriate for the given context.  Thanks again abcdefg!

[abcdefg]

I think that's an excellent plan. Never be afraid to make mistakes. Make lots of them; it's a great way to get better. 

 

I have friends who came to China but are deathly afraid to say something wrong. Five years later they can't even order lunch. 

[Jim]

One that's not been mentioned yet: 哪怕. Some good examples of it in action on Juuku: http://www.jukuu.com/search.php?q=哪怕

Quote

算了吧。哪怕全世界其他人都死绝了，你还是没戏。

 

[Beelzebro]

In my opinion, mastering 就，还，也，都，又 and 再, with all the subtle different uses, is the key to sounding fluent. Other conjunctions tend to be simpler to use and easily picked up. Frequently using 就是 as a filler/for emphasis also makes your speaking a lot more fluid.

[Jim]

And 后来, never get too much of that ?