Sentence PatternsHSK 4

The 是...的 patterns: an overview

The 是...的 pattern emphasizes a characteristic or category of the subject. It frames the subject as belonging to a certain type rather than simply stating a temporary or neutral attribute. A common pitfall is overusing it for ordinary descriptions where a plain adjective without 是...的 would sound more natural.

Structure

Subj. + 是 + [Distinguishing Words] + 的

Examples

  • 这个苹果是坏的。
    Zhè ge píng guǒ shì huài de.
    This apple is bad.
  • 你错了，那个人是女的。
    Nǐ cuò le, nà ge rén shì nǚ de.
    You are mistaken. That person is a woman.
  • 他家的家具都是中式的。
    Tā jiā de jiā jù dōu shì zhōng shì de.
    The furniture in his house is all in Chinese style.

Words that use this