How to use nominal predicates in Mandarin Chinese?

Nominal predicates are nouns or noun phrases that are used as comments on the subject. In these structures, 是 (transcribed shì, meaning “to be”) or 有 (transcribed yǒu, meaning “there is/are, to have”) are omitted. They are used a lot in spoken language.

Intrigued? If you want to get to know more about nominal predicates in Mandarin, dive in and read more! We will discuss:

• How to form nominal predicate structures

• What type of nouns can be used in nominal predicates

• Where to place adverbs in nominal predicates

• How to negate nominal predicates

Let’s start!

First things first though, what is a predicate? A predicate comments on the subject of a sentence. A subject is about “what/who” and a predicate is “what about the subject.” For example, in “She dances,” “she” is the subject and “dances” is the predicate, which comments on the subject “she.”

Usually, predicates convey actions. However, there are cases in Mandarin Chinese where the predicate is a noun or noun phrase, and this is called a “nominal predicate.” For example,

In the sentence 今天晴天 (transcribed Jīntiān qíngtiān, meaning “It is a sunny day”), 今天 is the subject and 晴天 is the predicate, which describes what the weather is like today. Unlike in English, “is” and “a” are not necessary between the subject and the nominal predicate in Mandarin Chinese.

To form sentences with a nominal predicate, verbs are replaced by nouns in Mandarin Chinese. For example, 是 (transcribed shì, meaning “to be”) is not needed in the sentence 今天晴天 (transcribed Jīntiān qíngtiān, meaning “Today is a sunny day”). However, unlike adjectival predicates in Mandarin Chinese, nominal predicates can take 是 (transcribed shì). For example, we can still say, 今天是晴天 (transcribed Jīntiān shì qíngtiān, meaning “Today is indeed a sunny day”), but 是 (transcribed shì) here brings a touch of affirmative or differentiating tone. It is also important to know that 今天晴天 (transcribed Jīntiān qíngtiān, meaning “Today is a sunny day”) sounds more natural when you are simply making a comment about the weather. In any case, keep in mind that nominal predicates are used a lot in spoken language and in writing, you would add 是 (transcribed shì).

Not every noun can act as a nominal predicate. Nominal predicates are commonly formed by nouns that indicate one of the following categories in the table below:

Notice that 是 (transcribed shì, meaning “to be”) or 有 (transcribed yǒu, meaning “there is/are, to have”) are omitted: In the last sentence for example, you do not need to add 有 (transcribed yǒu) to express possession.

Some adverbs, like 已经 (transcribed yǐjīng, meaning “already”), 快 (transcribed kuài, meaning “almost”), 才 (transcribed cái, meaning “only”), and 刚 (transcribed gāng, meaning “just”), can be used to modify nominal predicates in Mandarin Chinese in order to convey more complex meanings. Adverbs don’t normally modify nouns, but they do in the case of a nominal predicate. The nominal predicates that can be modified by an adverb are limited, for usually they consist of numerals or describe a post someone holds. For example:

The negative form of a nominal predicate is made by putting 不是 (transcribed bùshì, meaning “is/am not”) before the nominal predicate. If the positive sentence omits 有 (transcribed yǒu), the negative sentence will use 没有 (transcribed méi yǒu) or 没 (transcribed méi) for short. The pattern is:

For example:

This post talks about nominal predicates in Mandarin Chinese.

• The pattern a nominal predicate follows is “subject + nominal predicate.”

• No 是 (transcribed shì, meaning “to be”) is needed in between the subject and the predicate.

• Nominal predicates tend to convey information relating to weather, time, day, date, season, location, birthplace, nationality, family origin, age, post, price, and characteristics.

• When a nominal predicate takes on an adverb, it follows this pattern: “subject + adverb + nominal predicate.” However, this type of sentence is limited and only occurs with nominal predicates that convey numerals or a post.

Right, it is time to put what we have talked about into practice. Go on and do these exercises to practice your knowledge of nominal predicates in Mandarin Chinese!