Back
Advanced

The 是...的 Construction

Emphasizing how/when/where

是...的 stresses the details of a past action

Used to highlight when/where/how something happened.

💬 Examples
我是昨天来的。
Wǒ shì zuótiān lái de.
It was yesterday that I came.
📝 是 + (time) + verb + 的
他是坐飞机来的。
Tā shì zuò fēijī lái de.
He came by plane.
📝 Emphasizes the means
The event is known; a detail is the focus

是...的 presupposes that the action happened.

💬 Examples
你是在哪儿买的?
Nǐ shì zài nǎr mǎi de?
Where did you buy it?
📝 Focus on the place
我是跟朋友一起去的。
Wǒ shì gēn péngyou yìqǐ qù de.
I went with friends.
📝 Focus on 'with whom'
是 can drop, 的 cannot

In the affirmative 是 is optional; in the negative it's required.

💬 Examples
我昨天来的。
Wǒ zuótiān lái de.
I came yesterday.
📝 是 omitted, 的 kept
不是我说的。
Bú shì wǒ shuō de.
It wasn't me who said it.
📝 Negative needs 是