Duration of actions in Chinese (How to say "I slept for 5 hours"?) - Chinese Grammar Simplified

In this video, we are going to look into how to say "someone did something for a period of time" and "someone hasn't done something for a period of time". The patterns to use are actually quite different.
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The answers to the video questions are posted here:
www.twincitieschinesetutor.us...
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All content is written and produced by Luke Wang with www.TwinCitiesChineseTutor.US
(Atop Learning Inc.)
Please visit my website and contact me if you are looking for high-quality customized private Chinese lessons.

[@LearningWithEkaterina]

Helpful as usual! Love your explanation and animation!

[@kdog12345]

I REALLY ENJOY your videos....they're fun, informational, and totally engaging. Thanks for the FABU animations and drawings, too!

[@mmn910]

These are fantastic! Keep them coming!!

[@KaiCreative]

Excellent explanation and examples! 👏

[@toekafrank6998]

Excellent! Thanks.🙏

[@jamalazlou3338]

Thank you so much I really liked it, I wish you could do about many conjunctions and adverbs like 刚 and 刚才...

[@khadijajbali3795]

Nice video you're really excellent teacher , I asked if the next video can talk about some sentences that we can use for a presentation of an event or describe our city I hope you do it 谢谢你😊😊

[@homaghezel3272]

Thank you teacher.

[@believeinpeace]

Thank you

[@impexhubtradingcompany4245]

Highly useful

[@umairmirza2338]

Well done

[@thanhha9007]

Hi, could you release a video about how to use "shi hou" please. thank you

[@sraynea8082]

I like your video so much 😍

[@simoneraquel8815]

Awesome lesson! You did it very well ... Tks I'd like lessons using 有时候。。。 if it's possible, right?

[@liyuqi8092]

I need a video like this for describing frequency.

[@gentle_lion007]

Awesome

[@sketchfam8037]

You’re the best

[@raqueldesa4903]

Hi! I really like your videos, and the way you relate the Chinese topics with real and diverse situations - it really helps to memorize them! I would like to know if you have, during your research, found any clue for why 一下 has so many different, although related, meanings attached to it, which makes so difficult to understand differently each case. What would be the cause of such subtle, but important, differences? Well, that's my question. Thank you so much for continuing posting your videos, so I can continue sharing them with my friends.

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

一下 and 一点 will be one of the topics of my future videos. But 一下 generally is to describe "a slight effort" of the action that comes before it.

[@raqueldesa4903]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified Thanks for the reply. Can't wait for the next videos then (-:

[@rosa_pilarb.a.236]

Hi!! I always loooove your explanations! This one was so EASY to understand, thanks! Do you have one in which I can understand if there is any difference between an adjetive and an adverb?

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

"adj + noun" vs "adv.+ verbs" For example: adj. : careful = 细心的 He is a careful student. 他是一个细心的学生。 adv. : carefully = 细心地 He carefully studies Chinese. 他细心地学中文。

[@umairmirza2338]

We want more video keep it up

[@nicoleraheem1195]

Any advice on listening comprehension for hsk1 level students? When will it "click"?

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

Nicole Raheem I would advise you to practice mimicking recorded dialogues and memorize them so you internalize the rhythm and the flow of the language. You can hear everything that you can say at the speed you say them. So it’s really about patten recognition.

[@nonna3420]

Thank you for your easy and useful lessons and easy way of explanation . but please I have a question hope you explain it for me . I am a beginner in learning chinese language and I cant differentiate between (ta) for Feminine or masculine when i listen the sentence ( i know it differs in writing but what differs when speaking to some one ) . and thank you very much .

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

Nada - There is none. You can only figure them out based on context. That is why Chinese people mix up HE and SHE in English all the time.

[@nonna3420]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified thank you ❤

[@sumansinghrawat8341]

Sir make videos on model and aspectual le

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

noted

[@jerrolyombi4714]

Make a video on 才

[@drl_324]

非常好的视频，谢谢你们！可是。。。I was told that we don't use 'le' when we have 'mei'...did I misunderstand?

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

In the introduction level class, we usually tell students not to use 没 with 了，because to negate a sentence in the past tense, we don't usually need 了。 E.g. 我没看书。 = I didn't read. However, there are exceptions as you progress to intermediate level of Chinese. 1. 不……了 / 没……了 = no longer... e.g. 我不喝咖啡了。 = I stopped drinking coffee. 我们没有这种咖啡了。 = We ran out of this type of coffee. 2. In duration of action patterns explained in this video. So, long story short, your teacher is right when you are just learning the basic tenses. But there are exceptions in more advanced situations.

[@drl_324]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified 谢谢您！

[@chrisburns3236]

Very clear thanks. How would i say ‘ I started learning Chinese 10 years ago, but I was busy so DIDN’T learn for five years but then started again last year.’?

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

我十年以前开始学中文，可是（后来）我太忙了，所以停了五年。可是去年又开始学了。

[@chrisburns3236]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified 太谢谢你了

[@spiveytw]

I need help understanding, 到时候. How it is used in a sentence and question.

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

到时候 = when the time comes. Ex. 我下个星期要毕业了。到时候，我们一起出去玩吧。

[@dhangaddhinga]

What's the difference compared to use of 过 ？

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

1 过 as a verb = to cross through space or time 过桥 = to cross a bridge 过马路 = to cross the street 过生日 = to celebrate the birthday 过周末 = to spend the weekend 过年 = to celebrate the new year 2 过 as “aspect marker” Verb + 过 = have done Verb 吃过 = have eaten 去过 = have been to 看过 = have seen; have watched

[@amrbasha7824]

Hi, May I ask for further explanation? How to say; subscription for 1 year? The subscription for 1 year costs you 500 dollar. 这个一年订阅费你500块钱。 How to differentiate this type of duration? or I understood it wrongly.

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

The subscription for 1 year costs you 500 dollar. = 一年的订阅费要500块钱。 the duration here is structured to be the description of the fee.

[@aggelossiskakis2849]

功夫

[@myedu3154]

You should make the note for us in the end of the video 🙏

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

What do you mean by the note?

[@myedu3154]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified it's been two years , LOL! I mean summarizing the video.

[@manasa2493]

It's really nice of you laoshi.. But actually the sentence should be in order of Subject+Time+ Verb+Object but in this video I'm confused it's because of using了？

[@mazurovahelen4168]

In your case "time" is in meaning "when". In this video it's the "duration of the action" or "period of time" is a focus. If you try to say for how long something has been happening, the structure changes and this video is about it.

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

@Mazurova Helen is right. Duration is different from the Time when something happens. You can also learn the difference in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIatdaKZr82Kntk&ab_channel=TwinCitiesChineseTutor

[@niklasbl4030]

or just: 我学中国功夫三年了 (just replace the question verb 多久

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

Yes, in practice. However, I still prefer to repeat the verb after the object for clarity.

[@MrAbrandao]

Your videos are great. But in this one, what about the duration of future actions? Ex. I will travel for 2 years. The surgery will last for two hours The food won't last long

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

You can just take 了 off for future duration

[@MrAbrandao]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified do I need to add 会 ?

[@xhiantimothyyao7119]

What is that

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

What is what?

[@BorisG491]

"I haven't slept for 24 hours" can also be "我没睡觉都24小时了", or "我都24小时没睡觉了" if you want to stress the time for which you haven't done something. Or to sound native and vulgar, you can say "我他妈都24小时没睡觉了". Then the listener will know you're not happy with not getting enough sleep.

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

我没睡觉都24小时了 is grammatically incorrect. But 我都24小时没睡觉了 and 我他妈都24小时没睡觉了 are correct, as they still follow that the Duration in a negative sentence needs to be placed before the verbs.

[@markfreeman170]

Thanks, I find your grammar lessons easier than others to understand and the format you use suits me too. However please don’t use this type background music and preferably no music at all. A honky tonk piano version of Darktown Strutters Ball is very distracting and an odd thing for a Chinese lesson. Otherwise, great work and please keep it up.

[@palm9351]

Thanks a lot 😊. And may I say : 1。我到了三个月的中国了 2。我到中国到了三个月了 3。我三个月没去中国了。

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

This one you can only say我到中国三个月了。Because the action of arriving is not continuing. It’s essentially saying it’s been three months since I arrived at China.

[@palm9351]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified thanks 🙏🙏🙏 a lot 😊

[@f_yadh]

1。我工了十个小时的作。 2。我们一个月没去公园。 3。他游了三十个分钟的泳了。 Feel free to let me know if there are any mistakes 😊

[@xhiantimothyyao7119]

Bruhh

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

?

[@Garahan]

Answers: 我睡了五个小时的觉 or 我睡觉睡了五个小时

[@anamariayaloba2018]

I would like you speak slowly....😓

[@ChineseGrammarSimplified]

You can play all KZbin videos at half or .75 speed

[@anamariayaloba2018]

@@ChineseGrammarSimplified I forgot it!! . I'm a spanish speaker, listen in english and hànyû at that speed is quite difficult for me. Tanks a lot!!!