Lesson 69: Review and Application of Complements of Duration and Frequency
This lesson revisits and expands on the usage of complements of duration (时量补语) and complements of frequency (动量补语), focusing on their placement, especially when an object is present.
Complement of Duration (Review): Indicates the length of time an action lasts or has lasted.
Basic: Subject + Verb (+ 了) + Duration Complement.
With Object:
1. S + V + 了 + Duration + (的) + O (for general objects).
Example: 我学了两年(的)汉语。 (I studied Chinese for two years.)
2. S + V + O (pronoun) + V + 了 + Duration (verb reduplication).
Example: 他等我等了一个小时。 (He waited for me for an hour.)
3. S + V + O (pronoun) + Duration (+ 了 for ongoing).
Example: 我看他十分钟了。 (I've been watching him for ten minutes.)
Complement of Frequency (Review): Indicates the number of times an action is performed. Common measure words: 次 (cì), 遍 (biàn), 趟 (tàng).
Basic: Subject + Verb (+ 了/过) + Frequency Complement.
With Object:
1. S + V (+ 了/过) + Frequency Complement + O (often for things).
Example: 我去了一趟超市。 (I went to the supermarket once.)
2. S + V + O (pronoun) (+ 了/过) + Frequency Complement.
Example: 我找了他三次。 (I looked for him three times.)
(Alternative for general objects: Topicalize Object + S + V (+ 了/过) + Frequency Complement.)
Combining Duration and Frequency: If both are present, frequency usually precedes duration, but it's often clearer to use separate clauses.
Example: 这本书我看了两遍,一共看了十个小时。 (I read this book twice, for a total of ten hours.)
Correctly placing objects in relation to these complements is key to forming natural and grammatically correct sentences. These complements provide crucial quantitative information about actions.