Auxiliary verbs

Original teaching practice. Read one pattern, cover its model and try the questions before checking the separate answer section. Examples adapted from Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning, CC BY-NC-SA) retain the course-reference provenance.

to desire将jiāng / will将要jiāng yào / auxiliary verb introducing…将会jiāng huì (formal future)

Read tomorrow’s notice

• A school notice says meeting会议huì yìto desire将jiāngat / in在zàitomorrow明天míng tiānto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng。 – the meeting will be held tomorrow. The notice places the event after today.
• It reports the announced plan. Reading it today does not show that tomorrow’s meeting has already happened.

Keep the subject and future action

• Put to desire将jiāng / will将要jiāng yào / auxiliary verb introducing…将会jiāng huì before the future action phrase: school学校xué xiàoauxiliary verb introducing…将会jiāng huìto announce公布gōng bùoutcome结果jié guǒ。 – the school will announce the results.
• In the meeting example, at / in在zàitomorrow明天míng tiān supplies the time and to hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng supplies the event. to desire将jiāng does not mark meeting会议huì yì as an object to move.

meeting会议huì yìwill将jiāngat在zàitomorrow明天míng tiānbe held举行jǔ xíng。

Separate future and object uses

• meeting会议huì yìto desire将jiāngat / in在zàitomorrow明天míng tiānto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng。 announces a future event. please请qǐngobject marker将jiāngdoor门ménclose关上guān shàng。 asks someone to close the door; gate门mén is the affected object.
• The same written to desire将jiāng does different jobs. Read the whole action phrase, rather than translating every to desire将jiāng as will.

Re-read a changed time

• A revised fictional notice changes tomorrow’s start from 14:00 to 15:00. The announced start is now one hour later.
• Use the revised time when planning your arrival. Neither the future form nor a time on the notice proves the meeting actually began then.

Choose a register, not a certainty level

• to desire将jiāng is common in formal written announcements. In a chat about tomorrow, we / us我们wǒ mentomorrow明天míng tiānwant / will / need要yàoto hold a meeting开会kāi huì。 is an ordinary alternative.
• A formal style does not make a plan impossible to cancel. meeting会议huì yìalready已经yǐ jīngto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng(completed / change)了le。 instead reports a meeting already held.

Check event, time and evidence

• Identify the subject, the action and its stated future time. Keep a future announcement separate from a completed-event report.
• When to desire将jiāng puts an object before an action, read that object use separately. Register alone does not tell you which job to desire将jiāng performs.

Practise this pattern step by step.

Practice without the models

Choose a pattern, cover its teaching examples, and attempt its questions. Use the labels to find feedback in the separate key.

to desire将jiāng / will将要jiāng yào / auxiliary verb introducing…将会jiāng huì (formal future)

1101.1 Use one of the future forms taught here: The meeting will be held tomorrow: meeting会议huì yì ………… at / in在zàitomorrow明天míng tiānto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng。

1101.2 {'en': 'to desire将jiāng here is used mostly in…', 'zh': 'here这里zhè lǐ(modifier / structural particle)的de to desire将jiāng many多duōto use in用于yòng yú……'}

• A. {'en': 'casual chat among friends', 'zh': 'friend朋友péng yǒugap间jiānto chat闲聊xián liáo'}
• B. {'en': 'news / formal announcements', 'zh': 'news新闻xīn wén / formal正式zhèng shìto announce通告tōng gào'}

1101.3 {'en': 'This future to desire将jiāng is the same as the (把: marks the object)把bǎ-style to desire将jiāng (将门jiàng ménto close (a door)关上guān shàng).', 'zh': 'this这个zhè gewatch (timepiece)表biǎoin the future将来jiāng lái(modifier / structural particle)的de to desire将jiāng and / with和hé (把: marks the object)把bǎ type式shì(modifier / structural particle)的de to desire将jiāng(将门jiàng ménto close (a door)关上guān shàng)to be / is是shìidentical同一tóng yīusage用法yòng fǎ。'}

True or false? Explain or repair the statement.

1101.4 An announcement gives tomorrow's meeting time. What does meeting会议huì yìto desire将jiāngat / in在zàitomorrow明天míng tiānto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng。 communicate?

• A. to desire将jiāng presents the meeting as a future event in formal style.
• B. to desire将jiāng always introduces an object before a disposal action.

1101.5 An announcement says meeting会议huì yìto desire将jiāngat / in在zàitomorrow明天míng tiānto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng。 Does it establish that the meeting has already been held?

True or false? Explain or repair the statement.

1101.6 A revised notice changes tomorrow’s start from 14:00 to 15:00. How many minutes later is the announced start?

1101.7 Match the complete sentence to its job.

• 1. school学校xué xiàoauxiliary verb introducing…将会jiāng huìto announce公布gōng bùoutcome结果jié guǒ。
• 2. to ask请qǐng将门jiàng ménto close (a door)关上guān shàng。
• 3. meeting会议huì yìalready已经yǐ jīngto hold (a meeting…举行jǔ xíng(completed / change)了le。

• A. Ask for an action on the door

• B. Announce a future action

• C. Report a meeting already held

1101.8 Using formal to desire将jiāng in a meeting notice shows the plan can never be cancelled.

True or false? Explain or repair the statement.

1101.9 Recall the situation: Read tomorrow’s notice. Decide what the speaker wanted to communicate. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

A fresh situation

R1. Interpret and repair. A notice says system系统xì tǒngto desire将jiāng(of time or place) in于yúFriday周五zhōu wǔto replace the old with new更新gēng xīn. A learner says the update has already happened because to desire将jiāng is formal past tense. Correct it.

R2. Use it yourself. Write a formal notice of a library closure next Monday without claiming that every future event needs to desire将jiāng.

Write your responses before opening the key. Compare meaning as well as form; a different valid answer need not copy the model.