# 她英国菜做得非常好



## littlepond

In the book I am learning Chinese from, an Englishman and an English girl are invited to a Chinese home. There, the host asks:

Shǐ xiǎojie huì zuò cài ma?

First the girl replies, then the Englishman adds:

Tā Yingguó cài zuò de fēicháng hǎo.

I am not understanding why "Yingguó cài", the object of "zuò", is here before "zuò": could you please enlighten me? What connects "Tā" and "Yingguó cài"? I would have thought the sentence to be like "Tā zuò Yingguó cài de fēicháng hǎo" or "Tā huì zuò Yingguó cài de fēicháng hǎo".

Thanks for all replies!


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## SuperXW

Good question. This structure is common in Chinese, especially in casual conversations.
Linguists may give different explanations. I'm not a linguist. I'll just give you some tips with my simple English.
You may pick a method to get to memorize the pattern. Either one is ok.

Method 1: in [somebody's something is...], the connecting de ['s] can be omitted.
ta yingguo cai = ta de yingguo cai (de can be omitted) = she ['s] English dish = her English dish
ta yingguo cai zuo de feichang hao = her English dish is made very well = she makes English dish very well

Method 2: in [verb object verb de adverb], the first verb can be omitted.
ta yingguo cai zuo de... = ta zuo yingguo cai zuo de... (the first zuo is omitted) = she makes English dish very...

Notice Chinese don't have structures as you suggested: "Tā *zuò* Yingguó cài *de* fēicháng hǎo" or "Tā huì *zuò* Yingguó cài *de* fēicháng hǎo".
Because that de(得) MUST follows [*verb de* adverb/status]. "yingguo cai" should not get in-between.


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## hx1997

It's an example of the topic-comment structure in Chinese. Check this: A Common Chinese Sentence Pattern Explained (A Common Chinese Sentence Pattern Explained by Julie The Gyaw)


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## SuperXW

Hx, I've though about topic-comment structure. However, the OP's sentence is not so simple and typical. It involve "two subjects" (ta, yingguo cai) and a "passival form" (cai zuode hao), thus it is far more complicate.


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## hx1997

Topic-comment sentences often involve two subjects, don't they? E.g. 书你买了吗？哪个国家我都去过。It is the same case as what OP came across. Ta (she, the topic) yingguocai zuo de feichang hao (cooks British meals well, comment on the topic).

Ok, it might not be so straightforward for learners. It's just an alternative way of looking at it.


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## SuperXW

Not exactly. Your examples of "two subjects" put the person after the thing, while OP's sentence put the person first. That's why I had my explanations.


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## hx1997

I mean, it doesn't matter. The idea is the same -- a topic, and a description of the topic, no matter the topic is a person or an object. As I said, it's just an alternative way of looking at it.

Edit: I don't want to bump the post, so I'm replying here. I'm not saying your explanation was wrong or something, Super. In fact, it was quite good. I'm only providing another perspective, "an alternative way" which the OP may turn to if he still has problem understanding the sentence. We're doing the same thing with the same purpose that is to make the sentence clear to the OP.
By the way, thumbs up for Ghabi's clarification.


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## SuperXW

I know what you are saying, but it even puzzled me as a native speaker. All your examples are "something, who did what", now you are telling me so easily that "who, something is done like what" is "just an alternative way of looking at it"... Do they look similar to you? Which is which's "comment" or "description" you called?

If OP's sentence is "yingguo cai ta zuo de feichang hao", then I would have less problems with your T-C structure examples.


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## Ghabi

This is a typical double topic sentence:

她(main topic)英国菜(sub-topic)做得非常好(comment)
"As to her, when it comes to British dishes, she really does them well"

It's clearer in a sentence with two contrastive sub-topics:

她(main topic)英国菜(sub-topic)做得非常好(comment),中国菜(sub-topic)就差一点(comment)
"As to her, when it comes to British dishes, she really does them well, but when it comes to Chinese dishes, she leaves something to be desired".


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## littlepond

Wow, thanks a lot for all your replies, that has been immensely helpful to understand the sentence better, though I am not sure if I can still make such sentences on my own.
SuperXW is right in that I wouldn't have had a problem with a sentence like "yingguo cai ta zuo de feichang hao": it is a relatively straightforward topic construction, and my mind would have been at ease with that. But it's the "double subject" which tripped me up.

When I proceeded further in the book, I did come upon an explanation that seemed to say that consider the sentence as "ta zuo yingguo cai, zuo de feichang hao", as SuperXW also suggested. It's a bit difficult though right now for my mind to grasp this in, that is take it as a natural sentence. Guess it will take effort. But somehow I like Ghabi's explanation a lot, it makes life easier. (Linguistically, I don't know, is it indeed a double topic sentence or not, but Ghabi's explanation makes things easier for me.)


hx1997 said:


> Check this: A Common Chinese Sentence Pattern Explained (A Common Chinese Sentence Pattern Explained by Julie The Gyaw)



Thanks a lot for the link, hx1997: it is very helpful.


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## claire0831

Hi, I'm a Chinese teacher. I think I can explain this grammar to you.
*Verb/Adjective + 得（de）+ Predicative Complement表语补语*
To further describe an action or a state, a verb or an adjective may take a verb or adjective phrase as its complement. The complement provides information concerning the manner, result, degree, or evaluation of the action or the state. 得（de）is used as a connector between the verb/adjective and its complement. E.g
_Jīntiān mǎ Lì chuān de tè bié piàoliàng.
今 天   玛 丽       穿       得  特 别   漂   亮。
Mary is dressed especially beautifully today.
_
If the verb has an object, the object cannot just simply follow the verb, but must be placed before the complement, using one of the following patterns:
*1．Verb Object + Verb+得（de）+ Predicative Complement*
Tā tiào wǔ tiào de hěn yōuměi.
她    跳   舞   跳  得    很  优 美。
She dances so gracefully.
*2．Object + Verb+得（de）+ Predicative Complement*
Tā wǔ tiào de hěn yōuměi.
 她  舞   跳   得  很   优  美。
She dances so gracefully.

Your sentence "Tā Yingguó cài zuò de fēicháng hǎo."
Yingguó cài is object. "Tā Yingguó cài" should be "Tā de Yingguó cài", which means "the British food which made by him."
zuò is verb.
de is 得（de）, the connector of this structure.
fēicháng hǎo is predicative complement.

So, your sentence belongs to grammar *2．Object + Verb+得（de）+ Predicative Complement.
*
By the way,  "Tā zuò Yingguó cài de fēicháng hǎo" or "Tā huì zuò Yingguó cài de fēicháng hǎo" is completely wrong, it offends against the rules of Chinese grammar.

Hope my explanation could help you. Good luck in Chinese


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## littlepond

^ Thanks a lot, it helps a lot!


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