Topics
IntermediatePredication
How Spanish, English and Chinese structure predicates around verbs, adjectives, and nouns.
Compare languages
The predicate is what is said about the subject. Spanish and English require a copula for adjectival and nominal predicates. Chinese requires 是 for nominal predicates but allows bare adjectival predicates.
Overview
The predicate expresses what is said about the subject.
- Spanish: Verbal predicates are bare. Adjectival and nominal predicates require ser or estar. Distinguishes inherent (ser) vs state (estar).
- English: Verbal predicates are bare. All non-verbal predicates require be. Uses become, seem, get as pseudo-copular verbs.
- Chinese: Adjectival predicates are bare (no copula). Nominal predicates require 是. Progressive uses 在. Resultative change uses 了.
Spanish
Verbal predicates
- Juan lee. (intransitive)
- Juan lee un libro. (transitive)
Adjectival predicates
Ser (inherent, permanent):
- Juan es alto. (John is tall.)
- María es inteligente.
Estar (state, location, progressive):
- Juan está cansado. (tired — state)
- El libro está en la mesa. (location)
- El perro está ladrando. (progressive)
Ser vs estar:
| Ser | Estar | |
|---|---|---|
| aburrido | Él es aburrido. (boring) | Está aburrido. (bored) |
| verde | Es verde. (green) | Está verde. (unripe) |
| vivo | Es vivo. (lively) | Está vivo. (alive) |
| listo | Es listo. (clever) | Está listo. (ready) |
Nominal predicates
Always ser:
- Juan es profesor.
- Esto es un problema.
Progressive
- Juan está leyendo.
- Estábamos comiendo.
Resultative
- Se puso furioso. (got furious)
- Se volvió loco. (went crazy)
- Llegó a ser famoso. (became famous)
Pseudo-copular
- Parece feliz. (seems happy)
- Sigue siendo importante. (remains important)
English
Verbal predicates
- John reads. (intransitive)
- John reads a book. (transitive)
Adjectival predicates
Always with be:
- John is tall.
- The soup is hot.
Get / become / turn / go + adjective:
- He got angry.
- She became famous.
- The milk turned sour.
- He went crazy.
- The leaves turned red.
Nominal predicates
Always with be:
- John is a teacher.
- This is a problem.
Progressive
- John is reading.
- They were eating.
Passive
- The book was written by John.
Resultative
- The situation became serious.
- He grew old.
- She fell ill.
Pseudo-copular verbs
| Verb | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| seem | He seems happy. | apparent state |
| appear | He appears tired. | apparent state |
| become | He became angry. | change of state |
| get | He got angry. | change of state |
| turn | The milk turned sour. | change of state |
| go | He went crazy. | negative change |
| grow | He grew old. | gradual change |
| remain | He remained silent. | continuation |
| stay | She stayed calm. | continuation |
| look | You look great. | appearance |
| sound | That sounds good. | auditory impression |
| feel | I feel sick. | tactile/emotional impression |
Object complements
- He made her happy. (adjectival)
- They elected him president. (nominal)
- I found the book interesting. (adjectival)
Chinese
Verbal predicates
Bare verbs:
- 他读书。(He reads.)
- 他吃饭。(He eats.)
Adjectival predicates (no copula)
Chinese adjectives function as predicates without a copula:
- 约翰很高。(John is tall.)
- 这个很好。(This is good.)
- 天气很冷。(The weather is cold.)
Note: A degree adverb (很, 太, 非常) is typically required. Without it, the adjective has a comparative/exclamatory sense:
- 他高！(He’s tall! — exclamatory/comparative)
Nominal predicates (copula required)
- 他是老师。(He is a teacher.)
- 这是书。(This is a book.)
Progressive
- 他在读书。(He is reading.)
- 狗在叫。(The dog is barking.)
Locative predicate
- 书在桌子上。(The book is on the table.)
Resultative change
- 他生气了。(He got angry. — 了 marks change)
- 她累了。(She got tired.)
Causative resultative
- 他让我很高兴。(He made me happy.)
- 这个消息让他很难过。(This news made him sad.)
Comparison at a glance
| Predicate type | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal | Bare verb | Bare verb | Bare verb |
| Adjectival | ser/estar + adjective | be + adjective | Adjective directly ( + degree adv) |
| Nominal | ser + noun | be + noun | 是 + noun |
| Progressive | estar + -ndo | be + -ing | 在 + verb |
| Locative | estar + PP | be + PP | 在 + location |
| Resultative | ponerse/volverse | become/get/turn | Verb + 了 |
| Passive | ser + participle | be + participle | 被 + verb |
Examples
In Context
| Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Juan es alto. | John is tall. | 约翰很高。 |
| El perro está ladrando. | The dog is barking. | 狗在叫。 |
| Se puso furioso. | He became angry. | 他生气了。 |
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 他是高 → 他很高 (no 是 with adjectives)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: He teacher → He is a teacher (copula required)
-
English speakers learning Spanish: El perro es ladrando → El perro está ladrando (progressive uses estar)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: He became to be angry → He became angry (no to-infinitive)
Related topics
- Copula: How linking verbs work
- Existence: How existential predicates work
- Aspect: How aspectual distinctions are marked
- Causatives: How causative predicates work
Examples
John is tall (adjectival)
Juan es alto (copula required)
John is a teacher (nominal)
Juan es profesor (copula required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
Llueve (impersonal)
The dog is barking (progressive)
El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund)
The book is on the table (locative)
El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP)
He became angry (resultative)
Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse)
He seems happy (raising)
Parece feliz (copula not required)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement)
Examples
John is tall (adjectival)
John is tall (copula required)
John is a teacher (nominal)
John is a teacher (copula required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
It rains (expletive subject)
The dog is barking (progressive)
The dog is barking (be + -ing)
The book is on the table (locative)
The book is on the table (be + PP)
He became angry (resultative)
He became angry (become + adjective)
He seems happy (raising)
He seems happy (seems = raising verb)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
He made him happy (object + object complement)
Examples
John is tall (adjectival)
约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree)
John is a teacher (nominal)
约翰是老师 (copula 是 required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
下雨 (verb-object)
The dog is barking (progressive)
狗在叫 (在 + verb)
The book is on the table (locative)
书在桌子上 (在 + location)
He became angry (resultative)
他生气了 (verb + 了)
He seems happy (raising)
他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| John is tall (adjectival) | Juan es alto (copula required) | John is tall (copula required) | 约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree) |
| John is a teacher (nominal) | Juan es profesor (copula required) | John is a teacher (copula required) | 约翰是老师 (copula 是 required) |
| It rains (verbal, no argument) | Llueve (impersonal) | It rains (expletive subject) | 下雨 (verb-object) |
| The dog is barking (progressive) | El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund) | The dog is barking (be + -ing) | 狗在叫 (在 + verb) |
| The book is on the table (locative) | El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP) | The book is on the table (be + PP) | 书在桌子上 (在 + location) |
| He became angry (resultative) | Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse) | He became angry (become + adjective) | 他生气了 (verb + 了) |
| He seems happy (raising) | Parece feliz (copula not required) | He seems happy (seems = raising verb) | 他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective) |
| He made him happy (causative resultative) | Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement) | He made him happy (object + object complement) | 他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| John is tall (adjectival) | Juan es alto (copula required) | John is tall (copula required) | 约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree) |
| John is a teacher (nominal) | Juan es profesor (copula required) | John is a teacher (copula required) | 约翰是老师 (copula 是 required) |
| It rains (verbal, no argument) | Llueve (impersonal) | It rains (expletive subject) | 下雨 (verb-object) |
| The dog is barking (progressive) | El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund) | The dog is barking (be + -ing) | 狗在叫 (在 + verb) |
| The book is on the table (locative) | El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP) | The book is on the table (be + PP) | 书在桌子上 (在 + location) |
| He became angry (resultative) | Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse) | He became angry (become + adjective) | 他生气了 (verb + 了) |
| He seems happy (raising) | Parece feliz (copula not required) | He seems happy (seems = raising verb) | 他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective) |
| He made him happy (causative resultative) | Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement) | He made him happy (object + object complement) | 他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
John is tall (adjectival)
Spanish
Juan es alto (copula required)
English
John is tall (copula required)
Chinese
约翰很高 (no copula; 很 = degree)
John is a teacher (nominal)
Spanish
Juan es profesor (copula required)
English
John is a teacher (copula required)
Chinese
约翰是老师 (copula 是 required)
It rains (verbal, no argument)
Spanish
Llueve (impersonal)
English
It rains (expletive subject)
Chinese
下雨 (verb-object)
The dog is barking (progressive)
Spanish
El perro está ladrando (estar + gerund)
English
The dog is barking (be + -ing)
Chinese
狗在叫 (在 + verb)
The book is on the table (locative)
Spanish
El libro está en la mesa (estar + PP)
English
The book is on the table (be + PP)
Chinese
书在桌子上 (在 + location)
He became angry (resultative)
Spanish
Se puso furioso (reflexive + ponerse)
English
He became angry (become + adjective)
Chinese
他生气了 (verb + 了)
He seems happy (raising)
Spanish
Parece feliz (copula not required)
English
He seems happy (seems = raising verb)
Chinese
他好像很高兴 (好像 + adjective)
He made him happy (causative resultative)
Spanish
Lo hizo feliz (object + predicative complement)
English
He made him happy (object + object complement)
Chinese
他让他很高兴 (让 + object + adjective)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Verbal predicates are bare. Adjectival and nominal predicates require ser or estar. Distinguishes inherent (ser) vs state (estar).
English: Verbal predicates are bare. All non-verbal predicates require be. Uses become, seem, get as pseudo-copular verbs.
Chinese: Adjectival predicates are bare (no copula). Nominal predicates require 是. Progressive uses 在. Resultative change uses 了.
Key concepts compared: John is tall (adjectival), John is a teacher (nominal), It rains (verbal, no argument).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Chinese not require a copula for adjectival predicates while Spanish and English do?
What is the difference between Chinese 很 (hěn) and English 'very' in adjectival predicates?
How do resultative predicates in Chinese differ from English and Spanish?
References
- Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
- The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981
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Last updated: June 4, 2026